Inspiring women: Breaking stereotypes to earn

Geeta Tandon, Bollywood's leading stuntwoman

For Geeta, the journey before becoming a stunt woman was definitely not an easy one. Geeta got married and entered the motherhood at a very young age. Even before she could understand, she had to face physical abuse by her spouse.

When she took up this profession, there was no choice left for her. Geeta never thought of being a stuntwoman, it just came her way at the right time. During this, she was desperately in need of work and money to support her family. Few of her favourite projects have been the stunts in the movies like 'Udta Punjab', 'Chennai Express' and 'Singham'.

Geeta shares, "I love adventure, and I love challenges, and this field has given me wonderful experiences and so much exposure. I have also got to meet so many great people in this journey. Though there were some people who doubted my capability of performing stunts, many also said that a woman should not take up a job as dangerous as mine, but I didn't let those opinions deter me.

I realised that if you are good the industry will be good to you and vice versa. Today, my work gives me strength; every new assignment, every new opportunity, is what keeps me going. You have one life so why waste it. I hope I can inspire more women and Shell India is helping me get this message across to them."

Working in a male dominated field, there were people who doubted her capability of performing stunts.

She adds. "Many said that a woman should not take up a job as dangerous as mine, but I didn't let those opinions deter me. I kept on moving forward, challenging and proving myself with my actions. With Shell highlighting my story, I want to tell all the women, that one just has to learn to be brave and fight their fears, if you have decided to do something, nothing is too difficult.

It was heart wrenching for me to lock them up at home and go to work in those days. There was no one to look after them in my absence. But I had to be strong and keep moving forward anyway. My children have been extremely supportive all this while."

Sumitra Senapaty, traveler, writer and founder of WOW Foundation

Sumitra discovered a love for adventure as a young woman and went on to have a successful career as a travel writer to follow her passion.

Sharing about WOW foundation, Sumitra shares, "For many women in India, the idea of embarking on a solo holiday to relax and recharge may get pushed down the priority list in favor of devoting time to families or careers. I also realized, many of Indian peers lacked the confidence and the knowledge to travel independently.

I created WOW Club in 2005 to provide these women with an easy way to explore their adventurous sides. WOW (Women on Wanderlust) is a trip-planning community that draws on my personal travel experience and global contacts. The club organizes dozens of journeys each year for small groups of women, who can travel with confidence — and safely enjoy trips together."

According to Sumitra, in the early days of the service many potential customers felt constrained by family and career obligations as they contemplated signing on for a trip.

She adds, "Women loved it, but they always came up with this barrier that they would need to discuss it with their family, and when those family discussions occurred, perhaps over the weekend, husbands often asked their wives to plan a different kind of trip. These were few initial challenges WOW faced.

However, today, 15 summers later, women do not raise those same issues anymore. Discussions are no longer about checking with family but about seeing how they can coordinate their personal lives and maybe take their professional leave before they get back with us. And then they do it."