FIRST IN INDIA
(WOMEN)

First Woman President of India : Pratibha Patil

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