Four women, four battles, one unbroken spirit

Against all odds, these women refused to be defined by circumstance—whether it was a diagnosis, a label, a loss, or the weight of public expectation. Sheetal Devi’s ascent from a remote village to becoming a world-class para-archer, Sonali Bendre’s quiet rebuilding after cancer, Huma Qureshi’s unapologetic reshaping of what power and beauty look like, and Ella D Verma’s luminous journey of selfhood as a trans woman—each story pulses with its own courage. Together, they form a portrait of resilience that isn’t loud, dramatic, or performative, but steady, honest, and deeply human. They remind us that transformation does not always roar; sometimes, it whispers you back to yourself.

Sheetal Devi

Chasing the bullseye

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it,”—said Maya Angelou once,a sentiment that resonates well with Paralympian archer Sheetal Devi’s empowering journey. For starters, she refuses to see hers as a sob story; instead prefers to label it as that of strength.

I began by asking what made her choose archery. “I believe archery chose me,” she contradicts. She shares that it wasn’t an epiphany, rather a turn of events and opportunities that landed her on the global stage.“Honestly, even in my wildest dreams,I never imagined this. Growing up, I always thought I’d become a teacher; that was my dream. And then, suddenly, I found myself on the world stage, wearing the Indian jersey,” she beams.

She underwent a sports assessment, and three sports were suggested, one of them being archery. “At that time, sports didn’t mean much to me, but when the treatment eventually failed, I hit rock bottom. It wasn’t just my disappointment; my parents’ hopes had crumbled too,” recollects Sheetal, and that’s when sports came into the picture for her.

A 15-year-old Sheetal stepped foot into the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Archery Academy in Katra. “Initially, I started with basic exercises, my coach created a releaser for me, and soon, I began using my toes to pick up an arrow and load it into the bow.” As they say, time is the biggest healer; it began to work its wonders, and Sheetal’s growth trajectory skyrocketed in no time. “Over time, with consistent practice, my aim started improving. To me, a girl from a remote region being given the opportunity to enter sports was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I was determined to make the best of it,” she adds. By the time she was 16, she rose to become the World No. 1 Para Archer (Female).

However, it sure wasn’t a bed of roses for her. “It hurt—the stares, the whispers, the pity, and being seen as helpless, a ‘bechari’,” she says. Despite the pushback, she stayed quiet and let her determination do the talking. “They thought I would fail, laughed, and even mocked the idea of someone without arms pursuing archery, but I chose to stay quiet. I learned to shut out the negativity and focus on the ‘X’ (bullseye),” she asserts.

Conversations around disabilities often influence one’s relationship with their body. But Sheetal’s unconventional journey taught her to take it into her own stride. “Everything changed when I discovered archery. I stopped focusing on what my body didn’t have and started appreciating it for what it is—strong, capable, and unstoppable.” Sheetal believes the glass is always half full.“Even when the road feels uncertain, have faith,” she urges. Despite being in a male dominated profession, 19 international medals and two world records later, she brings honour to her country, and alters the stance of women in sports.“If I, a girl who had no access to TV or the internet and had never played any sport, could make it, then so can you,” she departs with a lesson.

Sonali Bendre 

Rising with resilience

My definition of a comfort watch is brimming with Bollywood blockbusters, or to put it correctly, it is wrapped in the nostalgia of films like Hum Saath Saath Hain. It rings a bell of innocence and resonance, and at the centre of these two emotions stands Sonali Bendre, the national crush of the 90s and a figure who continues to embody strength far beyond the screen. A silver jubilee later, my familiar warmth and admiration towards Sonali Bendre remains unchanged, and her honest and unguarded version can take all the credit it wants.

Her journey is laced with courage, strength and some self-discoveries she doesn’t shy away from. “Contrary to what everybody says about women being multitaskers, I’m not a multitasker!” she reveals. Instead, she believes in focusing on one thing at a time, a simple act we’ve all been struggling to master today.

