Contrary to the popular sentiment that women hold up half the sky, Dr Nischita Muppavarapu feels women hold up the entire sky. “Woman is the sky,” she emphasises, hence the title of her recently-launched book in Telugu, Aame... Aakaasam.
The 55-page handbook with a foreword by the well-known writer Volga portrays accomplished women across eras and generations. “These women fought not just for women’s rights but the rights of all sections of people. They had self-confidence and did whatever they were capable of to make a difference in society.”
Nischita, an Aesthetic Dermatologist, at 35, was the youngest to have been appointed as one of the members of the TTD Board in 2019. “I grew up with my grandparents and have always been spiritually inclined. To have served as a member of the Board was a blessing and a privilege,” says Nischita who speaks Telugu, Tamil, English, Urdu and Sanskrit
True to her name
Nishchita was married at the age of 21 soon after finishing her MBA. Her dreams to pursue MBBS took wings after marriage with the support of her surgeon husband and mother-in-law who is a gynaecologist. “In the first year of Medicine, I had my first child and the second child was born soon after I finished my final year exams. Nischita means determination, I lived up to my name I guess,” she smiles. Nischita underwent training in the field of medical cosmetology and aesthetic medicine at Empire Aesthetic Training Institute, New York, USA. She now works at her husband’s multi-speciality hospital in Chennai.
An avid reader since childhood, Nischita’s keen interest in books on history, served as an eye-opener on the role women played in the past. “Right from the Stone Age, women played an equal role in society and in fact, was revered and given special place because they could give birth. The woman hunted along with men. The institution of marriage that started in the Early Vedic Age did not restrict women from enjoying equal rights. However, the Later Vedic Age saw the beginning of men making women subservient to them.”
Nischita refers to Vedic India’s learned women Ghosha, Lopamudra, Maitreyi and Gargi in her book to trace the role of women who initiated the movement of awakening in society.
Women of yore
Cover art by Laxman Aelay | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Shatakarni’s wife Naganika, Maharani Didda and Sugandha of Kashmir, Vilasadevi of Bengal, Prabhavati Gupta (daughter of Chandragupta-II), Nagamma in Andhra’s Palanadu, Belavadi Malamma (Maratha), Rokali Obavva and Keladi Chennamma (Karnataka), Bibi Dalair Kaur (Punjab), Razia Sultana (Delhi), Jhansi Rani (Gwalior), Ranivelu Nachiyar (Tamil Nadu), Kanakalatha Barua (Assam) etc., are some of the historical women Nischita highlights in the book.
When it comes to modern India, Nischita features Aruna Asif Ali, Tara Rani Srivatsava, Savitribai Phule, Chaakali Ailamma among others.
The book is not just a compilation of these heroic womens’ biographies. Nischita holds a mirror to the adverse situations and challenges they faced in their respective social milieu.
“I was an only child and as a girl, I was expected to behave in a certain way. Boys always had the upper hand. I noticed this and started questioning the discrimination. My book is for the younger generation to understand gender neutrality and also get inspired by the great women of history,” says Nischita.
