Resilience and emotional strength are increasingly being recognised as traits that give women an advantage over men. Women are known to be the ones who survive trauma, who keep a household together despite its complexities and who are resilient in face of obstacles and prejudices. If this mental tenacity is combined with physical strength, women can achieve anything.

Physical strength seems to have remained a stronghold of men, where physically strong women are perceived to be out of the ordinary. Women runners, fighters and other athletes are those who defy physical rules that everyday women find unthinkable. What is emotional strength in face of robustness that comes with sheer size and muscle? This conditioning that men are bigger thus physically stronger is deeply entrenched and ignores the fact that human muscles are made up of the same thing, regardless of gender. And Dr. Seema Rao’s story serves as proof.

“As I looked up, I saw the expression on his face…”, an incident had driven Dr. Seema Rao to build strength and power. Today she is India’s first and only woman commando trainer. Her story is an example of what inner strength can achieve when it’s combined with physical power. She wants every woman to train and to build their physical strength; she wants strong mothers to raise strong daughters. Here’s her story of strength:

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The fiefdom of physical strength has kept women from taking up many opportunities. Take for instance the study of nature. In 2006, Taj Safaris conducted a first of its kind naturalist training programme. The training involved studying animal tracks, sounds, behaviour, identifying flora and fauna and piloting safaris. Women are rare in forest fields, and this course wasn’t an exception with all male students barring one — Ratna Singh, India’s first professionally trained woman naturalist. Here’s her story of strength:

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The prejudice is apparent in many traditional practices. Durga Puja has always been ushered in by traditional drummers of Bengal — men with heavy drums, intimidating in size, called ‘Dhak’. The 500-year-old tradition met its first woman Dhaaki when Uma Das decided to play the Dhak, becoming the first one ever to do so. Her rhythmic beats demonstrated feminine power, other women followed suit. Here’s Uma Das’s story of strength:

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Women’s Horlicks has collaborated with these women to bust the perception that women are physically weaker than men. The campaign #StandStrong sends out an empowering message that doesn’t just focus on inner strength in women but their ability to be physically powerful as well. It recognises that a strong body plays a huge role nurturing a strong mind. With 100% of your recommended daily Calcium requirement — Women’s Horlicks urges you to build strength.

The views, opinions and recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the author and intended as an educational aid. Please consult your doctor for professional advice concerning specific health matters.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Women’s Horlicks and not by the Scroll editorial team.