I have always been true to myself and my family, and I don’t ever want to be any other way.’
The first time Sania Mirza picked up a tennis racquet, she was just six years old. Twenty-three years on, the ace tennis star with several incredible achievements and a Padma Bhushan to her credit, feels anything but tiny, both on and off the court.
In a country obsessed with cricket, and with few women sports stars, Mirza crossed the $4 million-mark in net worth in 2014. At an age when most tennis players retire, she has given her career a fresh lease of life by turning her focus entirely to the doubles, and her partnership with former world no. 1, Martina Hingis, is paying off handsomely.
But what did it take for Sania Mirza to become an icon, to break the taboo around professional sports for young Indian girls? Read on as Gunjan Jain offers a glimpse into a journey that is compelling to say the least.
I am most articulate in the boxing ring, with my fists.’
In a culture that does not encourage young girls to be sporty, Mary Kom has broken the rule twice—by becoming a sporting icon, that too in a sport traditionally considered hyper-masculine: boxing.
The daughter of a landless labourer from Manipur, Mary Kom was a mother of twins when she won her medal at the 2012 Olympics. While she knocked down five world champions to dominate the boxing arena, she also punched the living daylights out of every preconception under the sun about class, sports, India’s northeast and womanhood.
In this uplifting profile, Gunjan Jain offers a rare glimpse into the often misunderstood and misinterpreted world of sport personalities.
I am not a person who dwells on the past or future. I love to be here and now.’
While Indu Jain, a Padma Bhushan awardee and chairperson of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, is the seventy-eight-year-old matriarch overseeing an empire valued at over $4 billion, she is also someone who exhibits the capability to view everything in life through a spiritual prism.
In the maelstrom of adrenaline and change that the media world is, hers is a name synonymous with respect and the kind of power that cannot be calculated by circulation figures, rankings or revenue. She is regularly courted by India’s rich and powerful, all hoping to curry favour with the many newspapers, magazines, TV channels, radio stations, Internet and regional media brands that come under her jurisdiction.
How does one then, in the midst of all this chaos, manage to keep spirituality at the fulcrum of everything? Find out in this revealing profile penned by Gunjan Jain.
You can’t shy away from failure; instead, you learn from failure and you come back stronger and you take that risk again.’
Shobhana Bhartia, chairperson and editorial director of Hindustan Times, is someone who moulds the opinions of the world’s largest democracy every day. After taking over the reins of one of the country’s oldest newspapers, she, against a lot of odds, shifted the newspaper’s character from that of a follower to that of a leader and innovator.
In Bhartia, one finds the rare combination of an Indian woman professional, an international-standard manager and a news media executive with a sense of mission all rolled into one. Her journey is instructive not just for the media, but also for working women in India—fighting age-old stereotypes and chauvinistic attitudes.
Intriguing to say the least, this profile by Gunjan Jain of one of the most inspiring women in the media today is every bit as fascinating as it is candid.
On 23 March 2013, Jyotsna Darda lost her battle to cancer. Thousands of women thronged to pay their last respects in Mumbai and thousands more came together in Nagpur—all members of the Sakhi Manch, Darda’s organization to help women by giving them the means and confidence to start small-scale enterprises.
It was while working for the differently-abled in a deprived neighbourhood in Nagpur that Darda saw first-hand how hard and oppressive the lives of women in the lower strata of society could be. Like many people who are faced with a reality different from their own, Darda too could have done her bit for charity and retreated to her privileged life. Instead, she started Sakhi Manch.
In one of the most stimulating profiles, Gunjan Jain discovers what it is, besides simplicity, serenity, humility and willpower that made Darda the icon of women empowerment.
I would just like to be remembered as someone who came into this world, looked at beautiful textiles and created enduring designs.’
The beauty behind Ritu Kumar’s creations is how she marries age-old weaves and embroidery with modern cuts and silhouettes, making India one of the few cultures that haven’t fallen completely under the homogenizing spell of western fashion.
However, what is actually inspiring about Kumar’s journey is how it has taken her reserves of patience, tenacity, ingenuity, skill, knowledge and support to build both the brand and the documentation of her crafts. From working with four block-printers and two tables in a nondescript village near Kolkata to achieving international fame, the growth of Ritu Kumar’s label has been parallel and integral to the journey of the Indian fashion industry.
In this inspiring profile, Gunjan Jain uncovers what it means to be Ritu Kumar and how to stay moored in an industry as fickle as the Indian fashion industry.
The outfit doesn’t define me, I define the outfit.’
It was not easy for a rank outsider to get a foot in the door in an industry as incestuous as the Indian fashion fraternity, especially in the 90s. The fact that Anamika Khanna is now one of its brightest and most-loved members is proof of her gumption, talent and tenacity.
In the two decades that Khanna has worked in the industry, she has evolved personally and professionally; and though she is at the top of her game, the challenges have not stopped.
In this incredibly candid profile, Gunjan Jain discovers what it is that makes Anamika Khanna a true agent of change and why she isn’t someone to be taken lightly.
In my life, I have never done anything against the wishes of my family, but I have also been brave enough to stand by my own decisions.’
One of the few women members of Bollywood’s 100-crore club, the star of over forty-five films, a fashion and fitness icon who endorses twenty-two brands and has designed a capsule clothing collection, a begum and a scion of Bollywood’s first family, Kareena Kapoor Khan is a woman who owns her place in the world.
However, despite her illustrious last name, Kareena’s path to success has not been smooth. And yet, through every set of challenges, she has proved to be a woman of today who lives by her rules, is brave in her choices and embraces life, work, love, family and friendships with equal enthusiasm.
Read on as Gunjan Jain talks to the chatty, candid and utterly charming Kareena Kapoor Khan in this surprisingly personal profile.
My greatest resource is life itself.’
From growing up in a commune to making a mark on and off screen to being married to one of the most prolific writers of the era is just a glimpse into what Shabana Azmi is.
However, apart from being a veteran actor, she is also a firebrand social activist, parliamentarian, UN goodwill ambassador and a feminist icon. So what does it really mean to be Shabana Azmi and how does one pack these many personalities, and have them all be excellent?
Read on as Gunjan Jain explores the myth behind the enigma that is Shabana Azmi in this heart-warming profile.
It is because my roots are strong that I can fly.’
There are very few film-makers who have been as diverse as Mira Nair. From Salaam Bombay!, a film set in the underbelly of India’s financial capital to a Monsoon Wedding, an incredibly candid family film, her repertoire is well and truly varied.
It comes as no surprise then that hard work and immense determination have been a way of life for her. Famously known as a risk-taker, she is a brilliant crisis-manager and someone who never slows down. Yet, this larger-than-life, brighter-than-sunshine genius is, at heart, a seeker.
Read on as Gunjan Jain goes behind the scenes with Mira Nair, revealing the real woman behind the camera.
