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This endearing, witty, self-deprecating memoir documents the life of one of the leading feminists of the contemporary Indian women's movement. Vina Mazumdar, one of the key researchers and writers of the landmark report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India, Towards Equality, here documents her early life, her gradual politicization in a household of liberal, educated Bengalis, and her involvement in women's issues and the women's movement.

Brought up to be outspoken and frank, Vinadi, as she is affectionately known, began by becoming involved in university-level politics in Bihar. Marriage and a young family did not prevent her from pursuing her studies and her career, in the teeth of considerable opposition from relatives but with constant support from her mother. On her return to India, Vinadi first moved into the field of education, and then with her involvement in the research and writing of Towards Equality, was catapulted into the women's movement.

An activist and institution builder, Viandi set up the Centre for Women's Development Studies in Delhi, one of the leading research and outreach institutions for women in the country. In this rare memoir, Vinadi provides a rich history of the contemporary women's movement in India.

Vina Mazumdar is an activist, institution builder, and academic. She is a founder of the Centre for Women's Development Studies, Delhi and of the Indian Association of Women's Studies. She serves as Member Secretary of the Standing Committee on Women's Studies of the Government of India.  Since 2006 she has been  a National Research Professor of Social Sciences, Government of India.