Rolling Stone India's "Women in Creativity" features 25 trailblazing women.

Honouring names such as Guneet Monga, Asees Kaur, Sushant Divgikr, Leeza Mangaldas, Prajakta Koli and more, the #WomenInCreativity is a first-of-its-kind pathbreaking record of exceptional women artists and leaders

Rolling Stone India has announced its ‘Women In Creativity’ Power List. Honouring 25 women across the spectrum of music, cinema, OTT, content creation, entrepreneurship and fashion, this marks a celebratory IP with a first-of-its-kind index of exceptional names. The esteemed recipients include Oscar winners Guneet Monga and Kartiki Gonsalves, groundbreaking trans person and drag artist Sushant Divgikr, breakout musician Asees Kaur, acclaimed content creator and sexuality educator Leeza Mangaldas, content creator and diverse artistic force Mithila Palkar, lyricist and screenwrite Kausar, amongst others.

Rolling Stone India has a strong history of chronicling and amplifying women in all sectors of music and pop culture through notable features and covers. The Indian edition of the iconic Rolling Stone magazine has previously heralded women creatives and leaders such as Srushti Tawde, Raja Kumari, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Lilly Singh, Mithila Palkar, Koli, Niharika NM, Lisa Mishra, Dhee, CL, Vidya Vox, Divgikar, Jonita Gandhi, Monica Dogra, Anushka Manchanda and more.

Says Rolling Stone India Executive Editor and Digital Director Nirmika Singh, “The ‘Women in Creativity’ honors are designed for, of and by women. They come at a time when India is experiencing a creative movement across music, entertainment and entrepreneurship with significant contributions from women. This is historic and we have to capture, chronicle and celebrate this moment.”

The jury for the Power List comprised acclaimed artist and curator Brinda Miller, distinguished marketeer and sustainability advocate Jasleen Kaur, Nirmika Singh and Team Rolling Stone India. With these honors, Rolling Stone India further strengthens its commitment to equality, brick by brick, backed by a team comprising a majority of women across the verticals of journalism, branding, partnerships, art, business, etc.

The ‘Women in Creativity’ Power List is significant as women continue to be underrepresented at large. We’re nowhere close to equality and equity. According to USC Annenberg and Spotify’s ‘Inclusion in the Recording Studio?’ 2022 report, of the 180 artists featured on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2021, 76.7% were men and only 23.3% were women. Women have also been marginally nominated for key awards; 85.8% of the 2022 Grammy® nominees in major categories were men and 14.2% were women. India’s ‘O Womaniya’ 2022 report too has noted low presence of women behind the camera with only 10% of head of department (HOD) positions across key divisions such as production design, writing, editing, direction and cinematography, held by women. Furthermore, in media and entertainment corporate houses, only 10% of senior leadership roles were held by women. The sixth economic census, by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, also highlighted that women comprise 13.76% of the total entrepreneurs in India which is 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs.

The full Women In Creativity Power List by Rolling Stone India is below (in alphabetical order):

Arati Kadav
Asees Kaur
Dolly Rateshwar
Falguni Peacock
Guneet Monga
Harshdeep Kaur
Kamiya Jani
Kartiki Gonsalves
Kausar Munir
Leeza Mangaldas
Lisa Mishra
Malini Agarwal
Masaba Gupta
Mehek Malhotra
Mithila Palkar
Nagma Mirajkar
Niharika NM
Pooja Jauhari
Prajakta Koli
Raja Kumari
Sejal Kumar
Sujata and Taniya Biswas (of Suta)
Sumukhi Suresh
Sushant Divgikar
Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju

1. What does it mean to be a part of a powerful cohort of brilliant creatives such as the 'Women in Creativity Power List by Rolling Stone India'?

We are embracing that change and it's happening, it definitely feels very special. It is very encouraging, especially, you know, because there are times when you feel stuck and then you want to look back at certain things that remind you why you're here. This is one of those reminders. It is so inspiring to be listed — I mean so many powerful women who are doing so well and are just scaling heights in all the fields that they are in! And it only inspires me to do better. It inspires me to keep telling the stories that I choose to tell. It inspires me to keep giving a voice to people who are trying to find their voices and be the voice of the people who are trying to find their voices through the stories that I choose to tell.

2. Is there actually equity or equality in your field or are these still buzzwords? Can you tell us about some of the change you've spearheaded or witnessed?

I personally think that… I choose to look at the glass as half full. I think it's a win that we are having these conversations and that we see so many women headlining so many things. To begin with, to have a list like this, to have a list of women in creativity. I do understand that it's the first of its kind from Rolling Stone India and to have women heading all of this… like I only interacted with women at this shoot, you know? So even though it's a smaller circle, it's still a huge step towards change. And that's what I would like to see and I would like to acknowledge. And I know that we are going to keep pushing those morals further ahead, and there is change.
It is very slow. But to witness a shoot that was headed by women, that was executed by women, to celebrate other women, to celebrate each other… it should be proof enough that we are heading towards change.

3.How would you like to see environments and surroundings transform to be inclusive and empowering for all?

I keep circling back to the shoot because that was the most recent example of that change, the most recent example of that inclusivity, the most recent example of empowerment for all. I don't want to sound repetitive but this is very evident. So, a very strong sense of change and acceptance and acknowledgment in the field of, well, to begin with, creativity. But I know that it's happening everywhere else. It is a welcome change to see a room full of women encouraging each other, rooting for each other, inspiring each other and growing together. And that is the kind of change that we had only dreamt of. And we are actually living it. That room, the other day, when I was among so many beautiful, so many intelligent, so many just incredible, fantastic women… I felt so privileged to just be surrounded by so many of the kind in the room, and it felt like we were all in this together. And that is the kind of feeling that is infectious and I hope will spread all across the board, whether it is in creativity or different fields of excellence.