Sanju Nagpure has become one of the many faces of an India that is changing. One where technology reaches and helps develop villages, and women play a central role in shaping the future of agriculture.
Sanju is from Wardha in Maharashtra. She studied till Class 12 before taking up farming, never imagining that one day people across the country would know her as ‘Drone Didi’. Today, she spends as much time flying agricultural drones as she does teaching other women to do the same.
Ask her what makes someone a HERo, though, and she doesn't mention drones.
’A HERo is someone who does good work and shares their knowledge with others,’ she explains confidently.
It's a simple thought. One that sums up her journey better than any title ever can.
The first time Sanju attended agricultural drone training, everything felt unfamiliar. The controller, the technology, the idea of flying a machine.
’I had never even flown a kite before, and there I was flying a drone.’
Today, that same technology has become part of her everyday work. An acre that once took hours to spray can now be covered in minutes with greater precision, using less water. It has changed the way farming is done. More importantly, it has changed the way many women look at technology.
Every woman she trains reminds her of where she once stood, uncertain and trying something completely new. She coaches women farmers in order to empower them through technology.
Today, her journey continues through every woman she inspires to learn, grow and take flight.
Watch Sanju Nagpure's journey in the latest video of HERoes.