Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D., Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard

The Blurb:
A compendium of straightforward techniques on how to accentuate the positive and redirect the negative, increasing productivity at work and at home.

What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale?

Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.

When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).

In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives.

What I Felt About The Book

I saw this book on my manager's desk and as usual was curious to know what he was reading. Honestly, when I first had a look on the cover, title and back page; I had the impression of another blabbering self help book. But still, I read the first few pages and was glad to find that the author(s) have chosen to teach the lessons through story telling.

ABC Of Performance

What I Liked About The Book:
1. Short Book and thus short chapters having big font: Yes, the really like the books with font big enough to be read with naked eyes without much concentration. Full marks to the publishers for it.
2. Failure Scenarios: Generally, book like this skip the hardships people face while applying the underlying strategies or techniques. I really liked the part where Wes had trouble applying Whale Done Principles in his office. The detailing could have been better though.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
Though it is a very very short book, I got the jest of all in less than half of pages. After that, everything was just the repetition of all excellent principles and it did get a bit boring.

In a very short book too, there were instances when I found myself nodding sharply and smiling at others. Picture below lines from the book:

Catching people doing things wrong is easy.

The very basic example is how we help and groom our kids with basic activities like walking. They never ever succeed in first attempt.

Good thing I didn't spank the kids when they didn't stand and walk perfectly the first time. We'd have had teenagers crawling around the house.

Another set of lines were around common gossip we all do when we see a person yelling for no reason - "must have got into a fight with the spouse", "must have got a good hearing from the manager"and many more.

Ripple effect of GOTcha. The boss yells at one of his managers, that manager yells at one of his associates, who goes home and yells at his spouse, who yells at the kid, who kicks the cat.

And there were more:

When you're dealing with an eleven-thousand-pound animal who doesn't speak English, you do a lot of learning.

The more attention you pay to a behavior, the more it will be repeated.

You got to ac-cen-tuate the positive, e-lim-inate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative...

The one thing your competition can never steal from you is the relationship you have with your people, and the relationship they have with your customers.

And the final and most liked ones - i think;

India's First Female Fighter Pilots - Dream Come True

Last year, I posted about my surprise discovery of the fact that India though being one of the leading nations in 21st century, still did not have “Female” fighter pilot.

Today, my happiness touches no boundary as I post my straight from heart words dedicated to the three ladies who have created the history. Flying Cadet Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh have been formally  inducted in Indian Air Force fighter squadron on Saturday - 18-June-2016.

Know your limits,

I was told once.

Sky doesn't have one,

I wondered.

Know your limits,

I was told once.

Sky doesn't have one,

I marveled.

Eyes focused,

Mind alert,

Wings wide open,

I take the flight.

The path is impossible,

Explicated everyone.

Sun shines because it burns itself,

I remarked.

Flying high,

Higher than cloud,

Above the mountain,

Over the ocean,

I twist and twirl,

Showing my beam.

It's not your forte,

Orated the laws.

Gravity is already conquered,

I pondered.

Grounded to earth,

Wings spreading again,

And again,

I head upward.

Enemies beware,

Fearless soul,

Goddess of courage,

Empress of the skies,

Is here.

Women pilots have been flying helicopters and transport aircraft since 1991 in the IAF - Indian Air Force, but the fighter crafts were still a dream for us. After some initial reluctance, IAF finally opened the cockpit for females on an experimental basis for five year.


They will be now posted to either the Bidar or Kalaikunda airbase and would undergo "transitional" fighter training on the Hawks. The advanced jet training (AJT) is a one year training which includes learning intensive combat manoeuvres and armament firing. It ensures that the rookie pilots can handle old fighters like MiG-21s as well as new multi-role ones like Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage-2000s.

I have no doubts that the experiment is going to be a major success. Three cheers for the trio.

Sexual Violence – Report and Bust the Devil

Sexual violence is another term given to inhuman act of humans themselves towards their own species. I was not surprised when I learned that only 1 out of 100 women who face sexual violence every report it to the police. (National Family Health Survey (2005-06)).

What stops us to raise our voice against the crime? Why do we not report these cases? There is however one question more important than this and must be written or asked in bold letter or louder voice – “Why is it important to encourage reporting sexual violence?”

