List of First in India Female Personalities (Woman)

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Sushmita Sen : Miss Universe (1994)

● Delhi’s First Mayor: Aruna Asaf Ali (1958)

● Delhi's First woman chief secretary: Shailja Chandra

● Fastest Asian to swim across the English Channel: Anita Sood

● First all-women crew to fly an air Force Chetak Helicopter: Flight Cadets Cheryl Dutta and Simran 
Sodhi of IAF (December, 1995).

● First Asian woman magistrate appointed in United Kingdom: Kantha Talwar

● First Asian woman mayor in United Kingdom: Lata Patel

● First Indian woman President of Indian National Congress: Sarojini Naidu (1925)

● First Indian woman producer and director: Fatima Begum, who produced and directed Bulbul-e-
Parastan in 1926.

● First Indian woman to become Miss Universe: Sushmita Sen (1994)

● First Indian woman to become Miss World: Reita Faria (1966)

● First Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest: Bachendri Pal

● First Indian Woman to go in space: Kalpana Chawla

● First woman to head any Wakf board in India : Bader Sayeed (TN Wakf Board)

● First Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event: P.T.Usha

● First Indian woman to win a medal in an Olympic event: Karnam Malleshwari (bronze medal, Sydney 
Olympics)

● First Indian woman boxer to win an international event : M.C.Merykom

● First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel: Arati Saha

● First Miss Universe of the new millennium: Lara Dutta

● First woman Ambassador from India: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (to USSR from 1947-49)

● First woman Central Minister: Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

● First woman chief justice of a High Court: Leila Seth (CJ of Himachal Pradesh, 1991)

● First woman Chief Minister of an Indian state: Sucheta Kriplani (Uttar Pradesh from 1963-1967)

● First woman film star to be a member of Rajya Sabha: Nargis Dutt

● First woman Governor of an Indian state: Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh from 1947-1948)

● First woman Governor of Tamil Nadu: Justice M. Fatima Beevi (1997)

● First woman IPS Officer of India: Kiran Bedi

● First woman Judge of the Supreme Court: Justice M. Fatima Beevi (1989)

● First woman judicial officer: Anna Chandy, who was appointed munsif in the Travancore state in 
1937.

● First woman Minister of an Indian state: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (Uttar Pradesh)

● First woman officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be promoted to the rank of air commodore: 55-
year old Padma Bandhopadhyay who was commissioned to the IAF in 1968.

● First woman President of Indian National Congress: Annie Besant (1917)

● First woman President of UN General Assembly: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (1953-54)

● First woman Prime Minister of India: Late Indira Gandhi (1966-1977 and 1980-1984).

● First woman Speaker of an Indian state: Shano Devi

● First woman Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly :Kavali Prathibha Bharati

● First woman winner of the Bharat Ratna: Indira Gandhi (1971)

● Grandma Madonna from India: Asha Bhonsle

● India's first commercial pilot: Durba Banerjee (1966, Indian Airlines)

● India's first Test-Tube Baby: Kruti Parekh

● India's first woman railway driver: Surekha Yadao

● India's first woman tabla maestro : Dr Aban Mistry

● India's officially recognized billionth citizen: Astha (She was born on May 11,2000 at New Delhi).

● World's first woman Airbus pilot: Durba Banerjee

● Youngest Indian to swim across the English Channel: Arati Pradhan