Most books in which the central theme veers around ‘women’ tend to focus on issues of equity, equality, gender justice, patriarchy, emancipation and empowerment. The book under review, true to its title also does this, but in a style, manner and context which is not combative or radical. The text is indeed very gentle and sensitive to how women and their issues are represented. Gender is not a battlefield; rather it comes across as a negotiated space. This makes the book very attractive and wide in its readership appeal and outreach.
The central idea of the book focuses on the rise and emergence of women in the profession of arms, captured through well researched illustrations, facts and contexts which describe their checkered journey and their achievements. In effect, Major General Shrivastava, the author of the book has put together a slim but very powerful textual narrative which traces the seeds, roots, shoots, budding and flowering of women in the ‘Armed Forces’.