I gave a deep thought and came up with my own answer to the question:

1. We want our children to become humans

It is very rightly (to a great extent) said that home is the biggest school and children learn the lessons of life from their parents rather than their teachers. From centuries, many young and innocent minds have inherited the art of respecting or did-respecting women around them from their immediate family members. Sons take no time to become the actual figure from mere shadows of their fathers. Daughters often learn to live the life as their mothers lived - with some amendments owing to present generation.

He called her name

He slapped her to tame

He pulled her hair to room

The son is too small

The son would be afraid

He shut her woes

The son heard her crying

He lied to them

He threatened them

He abused them

He hit them!

He learned from him

The little boy who witnessed everything right form his childhood many times take the same route and parents are reminded of the popular saying – ‘As you sow, so shall you reap!

2. We want to make a difference

A child would never learn to walk if she does not overcome the internal fear of falling down. Once a child takes that first step forward, walking becomes just another natural trait for her. Similarly, I believe that if we do not try and report sexual violence or any such activity, we would never be able to put the laws to our good use. Till that day, we would live under same illusion of fear that ‘if I do this, I might face these consequences’. I agree the path is generally very rocky and full of hurdles, but then, the fruit thus received is worth the pride.

The day we start reporting more and more of them, is the day we make sure that we are aware of our rights and thus, that is the day we would take first and only step to ‘Equality’.

3. Sexual Violence should be reported

I find no reason convincing enough to ‘not’ to raise voices against sexual violence. The only method one can make sure that the voice risen in thus heard is by reporting them. Thus it is important to encourage reporting sexual violence because ‘It is important to report sexual violence’.

 If the above reasons are not good enough to encourage reporting sexual violence, following facts from law might prove motivating:

Snapshot source

Let’s take the first step to encouragement by making them aware of the basics. To do my bit, I would bring up the above points on some of the safety session I have in office. Word of mouth is the best way to spread the word.

Did you take your step?

I’m writing this blog post to support Amnesty International’s #KnowYourRights campaign at BlogAdda. You can also contribute to the cause by donating or spreading the word.

Lady You Are Not A Man by Apurva Purohit

One fine day, my colleague came to office and sent a link to me on this book.  Out of curiosity and the recent incidents that prevailed around us in the workspace, we ordered the book. Thus, there it was my desk!

About The Author:

Currently, the CEO of FM network Radio City 91.1, Apurva Purohit is a smart leader and a visionary who has built several media brands like Zoom TV and Radio City. Read more about her at her blog - http://www.womenatwork.co.in.

The blurb says:

Todays woman wants to make a success of both family and career and is unwilling to compromise on either. But the burden of coping with deadlines, recalcitrant children, lazy husbands, difficult bosses and equally difficult in-laws can be daunting, even overwhelming. In this book, Apurva Purohit, CEO of Radio City 91.1 FM, shows how women can accept, adapt and achieve their way to the highest rung in every arena. Through real-life stories and funny anecdotes, she provides pithy tips on a multitude of topics: from training husbands to training interns, from the right attitude to getting it right with kids, from dealing with household crises to office emergencies, from building a reputation to paving ones way to the top. Warm, witty and empathetic, Lady, Youre Not a Man! is a must-read for every woman on the quest for work-home balance and determined to succeed in her career and live a happy and fulfilling life.

About The Cover:

I liked the cover. It's quite creative and also pops out some hint to contents - which I realised only after reading two-three chapters.

About The Book:

I was all smiles as I read the very first pages. It was like reading about myself! I can bet that any working mother would give a high five to me when they read it.

I also liked the way book is structured. The book is divided into three sections – Acceptance, Adapting, and Achievements. Each section is further divided into smaller chapters. Wait, there is more. Each chapter has footnotes at the end with the headings - "Corporate Mantra of the Day" and "Psst…" giving a crisp summary of the chapter. 

Further, each section is concluded with ten important lessons.

