12 SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN WHO INSPIRE, ASPIRE, EMPOW-HER!

 

Hello and welcome! We’re so honored that you’ve joined us on this journey of empow-her-ment! When we say ‘her’, we’re talking about showcasing the incredible achievements and resilience of South Asian women who can inspire girls, boys, and little ones of all gender identities!

The bonus material you’ll find on this page supplements all three products in our EMPOW-HER product range - our Just Like Me: 12 South Asian Women Who Inspire, Aspire, Empow-Her! children’s board book, Empowher Memory Match & Learn card game, and Empowher Vinyl sticker set (or a bundle!).

For our Australian and Kiwi friends, we have a dedicated website for this region of the world. You can find these same products on our regional website here: Just Like Me: 12 South Asian Women Who Inspire, Aspire, Empow-Her! children’s board book, Empowher Memory Match & Learn card game, and Empowher Vinyl sticker set (or the bundle!).

It was so hard for us to choose only twelve women for this first book, but lucky for you and us, this is just the first book in a whole Just Like Me series! Plus, there’s so much to say about the twelve women featured in this book, which is why we’ve created this handy page to enhance your learning experience. Below you will find:

 GLOSSARY OF EMPOW-HER-MENT  

We’ve kept the content brief and the language as simple as possible without diminishing the work and impact of the women featured. But these women are doing really incredible work that might need some explaining! You can use this handy glossary as a guide for simplified definitions for words and names of organizations featured on each page.

 DREAM BOARD ACTIVITY 

We hope this book provokes BIG DREAMS to action in this world! Use this interactive activity to create a dream board that captures your goals, dreams, and values! Whether it’s through words, pictures, and objects, the goal is that when you look at your board, it will inspire you and spark happiness in you everyday!

Thank you for making this purchase to help us spotlight the incredible work that women from the South Asian community are doing all around our world!

 

GLOSSARY OF EMPOW-HER-MENT & FURTHER EMPOW-HER-ING READS

KALPANA CHAWLA

Kalpana was a brilliant mechanical engineer and astronaut. She was the first woman of Indian origin to go into space! Many streets, institutions, and awards are named after Kalpana. Did you know Kalpana also has a NASA spacecraft and a hill on Mars named after her?

Astronaut - a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft to explore space

Engineer - a person who designs, builds, and maintains machines, engines, and other structures

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a U.S. government agency that is responsible for science and technology related to air and space

VIJAYA LAKSHMI PANDIT

Vijaya Lakshmi was an incredible political leader who helped create a new India after the end of British colonization. Colonization is when a government and people from another country go to another people’s country and live there without their permission. Vijaya Lakshmi helped India to be a free country to be ruled by the Indian people.

Governor - a person who is the top leader of a town or a region

Maharashtra - a state in the country of India

United Nations - an international organization where people who represent all countries of the world gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions

Interesting Symbolism on this Page:  
The dove and olive branch are symbols of peace. Since Vijaya Lakshmi worked to bring peace in India and many other countries around the world, we thought the dove and the olive branch were the perfect illustrations for her page.

 

ARUNDHATI ROY

Arundhati is a very talented Indian writer, who has written many incredible, award-winning books and articles. Most of her writing focuses on protecting indigenous people and places. ‘Indigenous’ means originally being from a place. She is especially vocal about protecting the lands and the rights of India’s tribal communities. 

Author - a writer of a book, document, or article

Political activist - a person who works to make life better for people and places

Interesting Symbolism on this Page: 
Did you notice the beautiful artwork of the tree and people singing and dancing on the bottom left corner of Arundhati’s page? This style of art is inspired by the Warli tribal group, one of the largest tribal groups of India. Arundhati writes a lot about the problems the tribal groups of India face, and she works hard to protect their sacred places and practices.

RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE

Rukmini Devi was a Tamil woman born in Tamil Nadu who made the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam popular and an important part of South Indian culture. She also worked to protect the wellbeing of animals. Did you know she was the first woman chosen to be a member of a part of the Indian government called the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament of India?

Bharatanatyam - a South Indian classical dance form

Choreographer - a person who puts together the steps and moves to create a dance

Kalakshetra Foundation - a school in Tamil Nadu, India that teaches traditional culture, music, dance, and art

Interesting Symbolism on this Page:

There are two instruments that help establish the rhythm or thālam in bharatanatyam. In the book, on the bottom right corner of Rukmini Devi’s page, you will see both of these instruments used to keep Nattavāngam. The first is thālam cymbals comprised of two metal pieces with cotton thread handles. The thattuthālam is made of brass and is typically held in the right hand. The kuzhithālam is usually held in the right hand and is made of cast iron.

The second instrument is the wooden board on wooden legs (Thatta manai) and a wooden stick (Thalakkol). The Thattu Kazhi set is typically used during dance lessons.

 

SANIA MIRZA

Sania became the first Indian woman to win a tennis Grand Slam in 2003. She has won six major titles, which is another name for a championship award in tennis! These were all in doubles matches, which means she played her tennis games with a partner against another team of two players.

 

Grand slam - a set of major championships or matches in a single year; in tennis, there are four championships - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon (Britain), and the U.S. Open

Padma Bhushan - the third highest civilian award given by the Government of India

Padma Shri - the fourth highest civilian award given by the Government of India

KAMALA DEVI HARRIS

Kamala is the first female vice president of the United States! Before this, she was the attorney general of California and a United States senator representing California. 

Attorney - a lawyer, or a person who practices law; this person listens to a problem and figures out how to solve it fairly

Vice President - the second highest leader of the United States government

Interesting Symbolism on this Page
The scales of justice are a symbol of fairness, which is important in overseeing the law and justice.

