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Deepana Gandhi is among the small but growing band of women in the aerospace industry, a field that has historically seen few women.
Deepana Gandhi is among the small but growing band of women in the aerospace industry, a field that has historically seen fewer women.
Since my childhood, I have watched many science fiction movies avidly. I have also read eagerly, the success stories of the recent Chandrayaan 2 moon mission, an engrossing real-life sci-fi story that uplifts our pride.
When outer space and space exploration are such fascinating subjects, isn’t it even more fascinating to read about the heroes behind them? Deepana Gandhi is one such woman who joined the Flight Dynamics group at Team Indus and is making her way up in this field.
Born and raised in Ooty, Deepana is among the small but growing band of women in the aerospace industry, a field that has historically seen fewer women. She is an Engineer at the Bengaluru-based Team Indus, the only team from India that was shortlisted for the $30 million Google Lunar XPrize competition. At Team Indus, she develops Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) algorithms for a space mission.
In a discussion around the theme of Equality & Inclusion held at Accenture in June, Deepana as one of the panelists, is seen addressing how things have progressed today, for women to enter into such previously male-dominated workplaces. She mentions how in this particular field, only 14% of Engineers and Technologists in India are women. Yet, she draws hope from the fact that India is changing rapidly, with more women who are doing well in science and space studies.
You can watch the inspiring session below, with change-makers Deepana Gandhi, Dhanya Ravi and Shanthi.
Working in a field that is dominated by men, Deepana is breaking gender stereotypes with her dedication to this field. She believes that innovation can happen only if everyone is given an equal opportunity, regardless of their gender or any other factor.
During the session, Deepana draws a contrast between the very few role models she had growing up, and how today, there are many more inspiring women in this field.She also observes how the energy and enthusiasm of her female co-workers is tremendous. She believes that women helping women is something that has brought more women into this field.
Deepana happens to be the main focus of a documentary series of 9 short films titled ‘Moon-Shot’, produced by JJ Abrams, co-creator of the TV series ‘Lost’ and Director of last year’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
Concluding her talk, she quotes her favourite lines by Astronaut Peggy Whitson, “You learn that you are so much more capable than you might imagine or even dream of”. She strongly believes that it’s important to single-mindedly follow one’s dreams, in order to succeed.
Organisations that provide the space for such inspired employees to pursue their dreams equally, are the ones that will race towards Innovation!
In association with Accenture
I am basically a Software Engineer from Bangalore. I have worked in the IT industry for almost a decade - in India and Singapore. Currently, I am on a career break, rather a "career-switch" - I read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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