Below were my favourite chapters:

-The suffering Sita syndrome

-Expectant expectations

-Can u give up control

-Oye, lucky madam

-Maintaining one's individuality

-Sexy smart and single

What I Liked About The Book:

1. The fact that I could immediately relate to it.

2. Short chapters.

3. Real life experiences.

4. Witty and funny punches very here and there.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:

1. Unmarried females might not be able to directly relate.

2. Male readers might find it too much boasting about women - but they always do so, remember comments on women day or organisations not celebrating men's day ;)

Over all, I liked the book and can recommend to someone who is looking for non-fiction read over a weekend. Women low on self esteem or giving a single thought to give up their career because of any reason must read it.

I could have copied almost every second line as my favourite except the stories, but I refrained myself hard and below are some lines I noted down as quotes:

    "Priorities need to change at different stages of our life if we want to grow and evolve."

       " We women actually have very simple needs indeed. Give or take a few diamonds, about forty pair of shoes, a few cuddles from our spouses and a reliable cook, all we want is to be happy and successful - both in our corporate lives and at home."

   "Most wars are lost in our minds much before we have stepped out on the battlefield. In a choice between skill and great attitude, attitude always wins, hands down."

     "Pregnancy is not an illness, it's a process of life."

Title: Lady, You're Not a Man! : The Adventures of a Woman at Work

Author: Apurva Purohit

Publisher: Rupa Publications India (5 August 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 8129129043

ISBN-13: 978-8129129048

Sent from my iPhone

U is for Umpire

Any sport in world is not complete without its Umpires or Referees. They are the people whose decisions can completely turn the game around. Below are some women who are making their mark in this most important field of sports.

Maria Piedade Rebello

Football is most loved game across the world. Try and notice the amount of craze among masses during FIFA world cup.

Maria is the first FIFA-listed women's referee from India (Check out the listing at FIFA). She has also been the former captain of India women’s football team. Altough she took early retirement from the game, but she could not put herself away from the pitch.

She says that, “…initially players may have thought that I don't know the rules of the game, but I'm strict, I've proven myself and now I'm more respected.”.

Image and information sources:

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/they-thought-i-didnt-know-the-rules-of-the-game-indias-top-female-ref-maria-rebello-996809.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Rebello

http://static.goal.com/298100/298141_heroa.jpg

Vrushali Upadhye

A science graduate from Maharashtra Education Society’s (MES) Abasaheb Garware College, Vrushali took to umpiring badminton to pursue her passion for the same. Vrushali is India’s first Female World Badminton Federation (WBF) accredited umpire.

Vrushali first took to badminton umpiring in the eighties and became a grade II umpire in 1986 before becoming a grade I umpire in 1993.

Image and information source;

http://www.sportskeeda.com/badminton/exclusive-interview-indias-first-wbf-woman-accredited-umpire-vrushali-upadhye

Snehal Bendke

Ever seen a girl whistling around a gang of tall and handsome guys and all of them following her sincerely? Snehal Bendke is one young girl who runs among the rude men and women and controls them with her whistle. Snehal took up to referring at the young age of 22 on the persuasion of her coach to give the referee exam.

Snehal along with Chinese referee Ling Peng be became one of two first women referees to officiate at Men's FIBA Asia Championship in 2012. Here is her profile - FIBA

Image and information source:

http://contents.spin.ph/image/Phl-Kor-2.jpg

http://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/whistle-podu-interview-with-indias-first-woman-fiba-referee-snehal-bendke

Shubhda Bhosle

Finally, for India, cricket is the god of games. I am sure once cannot find a single child who did not played gali-cricket or bat-ball as his/her first games. While there are many young boys and girls making their mark in the game as players, Shubhda after playing for under-16, went on to become the youngest woman umpire in India. She grabbed the honor by successfully clearing the level-1 BCCI umpiring examination in June 2013.

Like any cricket lover, she is the big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. She umpires for both women and men’s matches with equal ease.  According to her, “I don’t think there is anything different thing  I do when I officiate in men’s matches. I don’t entertain any non-sense from any of the player let it be man or woman.  Such situation will take place in this game. My job is to remain imperturbable and to tell players to focus only on their game”

I wish her all the best and wish that she soon joins Kathy Cross - who became the first women umpire to be in ICC elite panel of umpires. 

Image and Information Source:

http://sportspapa.com/interview-shubhda-bhosle-youngest-women-umpire-india-rtp/

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lv9Tw9P_FOE/mqdefault.jpg

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.

