With over one billion people, India is now the world's most populous democracy. In 1947, India put an end to a century of colonial rule when it gained its independence from the British. Women played integral parts in this struggle, successfully tying "Freedom for India" with "Freedom for Women."

In the 60 years since independence, women have entered politics at every level of authority. Starting at the very top, India became one of the first countries in the world to be governed by a female Prime Minister when Indira Gandhi was appointed in 1966. Women now hold office as members of parliament and state governors. In 2007, Pratibha Patil was elected India's first female president after Sonia Gandhi, daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi and leader of one of India's largest political parties, put her name forward.

Recently, women have been entering the political system at the local level, as well. In 1992, India amended its constitution to add gender quotas to all locally elected positions. Village councils, or panchayats, now must reserve one third of their seats for women. Currently, over one million women hold elected office in panchayats and over two million have held these positions to date. In 2005, the Women's Reservation Bill was passed, providing a similar one-third quota for women in Parliament and State Assembly.

Although the percentages of women in various levels of political activity have risen considerably, women are still under-represented in governance and decision-making positions, and they face cultural and practical barriers to exercising power in these roles. A large percentage of Indian men and women still believe that women, simply, shouldn't hold leadership positions. When they do, they are sometimes seen as mere proxies for their husbands. Often, women who step forward and assert themselves as leaders are silenced, threatened, and sometimes, killed.

While some Indian women choose to make change through formal politics, others feel that working outside or against "the system" is the only way to bring about change. Vibrant women's grassroots social movements have stridently campaigned for statehood in regions such as Kashmir and Manipur, as well as for human and environmental rights.

Whether working inside or outside the system, India's women are leading a widespread social transformation: from the village street all the way up to the highest levels of political office. In 60 years, India's women have helped create a thriving democracy, and serve as a model of true civic participation.

Explore these stories of Indian women:

* Indira Gandhi's Dirshan: Indira Gandhi was once called the most powerful woman in the world. Like many of the other women at this level of authority, Mrs. Gandhi was a controversial figure, revered by some and loathed by others. Read an intimate, private view of a public leader.

* Picturing Power: The Poster Women Project is preserving a visual history of India's women's movement, through the artwork it produced. These simple, yet provocative posters inspire women to take responsibility for the welfare of their communities and stand for election.

* Two Million Women Leaders and Counting: The Hunger Project trains rural women to become first-time leaders in their village councils.

* A Collage of Her Severally-Inspected Parts: Women in Kashmir align themselves all along the political spectrum in the struggles in Kashmir. Read a Kashmiri journalist's account of their political participation.