LOL: Life Of Leo

Image Source It was a conscious decision to not write much in May, but, I never thought that I would end up with no post at all. While April was a hectic month in terms of work as well as the A to Z challenge, May was all about work and moving into the new house. April was a crazy month for me. Work was at its peak plus I had signed up for the April A to Z challenge and had to write a blog post everyday. I'm not the one to schedule posts, so every post was written on that day and posted. However, when I did travel towards the end of the month, I had to plan ahead and schedule my posts. It worked out well though. The theme was very close to my heart and I wanted to see it through successfully. I'm glad I did. Six successful years of A to Z, I can pat myself on the back now!

Image Source I'm gonna end this challenge with one of my favorite people who teaches me to never lose that inner child. Zohra Sehgal was an actor, dancer and choreographer and she was one of the longest living celebrities of the world. She died at the age of 102, but with the strength and the mindset of a 20 year old. If you still are finding it difficult to place her, think about the woman who played Amitabh Bachchan's feisty mother in 'Cheeni Kum', that's her!

Image Source You will only know Ygritte is you have read/watched 'Game Of Thrones'. She is a wildling from the lands beyond the great Wall on the continent Westeros. Her kind are called "Wildlings" because they are outside the feudal order of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall. But, she calls them "Free Folk".

Image Source How many of you remember the Warrior Princess? Xena will always be the first super hero I have ever known! For those who have no clue what I am taking about, Xena is the main protagonist of a show from the 90's called 'Warrior Princess'. The series depicts her on a quest to redeem herself for her dark past by using her formidable fighting skills to help people. The character of Xena was first introduced in the series 'Hercules' and when she became immensely popular there, she got her own show. So well deserved, I'd say!

Image Source This is for every woman out there. Remember to be an inspiration and to be inspired.

Image Source I'll let out another secret today, I feel immensely proud when I see a woman in uniform. There is something so inspirational about it. Vartika Chaturvedi is the cop from Netflix's show ' Delhi Crime '. This show states the events of the Nirbhaya case which shook the country. This character is inspired by the real life cop Chhaya Sharma who handled this case. For those who are unaware of this case, a woman and a man were harassed on a moving bus on 16th December 2012 in Delhi by six men. While the man was beaten up badly, the girl was raped and mutilated beyond recognition. Her intestines were pulled out of her body and she did not live long after the incident. ' Delhi Crime ', in its seven episodes, attempts to show the effort put in by the police in capturing these rapists within five days of the crime.

Image Source Much before Usain Bolt blazed his way into our screens and on social media, the only athletes we Indians were aware of were Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha. Since I studied in an all girls school, at every sports day our physical education teacher used to ask us to embrace our inner P. T. Usha and run like her. She's been the sole inspiration from the field of sports during our growing up years. I'm so glad we have Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, P. V. Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar, Sakshi Malik, Hima Das, the Phogat sisters and many more now.

Image Source I'm not going to lie to you, Tracy Whitney is a con-artist, and she will be my favorite female protagonists of all time. For those unaware, Tracy Whitney is the heroine hero of Sidney Sheldon's 'If Tomorrow Comes'. I read this book decades ago and I remember wanting to be like her when I grew up. That is the magic of books you know, and the characters they contain can mold your mind in a good way pretty early in your life. I read this book in my teens and I remember falling in love with the story, but more with Tracy Whitney. She's one of the bravest, smartest and strongest women in the literary world.

Image Source S was a very tricky letter as I have way too many inspirations whose name starts with S. Serena Williams, Sudha Murty, Sunitha Williams, Shefali Shah and some more. But, when I close my eyes and think of one Indian woman who inspires me the most, it has to be Sushmita Sen. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that she has been a Miss Universe and an actor, it just has to do with the amazing woman that she is. When Sushmita was applying for the Miss India contest in 1994, many other applicants were withdrawing their applications as Aishwarya Rai too was applying the same year and there was no way that they could win against her. Sushmita could have done the same, but she didn't. Armed with a few clothes stitched by her local tailor, she entered the competition and won it with grace. It did not matter who her fellow contestants were, she knew she was good and that's the confidence that mattered.

Image Source While most people only know her as the wife of Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of tech giant Infosys, Rohini Nilekani has used that as a stepping stone to make the world a better place. Not many people talk about her or her achievements, but Rohini is a philanthropist like no other. An active advocate of Indian philanthropy, Rohini believes that dialogue has the power to de-risk our future. Through her work, she seeks to address the extreme inequality between the ‘have-everythings’ and the ‘have-nothings.’ Rohini has spent several years as a journalist, working with leading publications of the time, including Bombay Magazine, India Today, MINT and The Times of India.