Some books are written as research. Some are written as resistance. Women of Power: A Tale of Two Civilizations – India and Greece feels like both — but it began as something far more personal. The co-Author shares that all, bares that all in a candid conversation on phone with The Think Pot Founder, senior journalist Mahima Sharma
In this in-depth interview, the author and sustainability expert – Lopamudra Priyadarshini, reflects on women’s leadership, ancient civilizations, feminine archetypes, entrepreneurship and the evolving meaning of power. Meet Dr. Priyadarshini, our Visionary Voice of the Month who has co-authored this gripping book with Prof. Sucheta Priyabadini.
“This comparison was never academic. It was lived.”
Q: What inspired you to compare women’s journeys in India and Greece — especially for your debut book? And why did you co-author a debut book?
It began long before I called it research. As a woman who has lived in both India and Greece, I found myself constantly observing how women occupied space — in families, workplaces, rituals and leadership. Greece transformed my lens. Returning to India in 2014 during a deeply challenging personal and professional phase sharpened that lens further.
I kept asking myself:
Where do women feel more agency?
Which ecosystems allow them to thrive?
Where do invisible barriers still exist?
The India–Greece comparison intrigued me because both are ancient civilizations, yet their modern gender trajectories differ sharply. That contrast demanded exploration.
Choosing a co-author was deliberate. In an era driven by individual visibility, collaboration felt intellectually honest. The real turning point came through my association with my co-author, Prof. Sucheta Priyabandini, who is not only a strong advocate for women’s voices in Odisha but also a Professor of Women’s Studies at the state’s only women’s university.
Our conversations were always rich, layered, and often unfinished we would find ourselves saying, “Someone should document this.” One day, we realised that “someone” had to be us.
Choosing Dr. Priyabadini as the co-author for my debut book was therefore a very conscious decision, not a compromise. In a time when individual visibility often drives choices, we chose collaboration because the subject itself demanded multiple lenses. My lived experience of both India and Greece, combined with her deep academic grounding in women’s studies, created a balance between practice and perspective. That synergy strengthened the narrative far more than a solo effort would have.
The India–Greece comparison also intrigued us because both are among the world’s most ancient civilizations, yet their contemporary gender journeys have taken very different paths. Exploring that contrast felt both intellectually exciting and socially relevant today. In many ways, this book is not just research—it is a reflection of journeys observed, conversations lived and questions that refused to leave me.This book was not planned. It insisted on being written.
“History underestimates women more than it erases them.”
Q: What surprising truths did your research uncover about women in ancient civilizations?
One powerful realization: women were far more visible in early civilizations than popular history suggests.
In Vedic India, women scholars debated philosophy. In ancient Greece, women played critical ritual roles. Over time, symbolic reverence remained — but practical freedoms narrowed. Both civilizations worshipped goddesses, yet everyday women faced growing restrictions. That duality feels familiar even today. My fieldwork with women entrepreneurs mirrors this pattern. Women negotiate space and power daily — often without recognition. History did not always record their influence, but it cannot deny their presence.
The Archetype Paradox: Athena and Durga in the Modern World
Q: How do figures like Athena and Durga shape expectations of women today?
Athena represents intellect and strategy. Durga represents visible strength and fearless action. Yet modern women are expected to embody both — while remaining soft, agreeable and socially compliant.
In boardrooms and grassroots spaces alike, I see this contradiction repeatedly. Society celebrates powerful feminine energy symbolically, but often rewards restraint in practice. Today’s woman is expected to be extraordinary — but measured in expression. Revered, yet regulated.
Queens, Warriors and the Anatomy of Female Leadership
Q:4. In your book, you highlight queens and warriors across both cultures. What common leadership qualities did you discover in them?
Queens often inherited authority. Warriors earned it. Women warriors across India and Greece broke barriers through resilience and mental endurance. Their leadership was forged in struggle.
Across both groups, certain traits were consistent:
- Clarity of purpose
- Emotional endurance
- Crisis leadership
- Conviction under pressure
True leadership , inherited or earned, reveals itself in adversity.
Reframing Historical Narratives
Q: Why do you believe history has underrepresented women leaders, and how does your book correct that narrative?
