Top 10 Most Beautiful Indian Women in 2022
1. Dutee Chand (Sprinter)
Dutee Chand , an award winning Indian sprinter, who was born to a humble weaver family in Jajpur district of Odisha. She is an ace athlete who has made India proud at quite a lot of international meets. But what makes her distinguishing is the sheer grit and determination she has shown in the face of difficulty and communal evils. When she was younger, she was rebuked by her relatives and neighbors for running around like a boy, claiming it would distress her marriage prospects. But, that didn’t prevent her from chasing her dreams and emerging with flying colours.
When Chand was at the crest of her career, she was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games due to a condition known as hyperandrogenism which means her body produces more amount of androgen hormone testosterone than the average woman. Regardless of feeling dejected, she appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled in her favor. Chand became the first Indian athlete to publicize that she’s in a same-sex relationship, in 2019. Although she faced criticism back home, she stood her ground. Time after time, Chand has not just defied the norms but has also paved the way for numerous youngsters who aren’t terrified of taking the road less travelled.
2. Laxmi Agarwal (Activist)
Laxmi Agarwal, born in New Delhi, is an Indian acid attack survivor who campaigns for the treatment of acid attack victims. Agarwal herself had to undergo years of mental and physical anguish and also multiple surgeries caused by a similar attack. In 2005, when she was around 15 years old, a man attacked her with acid since she refused his advances. After the initial distress wore off, the disturbance set in. Agarwal healed and then decided to battle for herself and other women in a world that puts a premium on women’s physical appearance. After many months of covering her face with a dupatta, she decided to embrace herself and fight the stigma connected with her scars. In spite of facing resistance and cruel remarks from the society, she stayed unfettered in her courage and conviction. Today, Agarwal’s activism has not just awakened the society to the dreadful crime but has also produced awareness about the stigma faced by acid attack victims. For her hard work, she has received national and international recognition. In 2014, Former First Lady Of The United States Of America, Michelle Obama, honored her with the International Women of Courage Award. In early 2020, Deepika Padukone starred in Chhapaak, a film based on Agarwal’s life.
3. Kripali Samdariya (Model)
Kripali Samdariya is a model who wears couture for labels like Sabyasachi and Arpita Mehta and she is trying to change the social standards of beauty.
Stressing on the significance of creative expression with makeup and fashion, she says: “There’s no correct or incorrect when it comes to makeup. Experiment, try to set yourself free, and just keep on creating. Many out there may not like what you do, and that’s fine, since at the end of the day, if you’re glad, that’s sufficient.”
No stranger to the unwieldy beauty standards women must meet, Samdariya is encouraging people following her to dispose of the old rules of femininity and create their own definition of beauty. “Expressing myself without filters made me realize how teenagers are influenced. I’ve received many messages from girls aged between 15-18, who are stressed to have clear skin, straight hair, and a lean body. A few think models have no body hair. To me, body hair is super normal. I’d not mind if I had to show off my hairy legs or arms. But I think that’s never acceptable because we’ve been told from a young age that it’s disgusting if a girl steps out hairy, and that lucid skin and hairless body is what makes one ‘beautiful’. Impractical expectations have to be changed.”
4. Jamie Lever (Comedian)
Marketing executive-turned comedian Jamie Lever may be actor Johnny Lever’s daughter, but she is here to show everybody that women can not only be funny, but can beat men with ease. A smack in the face of those who say that comedy is a man’s world where the best a woman can get is to hear back-handed and haughty phrases like “Women can be funny too.” Women like Lever are motivating more and more women to take up comedy.
From stand-up comedy to acting in movies, and from hosting events to doing comedy sketches, Lever excels at every kind of comedic performance possible. Known for her exceptional mimicry, she is an impression expert who smartly picks up on the expressions and behaviours of those she observes, and this intelligent wit of hers is reflected in her uncanny imitations of famous celebrities. Overflowing with talent, she is a comedic actor who certainly deserves the tag of “rising star.”
5. Dia Mirza (Actor)
Former Miss India and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza have been inspiring us with her contribution towards saving the planet and creating environmental awareness in India. Lauding her hard work, the UN has extended her role for an additional two years, till the ending of 2022. From boycotting plastic bottles to beach clean-ups, planting trees, and protecting wildlife, she has done it all.
On World Environment Day, the actor stated, “The 8 million species that we share our planet with are intensely connected with our lives. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the climate that makes our planet inhabitable all come from nature. Yet, these are exceptional times in which nature is conveying us a message: To care for ourselves, we ought to care for nature. It's time to wake up. It's time to put together back better for people and the planet.” Time and again, Mirza has stressed how climate change is leaving a huge amount of carbon footprint with our daily lifestyle decisions and the way we treat nature. She also supports the #Beatplasticpollution and promotes the use of eco-friendly sanitary napkins. 'Narmada Bachao Andolan' and 'Save the Rhino' were other initiatives that she supported.