T is for Teacher

“Your Aim In Life”, “Career You Want to Pursue” etc. are some topics on which every student has written an essay at-least once in his/her life time. For me, this topic was repeated almost every year from standard fifth to standard 10^th. Every year, I wrote that I want to become a teacher.

Yes, as a child, I wanted to become a teacher, may be because my mother was a teacher once. I even used to play teacher-teacher game all alone with my toys and imaginary students on a wall. I have even got some scolding for ruining the walls turning them into blackboard.

As I grew up, I have no idea why I did not want to become a teacher then. But today, I so want to change my profile and get into soft-skills or corporate trainings. So ideally, I am back to my first choice – a form of teaching only.

Before I move ahead with his post, I want to sincerely thank all my teachers throughout my life. It’s all because of them that I am currently writing this. A major part of myself must also have been a reflection of learning I have had all my life.

Once again if we dig into history and look for renowned teachers, A long list of males come up – Chanakya, Siddhartha Gautama, Lord Krishna top the list. Among all male brigade, one woman very clearly stands out. Although, I have already dedicated the post with Mothers to her, I cannot resist myself from writing again about her.

Savitribai Jyotirao Phule

Born in 1831 to a family of farmers, Savitribai was married at the age of 9 to a 13 year old boy Jyotirao Phule. The lady along with her husband went on to become the social reformers and strongly supported education for women – which was not considered ideal during those times. She is one of the noble personalities who struggled against the caste system and other social evils against women prevailing in the early India.

She did not have any children of her own but that did not stop her from being a mother. As the part of their fight for widows, Savtibai’s husband Jyotirao pregnant lady (widows specially pregnant used to either commit suicide r kill their new born babies for the fear of cruel practices running in society) from committing suicide, promising her to give her child his name after it was born. The lady gave birth to a boy known as Yashwant who went on to become a doctor in future.

With the strong support of her husband, the noble lady opened first ever all-girls’ school Bhide Wada in Pune in 1848. Savitribai thus became the first female teacher of the first women's school in India. The opening of school attracted many criticisms and outrage from society and the lady with heart of gold was badly abused for her courage. She was even pelted with stones, rotten eggs, tomatoes and cow dung while on her way to school. None of this could stop her from her mission and she continued her struggle. By the end of an year, there were five more schools for girls opened across Pune.

Personally, Savitribai was a poet and is also as the founder of modern poetry. Books of her poems were published posthumously, Kavya Phule (1934) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1982). Below is the extract one of her poems:

Go, Get Education

Be self-reliant, be industrious

Work, gather wisdom and riches,

All gets lost without knowledge

We become animal without wisdom,

Sit idle no more, go, get education

End misery of the oppressed and forsaken,

You’ve got a golden chance to learn

So learn and break the chains of caste.

Throw away the Brahman’s scriptures fast.

Read some more at - http://drambedkarbooks.com/2015/01/03/few-poems-by-savitribai-phule/

One of the best tributes to her:

In 2014, the University of Pune was renamed as Savitribai Phule Pune University in her honour.

Last but not the least; the lady is of the few who got got a stamp released in their honour –

Savitribai actually lived to serve and died on 10 March 1987 by the worldwide Third Pandemic of the bubonic plagu – She conracted the disease while personally serving the patients along with her son.

Below is one of the videos in Hindi I could find about the respectable lady:

Image and information sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitribai_Phule

http://drambedkarbooks.com/2011/09/03/first-lady-teacher-of-india-savitribai-phule/

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.

S is for Scientist

The answer to question - 'Famous scientists from India" has many renowned names. But the fact that almost all of them are male i also true. It's time we open our eyes and give the due credit to women as-well.

Janaki Ammal Edavaleth Kakkat (4 Nov 1897 to Feb 1984)

Janaki was a well-known botanist with her field of research in cytogenetic and phytogeography. In a big family of six brothers and five sisters where girls were mostly expected to study arts, Janaki choose a different path and pursued her honors degree in botany from Presidency College in 1921.

