If there is one force that has democratized the Indian woman’s life, it is the cheap smartphone and Jio internet.

Beyond the corporate ladder, Indian women are redefining grassroots capitalism. The Lijjat Papad story—started by seven women in Mumbai—has spawned thousands of self-help groups (SHGs) across rural India. The "Didi" (elder sister) is now a financier, a dairy owner, and a local politician. In villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, women on motorcycles, carrying mobile phones, have become symbols of rural aspiration.