These days everybody seems to be coming out with their own lists of various things, so I thought why not I start my own list of various categories. So to begin with, I thought of the Top 10 Indian women of substance. I have divided this into two parts. Here are the first five of the top 10 Indian women of substance, according to me.

1. Sonia Gandhi: The woman who comes to mind at the top of the list is none other than the President of the ruling Congress Party, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. I admire her for her courage, her determination, and her dedication to the people of the country that she has adopted as her own after she got married to Rajiv Gandhi (Former Prime Minister).

Sonia Gandhi

"Sonia Gandhi nee Maino was born on December 9, 1946 in Orbassano, near Turin in Italy. She was No.3 in Forbes magazine's list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women."

You can read more about her here:
http://www.soniagandhi.org/php/showContent.php?linkid=1
http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ca-Ge/Gandhi-Sonia.html

2. Kiran Bedi

Kiran Bedi

I admire Kiran Bedi for becoming the first woman IPS officer in India, a field that was dominated by men for so long. She paved the way for many other women to follow suit in her footsteps. She showed a great amount of courage and dedication to her work and won the respect of all her colleagues who worked with her. She transformed the Tihar Jail completely during her stint there and made things much better for the inmates. She also helped inmates transform to lead a better life. As a Delhi traffic police in-charge she was dreaded by even the hotshots of the capital.

Kiran Bedi has been voted as India's most admired woman and fifth amongst all Indians.

Kiran Bedi

For more information on her visit www.kiranbedi.com and her latest initiative on police reforms, www.saferindia.com

3. Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi is a multi-faceted woman who has achieved success in many fields. She is an actor, a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, a social activist, a philanthropist, and a strong proponent for women empowerment.

Not only that, she has also addressed various Universities across the world on the need to relate communal harmony to issues of social justice.

She was born to the famous Urdu Poet Kaifi Azmi and her mother was a famous stage artist Shaukat Kaifi.

You can get more details on her life and career here:
http://www.iaac.us/Indian%20Diaspora%20Film%20Festival%202004/Shabanaazmi.htm
http://123india.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=3499

4. Shobhaa De

Shobha De

Shobhaa De is one of India's best selling authors and has written thirteen books all of which have topped the best sellers lists in India. I admire her guts and courage to be able to voice her strong, often controversial opinions on any and all subjects and people. She is a renowned columnist for various publications and her columns are read by one and all.

She has to her credit, founded and edited three popular magazines - Stardust, Society and Celebrity. She is married and has six children. However, she keeps herself fit and looking beautiful as ever and is always seen in elite society with all the Glitz and Glammor. She has held her own and is respected by all her contemporaries.

“Ms De shocks India, and much of its literary set like no other writer today” New York Times

You can read more about her here:
http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/shobha-de.html

5. Hema Malini

Hema Malini

Hema Malini is also known as the "Dream Girl" of Bollywood. She is one of the most beautiful actresses to have graced the silver screen during the colorful era of the 70's. She struggled a lot during her initial days, but made her mark in Hindi Cinema with "Sapnon ke Saudagar". She has never looked back since.

She is not only a successful actress, but also a Member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha, a renowned Bharat Natyam dancer, and the editor to a succesful woman's magazine. She has achieved a lot in her career and is now helping to build a cultural center to promote Indian art and dance.

She had a lot of guts to romance and then marry the hottest star of those days, Dharmendra, who was a married man. She has two daughters from that marriage and remains free to chase her dreams and ambitions.

You can read more about her here:
http://kanwarpriya.blogspot.com/2007/05/hema-malini-dream-girl-of-bollywood_19.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hema_Malini

You can read the Part 2 here:
http://www.xomba.com/my_list_of_top_10_indian_women_of_substance_part_2