Moving ahead in her carrer, she was  working as a cytologist at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley from 1945 to 1951 when she returned to India on the special invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru. 
Her awards include:

• Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1935
• Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1957
• Honorary LL.D. by University of Michigan in 1956
• Padmashri by Government of India in 1957

There are also awards in her name;

“National Award of Taxonomy” instituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Government of India in 2000

“E.K. Janaki Ammal Award” instituted in 1999

Image and information Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janaki_Ammal

Kamala Sohonie

The first Indian woman to get a Ph.D in a scientific discipline, Kamaka was a biochemist.

Initially, she was denied admission to Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore (renowned scientific laboratory) as a result of gender bias. With her determination and self-confidence, she finally managed to get the admission (with some shocking conditions being a woman) and there has been no looking for her back after that. It was her dedication and hard work which made Prof. C.V. Raman (the first Asian Nobel laureate in Physics) to change his mind on female students and open the gates of his prestigious institute for women the very next year.

The lady with zeal of steel was invited by Dr Satyavati (first woman DG of ICMR and Chairperson of IndianCouncil of Medical Research) at the age of 84 for the facilitation of her significant work. Unfortunately, Kamala collapsed and passed away at the venue.

Image and information source:

http://www.academia.edu/9261356/A_Tribute_to_Kamala_Sohonie

While there are many other notable women scientists in history, the present era also has women making the list longer.

Tessy Thomas (1964 to present)

Better known as the “Missile Woman”, Tessy is the Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) . Her childhood was spent near a rocket launching station which served as her fascination towards missiles and rockets. The lady has also been quoted by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as – “w oman making her mark in a traditionally male bastion and decisively breaking the glass ceiling”.

Award:

 Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for her outstanding contribution for making India self-reliant in the field of missile technology.

Image and information source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-17781281

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.

R is for Racer

Cars, Bikes and Boys – I often find the three words synonym to each other. Till date I have not bet a boy who does not have a fancy about one of these. I think, more than machine, they have a much deeper fantasy for speed. I am et to find a guy who has never played need for speed or F1 Racing or other car/bike race video games. Even my 3 year old kid does not miss a chance to play a racing game on my mobile. Ask him what gift he wants, and the prompt answer is “Race Car” that too in all shapes, sizes and colors.

The dream machines are often advertised with stunning looking female models along their sides. There can be nothing sexier than a female on the driving seat of these machines. One cannot deny the fact that our eyes take another look at normal roads also if we notice a female driving some SUV or luxury car. The general tendency of male population is very clear – Female and driving does not match. There are even thousands of jokes on female driving.

Among all those jokes, there are some girls whose name is enough to turn all that laughter into admiration and may be lust (believe me, boys fall more for good female drivers than good cooks!)..

Image Source

Alisha Abdullah

At the age of 9, when most girls play with dolls and dream houses, Alisha used to go-karting. She even started winning them at the tender age of eleven. In 2004, the kid won the MRF National Go-Karting Championship and the Best Novice Award in the National level Formula Car Racing in the open class .Alisha then moved on to formula car racing and came fifth in the JK Tyre National Championship, 2004. On the advise of her father, She made the switch from four wheels to bikes in the same year. She thus became India's first female national racing champion.

There has been no looking back since them for the girl. I so want to get the snapshot of look on her first bike race competitors. Here are some of her best shots:

1. Stood second in the 2006 National Road Racing Championship UCAL

2. Finished eighth in the 2012 Volkswagen National Polo Cup (India)

3. Received the Rotary Young Achiever Award in 2008

4. Third place in the 2009 JK Tyre National Super-bike Racing Championship, among 15 men.

Image Source

Sarika Sehrawat

 MBA by studies, Sarika is India’s first ever woman car racer, and one of the few professional women rallyists in the country.  She has won the Desert Storm ladies category twice. The Raid-de-Himalaya-X-treme which is considered as the toughest rally in India, had Sarika as first ever woman participant. Sarika could make a mark due to some technical problem in her Gypsy is the different story. She would rather be racing with the boys than running behind them! 

Image Source

Seema Sharma Dora

This tough lady from Delhi is the first Indian woman to have attempted a saddle sore and bun burner (endurance motor cycling) and completed 2,700 km in mere 36 hours.  Advocate by profession, Seema sure adds a big deal of grace and fun to the superbikes.