I do not see this book as correcting history, but as amplifying sidelined narratives. Much of recorded history was documented by male chroniclers. Women were present — but less amplified. In my professional journey, I meet women transforming local economies who do not call themselves leaders. A rural entrepreneur once told me, “I am just managing home and work.” That humility echoes across centuries. Women have always led. Recognition has lagged.
Expanding the Meaning of Strength
Q: How do stories of warrior women challenge today’s perception of female strength?
Strength is often imagined as physical dominance. But many historical women led movements, ideas and communities without lifting weapons. India’s independence struggle saw powerful women leaders whose strength was moral and strategic. Female power has always been multidimensional — intellectual, spiritual, emotional and political. We are simply recognizing it more fully now.
Beyond Religion – Spiritual Women as Social Architects
Q: How have figures like the Oracle of Delphi and Mirabai influence society beyond religion?
Their influence extended far beyond ritual. Spiritual leaders shaped moral imagination and collective conscience. They guided kings and communities not through formal authority, but inner conviction. Their legacy suggests that spiritual depth is not withdrawal from society — it is ethical leadership in its purest form.
Women, Trade and Timeless Business Wisdom
Q: From ancient merchants to modern entrepreneurs, what timeless business lessons can
women learn from history?
Women have always been economic anchors. Growing up in Odisha, I was fascinated by the Sadhabas tradition, where men sailed for trade while women managed finances and negotiations at home. I saw this personally in my grandmother, who handled buyers with composed authority.
Across India and Greece, the pattern repeats. Timeless business strengths include:
- Financial prudence
- Relationship-based trust
- Thoughtful risk-taking
When women combine discipline with social intelligence, they stabilize markets — not just participate in them.
The Oldest Multitasking Role in History
Q: How have women balanced ambition, family and societal pressure across centuries?
Honestly, when I hear this question, my first reaction “woman to woman” is: this is the oldest unpaid multitasking role in human history! Across centuries, women have been quietly performing what I like to call the “triple shift” ambition in one hand, family in the other, and society standing in the background with a report card. Whether it was the queens managing kingdoms, the Odia women running trade households while the Sadhabas sailed abroad, or today’s professionals juggling boardrooms and bedtime stories, the choreography has changed but the balancing act has not. I often joke in my sessions
that women did not learn time management from corporate workshops we inherited it genetically!
But on a serious note, what history and my own journey have taught me is that women have survived this juggle through adaptability, emotional intelligence, and an extraordinary capacity to prioritize without applause. The real question for our times is whether we will continue to normalize this silent acrobatics or finally train the next generation both girls and boys to build more shared, humane life models. Because women have always managed; perhaps now society must learn to evolve.
Why This Book Matters for Young Women Leaders
Q: Why is this book particularly important for young women and future leaders to read today?
Because it reminds young women of a simple truth: women have always led. Across civilizations, women shaped history — often quietly. This book offers a cross-civilizational mirror. A young reader may realize her struggles are not isolated. They are part of a continuum. She is not beginning from nothing. She is continuing something powerful.
From Permission to Participation
Q: What global conversation do you hope this book ignites about women and power?
The conversation must shift from permission to participation. History has already answered whether women are capable. The real question is whether systems are ready to share authority meaningfully.
Why do societies that worship feminine power hesitate to trust women with structural leadership?
Q: If one reads just One Book this year on women leadership and cultural history, why should it be “Women of Power”?
Because it does not shout. It echoes. This book invites classrooms, policy tables, boardrooms and homes to confront that contradiction. From Rayagada to the ruins of Greece, I kept meeting the same presence — women steady, strategic, resilient, under-remembered. This book does not instruct women to rise. It reminds them they already have -across centuries, civilizations – with swords, prayers and resolve. It holds up a mirror across time and whispers: You are not late, not alone. You are simply next in the story.
If you wish to read the book, you can place your order by clicking here. And for those willing to speak to dr. Lopamudra for an interview, please connect via her Linkedin Profile.
Standard Disclaimer: The views and details shared in this advertorial interview, are in the book Author’s personal capacity and are in no where the shared thoughts of this platform.