Purnima Devi Barman: ‘Stork Sister’ is Time’s first Indian ‘Woman of the Year’

A new feather in the cap for Dr Purnima Devi Barman! The renowned Indian biologist and wildlife conservationist has been named among Time magazine's 'Women of the Year' for 2025.

Dr. Barman is the only Indian woman on the prestigious list. This recognition celebrates "extraordinary leaders" who are making significant strides toward a better and more equal world.

Dr Barman, 45, is renowned for her work in protecting the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork, locally known as the hargila (bone-eater!), in Assam. Her grassroots conservation initiative has successfully increased the bird's population and engaged local communities, particularly women, in wildlife preservation efforts.

Through her 'Hargila Army', a group of 20,000 women conservationists, she has transformed public perception of the stork from a nuisance to a symbol of local pride.

Her inclusion in Time’s list highlights the impact of her conservation work, which blends environmental activism with community empowerment.

The Time magazine Women of the Year 2025 list features 13 extraordinary women making significant contributions to society. Alongside Dr Barman, the list includes acclaimed Australian actor Nicole Kidman and French activist Gisele Pelicot, who turned her repeated rape and sexual exploitation into a powerful battle for women’s rights and gender justice.

The Time magazine profile on Dr Purnima Devi Barman highlights a pivotal moment in her life in 2007. She recalls receiving a call that a tree near her home in Assam, a tree that was in turn home to a family of Greater Adjutant Storks, was being chopped down.

That became the turning point in her journey as a conservationist.

When she first questioned the cutting down of that tree, she recalls, “Everyone surrounded me, started whistling at me.” But at that moment, all she could think about were her infant twin daughters. Like the storks’ chicks, they were small and vulnerable. Feeling the heartbeats of the rescued birds deeply moved her, compelling her to dedicate her life to their protection.

Determined to protect the endangered birds, Dr Barman launched a grassroots movement that eventually led to the formation of the Hargila Army — a group of over 20,000 local women dedicated to saving the stork species. Her efforts have not only helped increase the bird’s population, but have also empowered women in her community by integrating conservation with social change and community-led environmental activism.

Now, Dr Barman has become as much identified with the bird as she identifies herself as 'Stork Sister'. Her X profile image shows her proudly wearing a traditional mekhala-chador with the Greater Adjutant Stork woven in as the main motif. The garments are woven by members of the Hargila Army — and supplements their income.

Even as her work continues to inspire global action on community-driven conservation, her work back home sees thousands of local women involving themselves in conservation-related livelihoods.

This is hardly Dr Barman’s first international accolade, though. He was named one of the five Champions of the Earth in 2022 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as well.

The Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental honour, recognising individuals and organisations for their outstanding contributions to ecosystem restoration and environmental protection.