The Bald Eagle is a symbol of freedom and the United States of America.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Malala is an inspiration to people everywhere and of all ages. As a young girl, she showed so much courage and bravery as she stood up against the Taliban to pursue an education. Now, she dedicates her life to helping other young girls all over the world go to school and access a quality education.

Activist - a person who works to make life better for people, places, Mother Earth, and/or animals

Excel - to be really good at something

Nobel Peace Prize - an award given by the Nobel Peace Center to a person who has done the most or the best work to bring peace to people and places 

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR

Anoushka is a musical wonder! She was trained by her very famous and talented father, Ravi Shankar, on the sitar, an ancient classical musical instrument of India. She was the first Indian woman to be nominated for a Grammy, and she is the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield.

Composer - a person who writes music

Grammy Award - an award presented by the Recording Academy to someone who has created outstanding music or done something outstanding for the music industry

Sitarist - a person who plays the sitar, a classical Indian string instrument 

Read all about Anoushka Shankar on her website by clicking here.

 

 

GITA GOPINATH

Gita is extraordinarily talented with numbers and mathematics! She has held many high positions to use her skills and knowledge to help keep the world and all of us safe during very challenging times. One of her most recent papers shares a plan to end the COVID-19 pandemic and help as many people around the world access vaccinations. 

Academic - a teacher at a university, college, or other institute of higher education

Economist - a person who is an expert in the study of creating wealth; wealth can mean money, goods, services, or resources

Equitable - fair; it’s important to note the difference between ‘equal’ and ‘equitable’. ‘Equal’  essentially means that everyone will be given the same amount or opportunity. ‘Equitable’ is a way of dividing things more fairly. One of the simplest ways to envision the difference between equitable and equal is a staircase. It is open for anyone to use. This makes it equal. What if, however, you use a wheelchair? Is it fair to expect you to use the staircase? Many would say it is not, which is why we also have ramps for the disabled. This is equity. Source: The King Law Firm

International Monetary Fund - an international institution with 190 country members that helps manage trade between countries, make sure that the world is financially stable, and reduce poverty around the world

Interesting Symbolism on this Page:
Did you notice the number on the calculator? As of 2020, the world population was 7,753,000,000! Since then, this number has increased to 7,960,000,000 people. By the end of this year, the population is expected to rise to 8 billion!

Every country has a name for its money or currency. The symbols on this page tell us what the main currencies of the world are:

 European Union Euro

 United States Dollar

 Chinese Yen

 British Pound

WASFIA NAZREEN

Wasfia is a modern superhero. Did you know that she has climbed all of the Seven Summits? The Seven Summits are the tallest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. She has dedicated her life to mountaineering for so many incredible causes that help vulnerable women and children around the world, but especially in her home country of Bangladesh.

Mountaineer - a person who climbs mountains for sport

Read all about Wasfia Nazreen's adventures on her website by clicking here!

 

NANDITA DAS

Nandita is not your ordinary actress. She chooses to take part in films and productions that help teach the world about important causes and issues that we should all know about so that we can be better citizens of the world. She has been a big supporter of the ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign and produced a music video called ‘India’s Got Colour’ to showcase all of the beautiful skin tones of South Asia. All colors are beautiful and should be celebrated!

Director - a person who uses their creative vision and ideas to create a film, TV show, or play

Producer - a person who helps find the money and resources to create a film and share it with the world

Read more about Nandita Das by clicking here.

 

INDRA NOOYI

Indra is one of the world’s most admired business leaders. She is the first woman of color and immigrant to lead a Fortune 50 company. Fortune 50 companies are the most successful companies in the world! Indra is the author of the book My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future.

CEO - Chief Executive Officer; the biggest boss in a company

Chairperson - the leader of a meeting, organization, or company

National Women’s Hall of Fame - a U.S. institution that honors the incredible things that American women have done

You can learn more about Indra Nooyi on her website by clicking here!

 

 

LET’S CREATE A DREAM BOARD!

Have you heard this idea that if you can dream it, you can make it come true? How you view yourself, the people around you, and the world you live in are really important because your thoughts and your dreams can shape your reality. How cool is that?

 

We went over to iMom.com for a beautiful guide on how to create the dream board of your dreams. Here’s what they had to share... 

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
– Henry David Thoreau

What is your child passionate about? What are your child’s hopes and dreams? Making a dream board can be a fun and visual way for your child to express their dreams and inspire them to pursue them. All you need is some construction paper, an old magazine or two, and some glue. Then let your imagination take over! So here is how to create a dream board for kids.

What you will need:

• A large piece of construction paper or poster board. (You can even use an old cork memo board.)
• Old magazines, Internet pictures, pamphlets, etc. (Libraries often sell their old magazines for a small fee. Ask the neighbors for old magazines. Use the Internet by searching for a specific type of image or theme. Websites such as www.istockphoto.com or Getty Images are great sites to explore.)
• Glue or other adhesive

What to do:

• Have your child go through the magazines and cut out any pictures that motivate them or make them feel ambitious.
• You can also divide the board into four sections. Here are some ideas for what to include:
• Do: What do you want to do this summer? What do you enjoy doing? What would you like to learn to do?
• Be: What do you want to be when you grow up? What kind of person do you want to be? (Help them find photos of smiling faces, people helping others, etc.)
• Go: Where do you dream of going? Where have you already been? What’s your favorite place to visit? How will you get there?
• Love: Who do you love? Family? Pets? What makes you feel loved?

Help them avoid filling their board with toys and material possessions. Place their dream board in their room where it can serve as a daily reminder of their goals.