India is now at the sun, and one of the major contribution has been of the sheroes' at ISRO.

The disarming smile could even make the fiery Sun go tame, the worthy daughter of a mathematics graduate who turned to farming by choice, and is leading India's Aditya L-1 satellite.

Nigar Shaji is a scientist at the UR Rao Satellite Centre, part of ISRO, in Bengaluru and is the project director for India's first space-based solar observatory. She is one of many women who have led teams at the Indian space agency to make complex satellite missions.

Contrary to what many believe that there is a gender bias at the Department of Space, Ms Shaji told NDTV "there is no glass ceiling for women at ISRO". She says at ISRO, only talent matters, and gender plays no role.

Earlier, M Vanitha led the Chandrayaan-2 mission and Thenmozhi Selvi K led the making of the Earth-imaging satellite. More recently, Kalpana K took charge as deputy project director of the highly successful ongoing Chandrayaan-3 mission. On the shop floor and clean rooms of ISRO, men and women work shoulder-to-shoulder to bring glory for India.

Ms Nigar says her family wanted her to become a doctor, but she chose to be an engineer. According to her profile at the Indian Space Research Organisation Ms Shaji is currently programme director, lower Earth orbit and planetary missions, and is responsible for the development of all the ISRO-developed low-earth orbiting spacecraft and interplanetary missions.

She started her career as a spacecraft test engineer, and travelled through the cascades of career ladder with illustrious contributions. She holds additional responsibility as study director for the mission to Venus and EXO world mission for the study of planets beyond the solar system.