Nawaz Sandhu

She is another ace lady rallyist. The lady has stood second behind Denmark’s Maiken Rasmussen and Malaysia’s Natasha Seatter who came third at the Polo R Cup women’s race. As per Sandhu, “…Women can easily change the race pattern and emerge victorious.  After all they have two legs, two hands and a mind that can think as well, so there is no question of any minus points for them…”

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.

P is for Pilot

Girls going gaga over handsome dudes dressed in white and blue with stylish cap on their heads at the airport is a common site. At the same time, both girls and boys turn their flirty eyes into admiration when a woman in same attire passes by with equal confidence.

Yes, being a pilot is one profession many people land into as a result of their dream. The ability to fly has always been fancied by humans and controlling the cockpit is the path to sky.

India has approximately 600 women pilots employed in the Indian aviation sector. Below are two ladies who made it all possible in their own way.

Sarla Thakral

Sarla Thakral was the first Indian woman to get an aviation pilot license and fly an aircraft. She was born in 1914 in Delhi and married at the age of 16. At the age of 21, when today’s generation does not has a clue of their future, the girl was already a mother of 4 year old daughter and got her aviation pilot license in 1936. She was one of those lucky women who got complete support from her family. Sarla’s husband P D Sharma had 9 pilots in the family! She went on to complete one thousand hours of flying in the aircraft owned by the Lahore Flying Club. 

She abandoned her plans to become a commercial pilot after the death of her husband in her young age in 1939. This however did not stop her from excelling in other fields.

She became a successful watercolor painter.  Later she returned to Delhi and took up costume jewellery making, saree designing, painting and designing for the National School of Drama.

Information and Image Sources:

http://www.thebetterindia.com/18871/11-interesting-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-indias-first-woman-pilot/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarla_Thakral

Saarah Hameed Ahmed

Saarah is the current generation girl from Bengaluru. What makes her special is the fact that she is the only known woman from her community – Muslim, to be employed in the Indian aviation sector. She sound just like another bubbly girl when she says that she people’s reaction to her being a pilot makes her laugh. Like any general girl in her community, she too had to face the oppositions from her family on choosing a profession which would keep her away from home at wee hours without any male family member. But luck favored her when her father got right advice from right person.

Image and information soure:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dont-let-them-kill-your-dreams-says-india-only-woman-muslim-pilot/article1-1323961.aspx

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.

O is for Officers

The very first profesison which came to my mind related to officers is an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer. Then, there are some more which have almost equal respect and authority – IPS and armed forced.  In the present era, we have many women on different chairs of these prestigious positions. So, I again went back in time and tried to look for ladies who cut the ribbon.

 Isha Basant Joshi, was the first woman to be accepted as an officer in the Indian Administrative Service. Apart fron it, she was also the first "Indian" to be accepted into the "Bastion of the British"^[1] school of La Martiniere Girls High School in Luck now, India. She has also authored three books namely - The Jewel in the Case – collection of short stories, Sanctuary- poems and Spindrift – poems.

Image and information sources:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041114/women.htm#1

Anna Rajam Malhotra, the first woman from independent India, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer joined the services in 1951. As expected she was initially discouraged to join the A-list. She worked with C. Rajgopalachari who was sure that the lady was not capable of handling law and order situation. Her hard work and determination made the CM change his mind and got good confidential report while also mentioning her as an example of progressive women!

Image and information sources:

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/article2981603.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/grit-meets-grace/article3000578.ece

Kiran Bedi, joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1972, becoming its first woman officer. During her tenure of over three decades (1972 to 2007), Bedi took the world on her stride and proved that law and order if implemented aesthetically and without being partial to rich and famous can work wonders for any nation. She was known for removing the VIP culture from Delhi. One of her most famous incidents include her full support to sub-inspector Nirmal Singh on towing away of an Ambassador car (DHI 1817) belonging to Prime Minister Office as it was wrongly parked outside the Yusufzai Market at Connaught Place on 5^th August 1982.

Bedi resigned from the police service on grounds of personal reasons in 2007. Since then, the powerful lady has been actively involved in various social and anti-corruption activities.

Image and Information Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiran_Bedi

http://www.boydom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/KiranBedi.jpg

This post is written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year is Women In A to Z Professions. Click at the link to check other professions women have excelled in and their respective links.