Seven Indians feature in BBC 100 Women 2015 list

New Delhi, Nov 18: It's all about Indian girl power all the way! Making a mark on the global map, seven Indian celebrated personalities including singer Asha Bhosle, tennis star Sania Mirza and veteran actress Kamini Kaushal have made it to BBC's list of 100 most aspirational women.

The list was announced on Wednesday, read a statement. Each year, BBC names 100 women - a mix of influential women who are world leaders in politics, science and entertainment, as well as less popular but inspirational women from all over the world.

Other names to crop up in the list are Rimppi Kumari (farmer), Smriti Nagpal (entrepreneur), Mumtaz Shaikh (campaigner) and Kanika Tekriwal (entrepreneur).

The names of the celebrities have taken their stories of success to the world with their dedication and hardwork.

Legendary singer Asha, who started working in Bollywood in 1943, has recorded songs to be mimed in 1,000 films by hundreds of actresses.

And Kamini, better known as the Vivienne Leigh of her generation in Bollywood, has acted in more than 100 films. She was the leading actress in "Neecha Nagar" which won best film in Cannes in 1946 - the first Indian film to do so.

Rimppi is a farmer who, along with her sister Karamjit, took over a 32-acre farm in Rajasthan after their father died.

Sania's story is not hidden to anyone. She is one of India's most successful tennis players and in 2015 was both the Wimbledon and US Open women's doubles champion.

Smriti was inspired by her work as a sign language interpreter in India, which has the largest deaf population in the world, to set up Atulyakala.

Mumtaz's fight to get free facilities for women through the Right to Pee network earned her the honour. She ensured 96 toilets were free for women to use in Mumbai and made the government set aside 50 million rupees ($770) to build female-only urinals around the city.

After being diagnosed with cancer in her early 20s, Kanika was determined to make her mark. She established India's first and only marketplace for private jet and helicopter charters.

Complementing the 100 Women list, the BBC will offer audiences a raft of special content across all of its platforms. As part of the season, Sania will be interviewed by BBC World News presenter Yogita Limaye.

The list '100 women' is a part of '100 Women season' on BBC World News starting from Wednesday.