The BBC's 100 Women season returns today unveiling its chosen list of inspirational women for 2016. From amongst 100 globally chosen women the list includes Bollywood actress Sunny Leone along with four Indian names– Gouri Chindarkar (Sangli), Mallika Srinivasan (Chennai), Neha Singh(Mumbai) and Saalumarada Thimmakka (Karnataka). This year's BBC 100 women list marks the fourth year of the season, which seeks to better represent women in the BBC's international news output.
The women are once again a mixture of female trailblazers – high-profile and influential women from all corners of the world, with more entrepreneurs, engineers, sportswomen, business women, fashion icons and artists than ever before. A third of nominees are aged 30 and below, while several of the inspiring women are over the age of 80, many of whom campaign for their causes whilst striving for a better world for themselves and their families.
Sunny Leone (Karenjit Kaur Vohra), 35, is a Canadian and also leading Indian film actress and model.
Gouri Chindarkar a 20 year old computer engineering student from Sangli, Maharashtra,was one of the first children in India to experience a unique learning experience now known as 'School in the Cloud.'
Mallika Srinivasanis57 years old andfrom Chennai, she is a CEO of Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE). She is known as the ‘Tractor queen’ of India and has grown her family company into the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world.
Neha Singh a 34 year old actor/writer who founded a movement to encourage women to walk the streets in Mumbai to defy harassment.
Saalumarada Thimmakka is a 105 year old environmentalistfrom Karnataka who has planted more than 8,000 trees in 80 years, a project which first started in response to social ridicule at not being able to have children. She is the oldest woman on the BBC 100 women list.
Some of this year’s high profile women include singer-songwriter Alicia Keys; US gold medal winning gymnast Simone Biles; French politician Rachida Dati and Chairman of Santander UK Dame Shriti Vadera.