This International Women’s Day, we acknowledge the efforts by women in working towards sharing equal rights with men. Earlier, many women in India were not allowed to work or pursue any career, and were unable to follow their dreams. Fortunately, there’s growing consciousness among men and women alike on women empowerment, and women have made their presence felt in almost every field—be it politics, business, films, sports, hospitality, medicine and many others.

On the cover this week we have the gorgeous Amala Akkineni who’s a veteran actress, an animal welfare champion, and a philanthropist who shares her thoughts on the uplift of women, and other topics, in the Cover Story.