Women who have dared to be different

Women Who Dared is an inspiring book.  Edited by Ritu Menon, co-founder of Kali for Women, India's first feminist press, and published by the National Book Trust, the book offers brief, cameo autobiographies of 21 Indian women who have dared to be different and thereby made a difference to the socio-cultural landscape of this country over the last 50 years.

In these 282 pages, Vina Mazumdar, a pioneer in the women's studies movement in India and one of the leading lights of the women's movement, tells the story of her tireless campaigning and lobbying with the state and central governments on behalf of women.

Padma Ramachandran, the first woman IAS officer, talks about what she had to contend with in an age which was anything but pro-woman.  The government of Kerala delayed her posting as district collector for the only reason that she was a woman.  Finally, she approached the state governor and got herself posted. 

Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer, who will always be remembered as the police officer who defied convention and used innovative techniques to tackle difficult situations, gives a candid account of herself.  "I do lose my temper -- I do shout.  But it's very targeted, for effect only, not because I've lost control.  It has a reason, it has an effect, and it works!  Sometimes you have to show your anger thus far and no further.  It even works for the other person's benefit."

From this polyphonic text, as the editor, Ritu Menon, describes the book, emanate the voices of several other women (Sheila Sandhu, a legendary figure in Hindi publishing; Ela R Bhat, whose name is synonymous with the Self-Employed Women's Association; India Jaising, who has democratized lawyering; Romila Thapar, a foremost historian; Kalpana Lajmi, a film-maker; Shubha Mudgal, a Hindustani vocalist) whose "transgression" from the norm and sustained hard work and excellence in the face of tremendous odds represent the aspirations, struggles and achievements of the larger community of women.

A single volume cannot do justice to what countless women have achieved in this vast country.  Some of the noteworthy misses are M S Subbulakshmi, Medha Parkar, P T Usha and Aparna Sen. I hope there will be a second volume and several others in a series.