The International Women's Day 2018 is an opportunity for us to highlight and recount the achievements of Indian women from and in various walks of life. Some may argue that achievements are not just restricted to be recollected and shared on one particular day or occasion only. Absolutely, we agree. But then it is good to have a day dedicated to a particular cause or topic which can help stimulate constructive discussion and discourse around that particular topic. We live everyday, but we celebrate or treat our birthday with a little more enthusiasm and spunk than we do on usual days. In short, everything needs a birthday.

Now, the achievements of Indian women are too numerous and huge to be restricted to one article. But our attempt is to act as a chronicler of (selective)   splendid work done by Indian women in various walks of life, like:

1. Bhakti Sharma 

Bhakti Sharma was honored by the former President of India Pranab Mukherjee with an admiration certificate, a memento and Rs.5 Lac cash for her swimming achievements in the year 2011. (Photo Credit: BhaktiSharma.in)

Bhakti Sharma holds the record for not only being the first Asian woman to set a record in open swimming but also the youngest in the world to do so in Antarctic waters. Sharma swam 1.4 miles (2.3 km) in 41.14 minutes, at the bone chilling temperature of 1 °C (34 °F) and broke the previous records held by Lynne Cox of USA and Lewis Pugh of Great Britain. Bhakti Sharma has swum in all the five oceans of the world. The ace swimmer is also a recipient of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. She was awarded the prize in the year 2010.

2. Rupa Devi

Rupa Devi from Tamil Nadu became India's first international refree for FIFA. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

Rupa Devi became India's first female football referee to officiate international matches for FIFA. Rupa joined the Dindigul Football Federation located in Chennai in 2006 which supported her for various national matches and also  supported her studies. The 26-year-old was also a teacher and considering India's Football standing on global map, it was a huge achievement for women's football in India. Residing in Tamil Nadu, Rupa had been enrolled in Asia's Future Referees, being the only Indian woman there. Later she was shortlisted by FIFA as an international referee in the year 2016, which speaks volume about her passion for the game.

3. Arunima Sinha 

In 2013, Arunima Sinha became the world's first female amputee and India's first amputee to achieve this feat. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

The 29-year-old Arunima Sinha holds the record for being the world's first female amputee and India's first amputee to climb Mount Everest. A national level volleyball player, her life took a turn when she was pushed from a running train by some robbers in 2011. She had to lose one of her legs due to the accident which had to be amputated  below the knee. This did not deter the brave girl from pursuing her goal of mountain climbing and scaling Mount Everest. In 2013 she did that and became the world's first female amputee and India's first amputee to achieve this feat. She has already scaled six peaks: Everest in Asia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia, Aconcagua in Argentina and Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.

4. Tessy Thomas

Tessy Thomas is the first woman to head an Indian missile project earning the title of "India's Missile Woman". (Photo Credit: Twitter/All India Radio)

Tessy Thomas, also known as "India's Missile Woman", is the first woman to head an Indian missile project, hence the title given to her.  She was born in April 1963, at Alappuzha, Kerela. She joined DRDO in 1988 and was placed in the Department of Design and Development of the new generation ballistic missile, Agni. She was also the project director for mission Agni IV which was successfully tested in 2011.

5. Manu Bhaker

The 16-Year-Old Indian Shooting Sensation Manu Bhaker Who Won Two Gold Medals at ISSF World Cup (Photo Credits: Twitter Moments India)

A 16-year-old girl, Manu Bhaker can also be called the Indian shooting sensation. The teenaged shooter has taken the country by storm bagging two Gold medals at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico on March 4, 2018.

6. Aruna Budda Reddy 

Aruna Budda Reddy became the first Indian ever to win a medal at the Gymnastics World Cup and made India proud at the world event. (Photo Credit: Twitter@IndianGymnastic)

Indian gymnast Aruna Budda Reddy made history by bagging a bronze medal in Vault at the Gymnastics World Cup in Melbourne in 2018. Aruna Budda Reddy scored an average of 13.649 for a total of two vaults. The 22-year-old gymnast became the first Indian ever to win a medal at the Gymnastics World Cup and made India proud at the world event.

One common theme in the stories of all these remarkable women is the guts to glory attitude that they adopted in order to succeed in life and overcome whatever obstacles life threw at them. We can see women all around us who strive on a daily basis to make life easier and better for themselves and their families. They are role-models in their own right. If anything, their journey serves as an example to all of us that if we are willing to walk the extra mile, we are bound to reach the destination no matter what. Happy International Women's Day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2018 10:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).