6. Gurmehar Kaur (Activist, Author)
Gurmehar Kaur gained appreciation when she was only a college student, due to her active contribution in the protests at Ramjas College, Delhi University. What followed was too nasty and hateful to only be classified as ‘trolling’. The 20-year-old made the right-wing’s blood boil but did not pay any heed to the merciless character assassination that was hurled her way. She is now a published writer of two books and a Global Ambassador of Digital Peace Now.
Her first book Small Acts of Freedom was a work of straightforward but emotional storytelling. She recounted her journey of processing thrashing while being raised by two strong Sikh women, who helped her unlearn and let go of the hate she was harboring towards a community for the demise of her father. In her second book, The Young and the Restless, Kaur takes a journey to tell the stories of ‘young’ people in political affairs, and the thoughts of nationalism and dissent. She is one of the most eloquent young voices in our country, who has not only been on the correct side of the fight, but in front of the curve. Rahul Gandhi had one time said in her support, “For every voice raised in rage, intolerance, and ignorance, there will be a Gurmehar Kaur,” and we really hope it remains true.
7. Rubeina Karachiwala (Founder, Ruby’s Organics)
They say the mother of invention is necessity. For Rubeina Karachiwala, a PR professional who could never find beauty products in India that did not annoy her sensitive skin, it led to the making of her own line. She researched and experimented to make her own line of organic makeup products suited to Indian women. She explains: “I ordered some raw supplies off Ebay and started making them in my coffee grinder, experimenting and working with different products. I had sufficient savings to then approach an R&D facility to create my products, which back then not a lot were keen on working with organic, natural products. We spent approximately a year in R&D, after a lot of pushing to create our line of products.”
Ruby’s Organics has developed from strength to strength with a makeup line that caters to India’s varied skin tones, and products that are multi-functional and simple to use. “All I did was have that enthusiasm and drive to create something new, I wasn’t looking at creating a vast line of makeup. I didn’t come from a business environment; all I had was a small amount of contacts and rest was all word-of-mouth, happily the response has been great and we’re venturing into creating more products,” says Karachiwala.
8. KK Shailaja (Kerala Health Minister)
In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, one state really rose to the test, Kerala. The person who was accountable for swift action was Kerala’s Health Minister KK Shailaja, well known as Shailaja Teacher. Managing a pandemic wasn’t new to her, she had handled the outbreak of Nipah virus back in 2018.
Shailaja set up a quick response team, control room and also surveillance units, to help monitor the circumstances when the first case of Covid-19 was reported in January. The former physics and chemistry teacher helped to deal with the spread, with Kerala flattening the curve early on and recognized one of the lowest mortality rates in the world. She was given the moniker Corona Slayer and the United Nations acknowledged her efforts and invited her on June 24th to speak on the event of United Nations Public Service Day.
Speaking to The Times of India, she accredited the state’s healthcare for its success: “The advantage of the state is its very sturdy primary healthcare system and the support we get from the local bodies. This is why Kerala stands separately from other states in the country.” The ever smiling former teacher with her kind approach certainly deserves all accolades.
9. Swati Raval (Pilot)
Captain Swati Raval is one amongst the many pilots renowned for piloting an Air India Boeing 777 to bring back 263 Indian passengers trapped in Rome. She was also the first woman pilot to control a rescue flight. Raval showed massive courage by flying a plane into the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to a leading news channel, Raval had described the situation, “I got a call from my team saying that I had to pilot a flight from Delhi to Rome. I had about 5 seconds to answer him, and all I could think about was my 5 year old son and 18 month old daughter… But the thought of those 263 Indians frantically waiting to go back home to their families made me agree.”
Raval has made headlines before as well. Back in 2010, she was a part of Air India's all-woman crew flying from Mumbai to New York. She has been flying for over 15 years and has time and again stated in interviews how she always wanted to be a fighter pilot. Though, as women in the Air Force were not allowed to fly, she became a commercial pilot. Nonetheless, this gutsy warrior has managed to make a noteworthy difference and lead the way for many more women like herself.
10. Masrat Zahra (Photojournalist)
Born to a Muslim family in Hawal, Srinagar, Masrat Zahra is a Kashmiri self-employed journalist. Earlier this year, she won the Anja Niedringhaus Courage Award in photojournalism from the International Women's Media Foundation and was as well awarded the Peter Mackler Award for courageous and ethical journalism for telling stories of the women of Kashmir. Zahra’s work has appeared in numerous International media houses and she has received much appreciation for all her photographs that bring the conflicts in Kashmir to light. Back in 2018, she was alleged to be a police informer after she shared an image on Facebook from an encounter site. In April 2020, Zahra was booked with the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, owing to some of her posts on Facebook that were considered offensive, criminal and anti-national.
Talking to a leading publication, Zahra described the police action as a challenge to suppress her from bringing out stories of repression in Kashmir. She received support from the J&K Peoples Democratic Party who said the incidents were a orderly pattern of assault on the freedom of expression. Even though Zahra said she was ‘Speechless’ following action taken against her, her never-back-down thoughts is seeing her through it all.