Today (March 8th) is international women’s day, which marks the day to celebrate women for their accomplishments. This year’s theme is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” There are several Tamil women who are doing amazing things in many different pathways, and here are 5 women that have made amazing contributions. 

1. Shini Muthukrishnan

Shini Muthukrishnan is a 22 year old British Tamil who made headlines by becoming the first Tamil presenter for Blue Peter, a children’s show on BBC. With of 691,000 followers on TikTok, Muthukrishnan appreciates and showcases several aspects of her Tamil identity, including the beautiful pottu/bindhi that is applied to her forehead. She is someone that cannot be unspoken of this International women’s day.

2. Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon

Chandrika Krishmamurthy Tandon is an American Tamil philanthropist, business woman, and musician. Her music combines many different elements of Carnatic, Hindustani and Western music styles. Her latest album, Triveni won her a Grammy in February this year at 71 years old. She 

Remains a true inspiration to emerging Tamil musicians.

3. Tia Bhuva  

Tia Bhuva is a Tamil Canadian beauty influencer. The mother of three has over 1M followers on Instagram and is the founder of the famous online brand TiaBhuva.com. The page sells sarees and accessories. The entrepreneur did an Masters of Business Administration at McMaster University and continues wicked park on the road to inspire many entrepreneurs across the globe. 

4. Dr. Melanie Ratnam

There are many amazing Tamil Canadian female doctors and Dr. Melanie Ratnam is one to recognize. As a female with a PhD in neurobiology, she has taken several efforts to ensure equity in the field of health. She was the first Tamil Canadian woman to be recognized for Canada’s women history month in the year of 2023. To advocate and stand up for equity in heath, Ratnam is the president of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) and the cofounder of a youth program called Ultimate Science where resources are provided for young youth to get closer to their goals in the field. 

5. Dharsha Jegatheeswaran 

Dharsha Jegatheeswaran is a Barrister and Solicitor in Ontario, Canada. Her deep interest in giving back to the Tamil community has allowed her to move to Sri Lanka for nearly two years to help co found Adayaalam Centre for Policy Resesrch (ACPR), which helps with advocacy and social justice issues in Sri Lanka. In fact, she is also an activist and has advocated for many of the issues Tamils faced in Sri Lanka.