That said, this learning wasn’t a swift realisation, it came along the long stretch of battling the limitations imposed by cancer—a term often prey to whispers and softened as taboo. Channelling her journey into a broader conversation, Sonali opened a few doors to challenge such societal notions.“The conversation around cancer is difficult anywhere in the world—especially in India. It was a huge taboo seven years ago when I was diagnosed. I told myself that, however short my life might be—because I didn’t know if I was going to make it— if I could, in any way, shine light on this topic, then let me do it,” she recalls. Breaking the bonds of hesitation is the first step to embracing reality, and that’s precisely how she started this conversation in India. “Early detection saves lives, and it’s only when we have open conversations about it that people start thinking about getting tested,” adds the actor.

More than breaking stereotypes, with a journey like hers, I couldn’t help but think about the ripple effect of cancer, followed by recovery for women alike. The road from that necessary pause to the comeback is often a hard one, especially for women. And Sonali believes it’s a long way until AI waves its wand and finds a solution, as she jokingly puts it. “Women and the workplace is an area that needs a lot of improvement, especially when it comes to illness or recovery. As an actor, someone else can’t simply take my place. I can’t ask someone to fill in while I recover,” she shares. The actor believes that the more we talk about it, the more it helps to bring in “compassion, empathy, and to ensure women are given the space and respect they deserve in the workplace and in society”.

It’s inevitable for conversations around making space for women to end up on the questionable notion of a perfect body, and for Sonali, that goes far beyond appearances. She has grown to love her lines and imperfections as if they have a story to tell.“I’ve always found that one crooked tooth in a smile is more charming, endearing, and beautiful than a perfect set of teeth, and a face that tells the story of a lived life is, to me, so much more beautiful than a lineless, blank one. The same applies to the body.”

Asked what advice she would give to her younger self, she admits it’s a cliché.“But I would just tell her that everything eventually works out. So, I’d tell younger Sonali to start learning to surrender and to practice gratitude a lot earlier in life,” she signs off.

Huma Qureshi 

Sidestepping stereotypical gaze

Refusing to be boxed into archetypes is one of the many pursuits of the leading ladies in Indian cinema today. As opposed to the narratives in the aughts, today they choose to defy perfection and proceed with candour—one of the subjects on the authority would be actor, author, and producer, Huma Qureshi. While we have our eyes on her, she has her eyes on the stars and feet on the ground. From works like Gangs of Wasseypur, Maharani to upcoming releases like The Delhi Crime Season 3, the actor has left a lasting impression with all her performances.

My brief exchange with the actor was at the premiere of Double XL (2022), and to say the least, the first few seconds were all I needed to be part of her fanfare. The film embodied all that the actor has consistently championed. After asking me about my genuine thoughts on the film, she candidly spilt her version of body confidence, and three years later, she repeats herself. “Being okay with yourself, knowing that you’re beautiful no matter what,” Huma asserts.

Her motto of showing up as her truest self naturally navigates me towards the perception of women in cinema, prompting a larger question: do female-led narratives still have to fight for screen space in India?To which she admits, “Yes, women don’t get the kind of showcasing, platform, budgets, and space that a lot of male-led films get. I am constantly trying to push the boundary for myself and for colleagues so that that space and that landscape change. I feel we need to make more films, whether they’re female-led stories, female-centric stories, or just for women behind the camera and script, and portray more nuanced women in general.”

Visibility on screen opens up a parallel thread: visibility off screen. My vocal GenZ instincts can’t help but observe that owning up to oneself on reel is a prerequisite to embracing yourself in real life. Spending 20-something years sidestepping remarks on my extremely thin body measurements makes me question the typical standard of body image today, and the actor’s outlook felt like a reality check my younger self longed to hear.

For far too long, women are believed to follow and not lead, look the part, and not colour outside the lines. And this, Huma believes, is why the foundation in itself is flawed and needs mending. “The idea is that there’s a certain conversation where only one standard of beauty is considered beautiful—it is a highly toxic mindset, and needs to be challenged,” she says.“I feel social media can play an empowering role over here, where it can propagate ideas like self-love, self-care, being authentic and celebrating your flaws, as opposed to pushing an unrealistic standard of beauty,” she adds.

