Other books

Would Amrita Sher-gil have been any less a painter if she were a man? Is Begum Akhtar's genius merely that of a woman singer? In these days, the very premise of a book on "iconic women" seems flawed. And the selection of the usual suspects seems almost cliche ridden""Lakshmi Sahgal, Lata Mangeshkar, Mahasveta Devi, Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa... If you still end up reading this collection of homages, it could well be for the personal insights they provide into their tired subjects. But if the idea is to look for role models within the worldspace of women, then easily the choice of Mayawati is head and shoulders above the others for its originality (even among other politicians like Sonia Gandhi and Jayalalithaa).

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Freeing The Spirit
The Iconic Women of Modern India

edited by Malvika Singh
Penguin
216 pages; Rs 295