The stories of these girls and women were the most-read on this website in each of the past 12 months since eShe magazine was launched.
July 2017: Oorja Gonepavaram
The heroine of our launch issue was 17-year-old Oorja Gonepavaram from Pune, whose first-person piece on quitting full-time high school to study part-time and take up scuba-diving left readers amazed. The cover featured Alankrita Srivastava, director of Lipstick Under My Burkha.
August 2017: Jennifer Winget
Cover girl Jennifer Winget’s story went viral on Twitter when it was first posted online; it continues to get plenty of retweets almost a year later! The TV icon’s unconventional life and career choices mark her as a woman to watch out for, and her intensely personal interview had readers hooked.
September 2017: Jasdeep Kaur
Sometimes life closes one door because it wants you to notice the open window. After losing her sight, software techie Jasdeep Kaur set up a music academy as she was passionate about music. Losing her sight helped her see more clearly, she says.
October 2017: Madlén Hjrelmoth
After a long soul-crushing marriage, difficult divorce and a decade of self-healing, Madlén Hjelmroth left her hometown in Sweden to travel the world by herself. She was 59 but what does age have to do with it? Her travels often lead her to India; she’s currently in Rishikesh.
November 2017: Prerona Roy
Prerona Roy went from being a small-town girl from West Bengal to a super achiever in a US-based multinational, but it took a devastating fire and 82% burns to unleash the true power of her spirit. On the first day of work as a 24-year-old post-graduate, her dupatta caught fire, and Prerona’s life took an unexpected detour. The next decade was a battleground of surgeries and pain, but she won against all odds. Today, she runs her own company.
December 2017: Sanmeet Kaur
Sanmeet Kaur went through an experience no mother ever should: losing her nine-year-old son to cancer. Soon after the tragedy, she conceived again, and had a baby girl. Ever the energetic optimist, she transformed her life’s greatest loss into a catalyst for her life’s grandest work. After quitting her job, she now conducts workshops on personal and professional growth.
January 2018: Sheetal Kapoor
Sheetal Kapoor was the quintessential housewife for two decades, until she joined her husband’s garment business. Within weeks, she’d learnt how to sell clothing online, and soon, she was retailing from top shopping websites. The 48-year-old then launched her own label, Shree, which is now an e-commerce success.
February 2018: Arvinder Bhandoola
Would you become an egg donor even if the process is painful and there is nothing in it for you? Arvinder Bhandoola, a homemaker and mother of a little girl from Delhi, was plagued by self-esteem issues, but when her friend needed an egg donor, she courageously volunteered. Our readers were touched by her candid, heart-rending story.
March 2018: Priyamvada Singh
How likely is it that a woman at the peak of her career in reality television – rubbing shoulders with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan – would give it all up to move to a village to restore an old fort at her own cost? Priyamvada Singh left a cushy life to restore her family’s 148-year-old fort in Rajasthan. She ended up giving the village of Meja a new look, and the rural community a new outlook.
April 2018: Saumyashree Nayak
The loss of her husband transformed diffident homemaker Saumyashree Nayak to a confident professional and brave single mother. She learnt the ropes of working in a corporate job, and Buddhism helped her cope with the grief. Her story led to an outpouring of support on social-media.
May 2018: Madhavi Kuckreja
Social activist Madhavi Kuckreja is not only empowering underprivileged Indian women, she’s also walking her talk in her personal life. In her 30s, while living and working in a UP village, she chose to have a biological child out of wedlock, and went on to foster 20 more abandoned children in her own two-bedroom flat. Now, at 54, she and her 30-year-old partner have adopted a baby girl. Hers was our #1 viral story of all time!
June 2018: Jasho Panda
She had studied only till class 5 in a village school, he went on to do his post-doctorate from Europe. And they have been happily married for 68 years! Jasho Panda’s story is one of forbearance. She stayed home, raising four kids, while her husband Abanish travelled the world earning accolades for his work. She’s the real hero in the relationship, writes their daughter in this heartfelt piece.
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