Amidst all its boons, digital media comes with its baggage. One minute you are standing your ground, and the next someone gets into your head. While we call them outside voices, the actor believes “it’s just white noise”, the kind she refuses to tune into. Just like how unsolicited opinions don’t shake her, outdated stereotypes certainly don’t stand a chance. So, as our conversation draws to a close, I ask her which stereotype she enjoys proving wrong? “A stereotype that we are some kind of helpless creatures that need to some saved. I don’t think women need any kind of saving. In fact, more often than not, in real life, we are the saviours. So, just love yourself, be yourself, and don’t let anyone dim your light,” she asserts

Ella D Verma 

Breaking moulds

While many of us are consumed by the desire to belong, there exists an entire community simply fighting to be recognised—Ella DVerma is one of those many bold voices reshaping that narrative. Long before the world agrees to accept them, the LGBTQAI+ community demands acceptance, within, and as a trans model and content creator, Ella D Verma has had quite the journey. “There was never a moment when it clicked. I feel like I always had an understanding growing up that something was different, and I had a very strong belief that I was going to grow up to be a woman, and if there was a moment of realisation, it was more so the realisation of ‘oh, I’m not a woman’,” she tells Bazaar India.

Contrary to the childhood whispers of sweet nothings, for Ella, it was through all the unhinged comments that she grew up. And amid that chaos, social media emerged as a boon, lending a helping hand or two.“Given the trajectory of my life and how, like most LGBT children, I was the butt of every joke. So my self-esteem definitely took a hit. When I joined social media during the Covid lockdown, it was the first time I was getting appreciation for things that were previously joked about,” shares Ella. Barring societal norms and expectations, she is open with her audience, and it is her unapologetic honesty that makes this more of a confession than a conversation.

“To me, my story is one of the luckiest ones in this country,” she says as she recalls her parents coming around in support of her. It sure still is a long journey, but flinching isn’t an option, believes Ella.“From when I was starting out to the kind of conversations I see now, I feel a lot more people are aware. As far as judgments and expectations are concerned, as a person on social media, largely, something that should bother me is hate comments. But honestly, when you are a queer individual, you’ve heard so many things said to your face. If anything, as long as they’re talking about me, I really don’t care,” she declares.

Amidst all the parades and flags, the community is still outnumbered by the naysayers, by the silence and the scrutiny. Being vocal and taking up space is an act of resistance and can make a difference, but that still doesn’t make it safe. Contrary to all the chatter around acceptance, reality is far more complex. For Ella, survival isn’t just about passion; it’s about being pragmatic, hence she chooses to be smart. “If you’re young and the people you’re coming out to could result in any hostility, if it’s not safe for you, if it’s not a reasonable option for you, do not come out. I understand that it’s part of who you are and a part of your being, but at the end of the day, this is the real world, and we have to be realistic about it, so safety first and then coming out after,” she states.

My conversation with Ella draws to a close with an understanding of how our insecurities are the only demons we need to battle.“One thing that I have learned is that insecurity and dysphoria are two different things,” she says.“When I started my transition, I wanted to change so many things about how I looked, when in reality those were just insecurities, and changing those things might make me feel prettier, but it won’t make me feel like a woman. But now I know that mental health and being in a good mindset are a prerequisite to any beauty that comes after,” she concludes.

Credits

Sheetal Devi: Photo credit: Angus Khaiminlian Guite; Location: Courtesy Sports Authority of India, Sonipat;

Huma Qureshi: Photo credit: Nirvair Singh Rai

Ella D Verma: Photo credit: Sarang Gupta

Sonali Bendre: Photo credit: Karan Kumar Sachdev; Styling: Archana Walavalkar; Make-up: Divya Chablana; Hair: Sandhya Bellare; Styling assistant: Khushi Nimbalkar; Sari, Manish Malhotra; Earrings and rings, Mohar by Priyanka and Nakul

Editorial Coordinator (all): Shalini Kanojia
 

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