10 South Asian thought leaders curated by Pranjal Jain.

TO FOLLOW 
AND LEARN FROM

About the Curator

@pranjalljain @globalgirlhood

Pranjal Jain is a writer, stylist, creative director, 
and founder of 
Global Girlhood.

What does being a FEMINIST mean to you?

The more I explore new parts of the world and cultures, the more the nuances of patriarchy reveal themselves to me. In those spaces, it’s tough to uphold what we may consider the most basic pillars 
of feminism. So, to me, being a FEMINIST means loving and supporting the women around you wholeheartedly. Because no matter what’s going 
on in the rest of the world, the way you show up 
in your interpersonal relationships has the power 
to affect change. It all starts at home.

Aanchal Malhotra

Aanchal Malhotra (b.1990) is an oral historian and writer from New Delhi, India. She is the co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory, a crowd-sourced digital repository tracing family histories and social ethnography through heirlooms, collectibles and antiques from the Indian subcontinent.

@aanch_m

Neha Shukla

Neha Shukla is an 18-year old serial inventor, social entrepreneur, bestselling author, and AI ethicist passionate about developing technology to create positive change.

@thenehashukla

Anish Gawande

Anish Gawande is a writer and translator. He is the director of the Dara Shikoh Fellowship, an interdisciplinary arts residency, and the founder of Pink List India, the country’s first archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Gawande is a Rhodes Scholar and holds postgraduate degrees in intellectual history and public policy from the University of Oxford.

@anishgawande

Anita Chhiba

Anita Chhiba is the founder of @diet_paratha,
 a creative community platform championing the work and lives of South Asian people.

@achhib @diet_paratha

Kavita Rai

Kavita Rai is an activist, entrepreneur, and cancer survivor. She is co-founder 
of Ethos Health, a digital health startup focused on helping individuals manage alcohol consumption before it reaches the stage of addiction. Kavita’s focus right now is making people feel heard 
in our health systems and taking a preventative approach towards closing care gaps. She previously founded Justice in the Classroom, an education nonprofit expanding racial equity resources to school districts across 
CA during Covid-19.

@kavita.rai

Alina Khan

Alina Khan is a Pakistani actress known for her lead roles in the short film Darling in 2019 and the feature film Joyland in 2022. She is the first transgender person to have a lead role in a major Pakistani film. In May 2023, she was crowned Miss Trans Pakistan 2023 in Lahore, Pakistan.

@onlyalinakhan

Shahamat Uddin

Shahamat Uddin is a freelance journalist who writes about social issues with particular interests in Desi identity, queer culture, and the intersection of both. His upcoming book Thoomar, is an anthology of queer and trans South Asian stories.

@ushahamat

Rana Ayyub

Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist, opinion columnist with The Washington Post, and author of the investigative book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up. Ayyub is a leading voice fighting for freedom of speech, press, and justice for Muslims in India.


@ranaayyub

Seema Anand

Seema Anand is
a mythologist, author, storyteller, and sex educator. Informed by ancient Indian texts, her content destigmatizes and educates around sexual health.

@seemaanandstorytelling

Dr. Suraj Yengde

Dr. Suraj Yengde is the author of Caste Matters, founder and curator of Dalit Film Festival, and co-founder of Equity in Policy Education initiative started at Harvard. His work and writing is dedicated to ending caste discrimination.

@suraj.yengde

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Follow along with us at @Feminist and celebrate Herstory-makers who shaped and are continuing to shape the world we live in today @feminist.herstory.

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