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India is a land of many firsts and the Indian annals are filled with pages that enumerate the greatness of pioneering Indians. However, as writer Julian Barnes would say, “History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.” Indian historical documentation, like the histories of the rest of the world, is gendered and in most cases, the contribution of women, in particular, are either erased or conveniently as also intuitively diminished. A few months ago, during one of our conversations with director Anvita Dutt, when we unthinkingly used the term ‘male directors’ to ask her about the cinematic gaze, she commented that she was amused at our use of the prefix ‘male’ while referring to them. For, aren’t all directors male and those that aren’t, aren’t they just called ‘female directors’? Aren’t men known by their craft and women by their gender?
In order to break this stereotype and write a different history and lobby for its mainstreaming, Homegrown presents the ‘First Women’ series. Every woman who dares to break not just the patriarchal glass ceiling but also her own ingrained inhibitions creates space for hope to seep in. It’s always one more elevator sent down, one more door opened for little and big women who keep looking at her with the belief that ‘if she can, I can as well.’ This series, which takes us through the lives of ‘rocket women’ of the space, of stuntwomen who didn’t bat an eyelid before stepping into the ‘Maut Ka Kuan’ (literally, the Well of Death), of ambitious fighter pilots and daring photojournalists, and of women who demanded sexual pleasure for women, is special not only because it remembers them but also because it reckons that every story is the starting point of a hundred more. This list is in no way exhaustive and it is our only hope that it keeps expanding, taking up more space, and advancing as more women keep daring and having their names and stories remembered here.
Dhun Panthaki, India’s First Female Sex Educator
“Sex is about pleasure, the question is pleasure for whom?,” smilingly used to ask Dhun Panthaki, a Mumbai-based sex educator who began her work back in 1967 when sex education, let alone the existence of a female sex educator, was unheard of. Swimming through the tide of ridicule and humiliation, Panthaki’s dedication has paid off over four decades later, as her name has become synonymous with progressive thinking when it comes to all matters related to sex. Panthaki, who had a strong stance on the desires of women and the policing of their bodies, used to say, “A female anatomy is better developed than a man’s. She has more organs to carry out similar functions and has more stamina and is capable of multiple orgasms. Men think they are more sexual than women when it is actually the other way around. Women’s bodies are considered a means to acquire sex in our culture. Either they are over-sexed or not given the freedom to desire sex. There are many married women in the country who have never received sexual satisfaction. The men believe that if they enjoyed it, it automatically translates to the women enjoying it. If she doesn’t like it at first, she will get used to it and start enjoying it. Men think that women have or can have orgasms and women are unaware of it too. Every person knows so little about how the other body functions. We spend so much on lavish weddings and their preparations but do we ever talk to the bride and groom about their bodies? It’s about Majaa but for whom?”
Read more about Dhun Panthaki here.
Homai Vyarawalla, India’s First Female Photojournalist
At a time when girl children were rarely educated beyond a certain age, and working after marriage was even rarer, Homai Vyarawalla was a shining beacon of hope that challenged conventional mindsets and pushed society’s limits to stand up for all of the womankind throughout the subcontinent. During her career which lasted from 1938 to 1973, she captured India’s journey of political awakening through her unbiased lens. From the British Rule’s descent to the rise of Indian democracy and all the challenges that plagued it through the disillusionment of post-partition, Homai recorded this country’s most iconic moments throughout history. From the last salute of Lord Mountbatten to the deaths of Gandhi and Nehru, to the landmark conference that voted for the Partition of India, and even the country’s first-ever Republic Day parade, her black-and-white legacy will be referred to by historians for the rest of time.
Read more about Homai Vyarawalla here.
These women have fought against society’s prejudice and created a space for themselves in an industry that has historically been male-dominated — a reality most women have to experience at some point in their lives. These women have made indelible marks in the global aerospace industry and it’s about time the world lauded them.
Here is the story of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, the first two women of Indian origin to travel to space, ISRO scientist Anuradha TK who made the launches of the satellites GSAT-12 and GSAT-10 possible, the ‘Rocket Woman’ of India, Ritu Karidhal, and Nandini Harinath who gave life to India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.
India’s First Female Daredevil Motorcyclist To Ride Into The Well Of Death
Practically extinct as a form of entertainment nowadays, the ‘Well Of Death’ is a distant memory for many Indian mela-goers. It was something of a carnival sideshow where exceedingly brave men risked their lives for the sake of a few hundred cheers. And while we’ve long since considered these men to be worthy of a few bytes, it hasn’t often been considered that some women have taken to performing this unlikely feat over the years too. Among them, the very first of the lot, Munira Abdul Sattar Madni, who took to two wheels and a cylindrical enclosure for the first time in 1971, at the tender age of seven. In 1981, Munira participated in Gujarat at Surendranagar district’s enormous Tarnetar mela, and that well of death ride lasted for 44 hours non-stop. The stories of her legendary rides are too many to count here, so,
read more about Munira in Homegrown’s ‘India’s First Female Daredevil Motorcyclist Who Rode Into The Well Of Death’.
India’s First Female Fighter Pilot
In 2018, Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi made history when she became the first woman in the Indian Air Force’s history to fly a fighter jet, the MiG-21 Bison. At 24, she cleared her first-ever solo sortie in 30 minutes.
Read about Avani’s story here.
India’s First Female Private Eye
Although most people envision sleuths as their popular fictional counterparts, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock or Satyajit Ray’s Feluda, few can say they know what a true private detective’s life is like. What is more intriguing is that one rarely imagines a sleuth to be a woman and an Indian one at that. Rajani Pandit, India’s first female private eye, has combed the streets of Mumbai for over 25 years, vetting out criminals and adulterers for her clients. Her agency, Rajani Pandit Detective Services, has solved over 75,000 cases, many of them by the head lady herself. As Rajani puts it, “detectives are born, not made,” and her impressive track record surely shows she was cut out for this line of work.
Read more about Rajani’s daring adventures here.
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