Breaking News

Breaking News: A Woman in a Mans World chronicles Kamla Mankekars experiences as one of the first women journalists in India. Engagingly written, Breaking News vividly portrays the struggles of a woman in a primarily male-dominated profession while recording the cultural and social changes that marked the pivotal decades of Indias history. The book depicts the hopeful years of a newly-born nation, the despair and resilience of those who came to India as refugees after Partition, the cultural ferment of the 1950s and 1960s, the political turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s and the social transformations of the present moment. It offers readers a splendid view of the momentous events that have led to the present. In recounting anecdotes of her encounters with newspaper editors and proprietors, refugees and social activists, actors, playwrights, musicians and poets, industrialists, politicians and ordinary people, the author creates sparkling portraits of the people who have shaped modern India.

Journalist, author and social activist, Kamla Mankekar worked on the staff of The Times of India, Delhi, for twelve years and then moved to the Indian Express, Bombay, for the next five years. Later she functioned as a freelance journalist. She has played a central role in founding many organizations, including the Consumer Guidance Society in Bombay and has been a long and active member of the All India Womens Conference.

Widely travelled, she has also held many public positions, she was appointed the first chairperson of the Delhi State Commission for Women and was a member of the National Integration Council. She has written and edited seven books, including Abortion - A Social Dilemma and Decline and Fall of Indira Gandhi which is authored jointly with her late husband, D. R. Mankekar.