"Born into a Parsee family in Nasik in the Bombay Presidency in 1866, Cornelia Sorabji’s identity was shaped by three streams of cultural influences—the British, the Indian and the Parsee. Sorabji was India’s first woman barrister. This is her autobiography from early childhood to adulthood. Written with a radically feminist perspective, it traces the author’s self-development, and depicts the status and lifestyle of orthodox Hindu women, to the amelioration of whose leval and personal status she dedicated herself. This is an immensely readable book, full of wry humour. At the same time, addressing as it does a turbulent period of British rule in India, it deals with issues of colonialism, and questions of identity arising out of a complex racial, religious and cultural hybridity. The introduction and notes by Chandani Lokuge provide a critical commentary on Sorabji’s westernized Parsee-British outlook towards imperialism, Christianity and Hindu society. This is the third book of a series of early writings in English by Indian women which include Kamala and Saguna, all edited by Chandani Lokuge. This autobiographical piece is a significant contribution to Indian women’s studies, and will be welcomed by general readers as well as scholars of literature."
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