From prehistoric to modern times, all cultures have unfailingly discriminated against women. Social norms of the male-dominated societies had confined them to household chores and had restrained them from venturing into other fields – the profession of arms being one of them. The glass ceiling was firmly in place.
Yet, lost in the pages of history are the daring deeds of warrior queens and female soldiers who had defied the well-entrenched conventions of their times. In the olden times, women had also supported war efforts informally as the ‘Camp Followers’. However, it was only in the Armenian War of 1853-56 that a batch of nurses, under Florence Nightingale, formally entered the war zone. From then, to the post-World War-II period, women took a century to incrementally prove their abilities and relevance among those who bear arms. Now they are there in armed constabularies, para-military forces, and militaries across the globe. They are also there in the ‘grey zone’ conflicts as insurgents, terrorists, and suicide bombers.
The book traces how women, with their determined zeal and rising aspirations, have steadily overcome centuries of unfair restraints to shatter the glass ceiling.
Arms and the Woman: The Shattered Glass Ceiling
Hardback | 9789393499325 | 130pp
Paperback | 9789393499332 | 130pp
E Book | 9789393499349 | 130pp
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned in 1962 into the infantry – Rajputana Rifles – the cutting edge of soldiering.
He was in J&K during the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965 and was in Bangladesh in the 1971 war. A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he also attended the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi. He has held a number of coveted command, staff and instructional appointments and was awarded Vishishta Seva Medal for his distinguished services while combating insurgency in northeast India.
Post-retirement in 1998 he had a short stint as the Executive Editor of the Indian Defence Review before Joining the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, as a Senior Fellow. From there he led many delegations for interactions with think tanks abroad and was also a member of the Indian team invited by the National Defence University, USA, for strategic dialogue.
He has written researched text for four coffee table books, has a published monograph on China, a prize-winning essay, and a number of articles on matters military to his credit. His latest book, "Manthan: Multifaceted Reflections on the Indian Armed Forces", was released in Feb 2021.
