Padma Yangchan is an Indian entrepreneur from Ladakh. She trained as a fashion designer . She is the owner of Namza Couture and Namza Dining and known for reviving the indigenous art and craft of Ladakh as well as the food. She has received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her achievements.
Padma Yangchan was born c. 1991 in Ladakh, in northern India. She did her graduation at Lady Shri Ram College and fashion designing course from Delhi and London.Worked with renowned Magzine's in Delhi, London and Mumbai, before returning to Ladakh. [1] [2] With her business partner Jigmet Disket, Yangchan set up the clothing company Namza Couture in 2016. [1] It uses traditional local textiles such as pashmina and wool from sheep (Ladakhi: nambu), (Ladakhi: khulu) yak and camel to make handcrafted jackets and capes. [3] [1] Disket produces her own dyes using onion, sunflowers and roses. [4]
The clothing range was exhibited at London Fashion Week in 2019. [5] Namza has a store in Leh which sells high-end couture and also has curated experiences of Ladakhi culture, traditions and lost cuisine of Ladakh . [5] [2] On International Women's Day 2022, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind in recognition of her achievements. [6]
Thinlas Chorol is a social entrepreneur and writer from Ladakh, India. She founded the Ladakhi Women's Travel Company and has written articles on tourism in Ladakh and other issues.
The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian honour for women in India, and is presented by the president of India on International Women's Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The award was instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar, renamed and reorganised in 2015. It is awarded in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of 200,000 and 100,000 rupees, respectively.
Tsering Landol is an Indian gynecologist and one of the pioneers of women's health in the Ladakh Union Territory of India. She served at the Sonam Norboo Memorial Government Hospital, Leh and is also associated with other educational institutions. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, and Padma Bhusan in 2020 for her contributions to Indian medicine, making her one of the few woman recipients of the award from Jammu and Kashmir and the first Ladakhi woman doctor to receive the honour. She is also featured on the 'Wall of Fame' which features those who have exhibited excellence throughout their career or existence have exemplified glory and greatness. The Wall recognizes those individuals and teams which have attained high achievement and/or made a significant contribution to society. Landol is featured in The Song Collector, a documentary film on the life of the renowned Ladakhi folk musician, Morup Namgyal. She was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India in the year 2020.
Nilza Wangmo is an Indian restaurant owner and an enthusiast for the local food of the Ladakh region of northern India. Her work in 2019 was recognised with the highest award for women in India – Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Arifa Jan is an Indian activist for felt rug making in Srinagar in Kashmir. Jan was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar on 8 March 2020.
Rhea Mazumdar Singhal is an Indian entrepreneur creating biodegradable disposable products. Her awards include the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Lalita Vakil is an Indian embroidery artist known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chamba Rumal, a traditional form of handkerchief embroidery from Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
Neha Kirpal is the founder of the India Art Fair in 2008. She sold her interest in the Fair after ten years.
Iti Tyagi is an Indian designer and social entrepreneur. In 2015, she set up Craft Village which aims to connect artisans making handicrafts directly with buyers and patrons. She received the 2018 Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition for her work empowering women.
Urmila Balavant Apte is the Indian Founder of the BhartiyaStree Shakti organisation in 1988 which is dedicated to the empowerment of women. She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018 for her work.
Manju Manikuttan is an Indian beautician and social worker. She rescued people who had been conned to be come servants in Arabia. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar which is the highest award for women in India.
Sujata Sahu is an Indian social entrepreneur. Having worked as a teacher, she set up 17000 ft Foundation in order to improve school conditions in remote villages in Ladakh and Sikkim. The non-governmental organisation has undertaken Whole School Transformation Projects by providing Libraries, Playgrounds & DigiLabs to remote border schools alongwith rigorous training of Teachers. Sahu was awarded the 2015 Nari Shakti Puraskar and WTI Award 2019) in recognition of her work.
Madhuri Barthwal née Uniyal is a folk singer of Uttarakhand, India. She is the first woman to be a music composer in All India Radio. She is said to be the first female Uttrakhand's musician to become a music teacher. On International Women's Day in 2019 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by Ram Nath Kovind.she was awarded the Padma shri india's forth most noteworthy regular citizen grant in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of art.
Kshetrimayum Indira Devi, known as Chirom Indira, is an Indian entrepreneur, designer, and social worker.
Madhu Jain is an Indian textile designer who is an advocate for bamboo fabric which she sees as the "textile of the future". In 2018 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar after 30 years in fashion.
Vanita Jagdeo Borade is an Indian conservationist and the founder of the Soyre Vanchare Multipurpose Foundation, which works in wildlife protection. She specializes in rescuing snakes and has been recognized as "India's first woman snake friend". Borade received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Indian government in recognition of her conservation efforts.
Nasira Akhter is an Indian inventor from Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir. She dropped out of school and became interested in the uses of herbs. Akhter worked at the Kashmir University Science Instrumentation Centre for over eight years to develop a means to make polythene biodegradable. She found a solution using an undisclosed herb in 2008. The herb is made into a paste and this is applied to the polythene before it is set alight. The polythene is disposed of without any reported pollution. In recognition of her achievements, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women's Day 2022 from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
Madhulika Ramteke is an Indian social entrepreneur from Chhattisgarh. She founded a microfinance bank run by women and works with survivors of domestic abuse. She has received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her achievements.
Sandhya Dhar is an Indian disability rights activist. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at an early age and is a wheelchair user. She founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015 to support disabled people and was awarded the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Sabarmatee Tiki is an Indian conservationist and farmer living near to Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha. With her father she runs a non-governmental organization called Sambhav which promotes organic farming and runs seed swaps. The achievements of Tiki were recognised in 2018, when she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar and in 2020 with the Padma Shri.