In India and the world over, life usually presents more obstacles in the path of a woman than her male counterpart trying to achieve similar objectives in life; a number of extra hurdles that she must overcome to reach the same destination. It was not different for Mrs. Vaishali Patil. Born in Dayal Nagar (Wardha, Maharashtra), to a family with limited means, Vaishali’s life was quite difficult from the word go. She had to give up on her studies as soon as she completed her secondary education because her parents would not be able to afford higher education for her.

Hailing from the rural setup of Pimpalgaon village from Gangapur tehsil of Aurangabad district in the State of Maharashtra. I established a company that manufactures a diverse range of agriculture spray pumps. Being raised in a farming community, I witnessed many challenges faced by the farmers. This led me to manufacture the spray pumps for farmers. These pumps were meticulously designed, integrating wheels, making women farmers enable for spray operations. These pumps are eco-friendly as they are not based on diesel or petrol.

We have sold our products in 22 states of India and internationally at Kenya. We have sold over 4500 units so far. I have got two patents for Niyo spray pump. I am proud to share that we received Tata Social Enterprise Challenge award in 2021. There were 6500 nominations for this award, out of which 30 were awarded and I was one of them.

Panchamirtham Elumalai’s story is one worth telling to every little girl wondering about their future in this world marked with so many gender discrepancies. It is one that speaks of fighting the odds, standing on one’s own feet, and chasing the dream till it becomes a reality. She comes from an agricultural family residing in rural Madhurandhagam in Chengalpattu district. As a young girl, Panchamirtham’s only aim was to be able to complete her education. For her, this meant undertaking a long and risky 7 km journey on foot to attend school every day.