Inside the four walls or out, women are more commonly victimized and also abused, especially verbally and emotionally, although sometimes even physically as well. Status is not a matter; all are bonded to the same chord. Be it poor, middle-class, or rich and powerful like Oprah Winfrey, we all have a story to tell. However, in every darkness there is light, and it is heartwarming to see what some of these women have gone through. They can simply be called path-breakers. My tribute to the one and only Tessy Thomas, the missile woman
Agni-V
The successful test launch of the missile is a major leap forward for India in the area of military technology and military deterrent capability, making it the fifth country in the world to possess such a technology.
Agni-5, with a range of over 5,000 km, is a three-stage, all-solid fuel-powered, 17-metre-tall missile with the capability to carry various forms of payload. It can be launched from a land-based mobile platform and has the capability of hitting multiple targets.
On April 19, 2012, at 8.07 a.m., the Agni V was successfully test-fired by DRDO from Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa.
Tessy Thomas
Having broken through glass ceilings in various
professions, women in the country now have another reason to celebrate, as one
of them is set to head a key missile project. The government has announced the path-breaking
appointment of 45-year-old defence scientist Dr. Tessy
Thomas, one of around 200 women scientists and technicians
working for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),
as project director of the upgraded version of the 2000 km intermediate-range
nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-II.
Dr. Thomas is currently the associate project director of the 3,000-kilometre-range Agni-III missile project.
Tessy Thomas is from Alappuzha, Kerala. She was born to a small businessman, and her mother was a homemaker. She did her engineering graduation from the Government Engineering College, Thrissur. She grew up near a rocket launching station and says her fascination with rockets and missiles began then. She also has an M.Tech. in guided missiles from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune. She was named after Mother Teresa, the late Nobel laureate.
She is married to Saroj Kumar, now a commodore in the Indian Navy, and they have a son, Tejas, an engineering student who shares his name with India's indigenously developed light combat aircraft, also made by the DRDO. In a glowing tribute in 2008, The Indian Woman Scientists Association did not forget to mention that "most women like Tessy Thomas also do a tight-rope walk between home and career, between being a mother and a scientist who is dedicated to her job. "We feel Tessy Thomas serves as a role model and an inspiration for women scientists to achieve their dreams and have their feet planted in both worlds successfully," the group said.
Thomas was also part of the team that was involved in the post-test analysis of the failed firing of the first Agni-III missile. She said there were some shortcomings in the missile that were overcome, resulting in a smooth, flawless test.
!!!A 5000+ range missile and a bunch of Weaker Sex, Fairer one whatever you call them, it is reality!