Heroines : powerful Indian women of myth and history

Table of Contents: 1.Draupadi : Dharma Queen 2. Radha : Illicit Goddess 3. Ambapali: The Glory of Vaishali 4. Raziya bin Iltutmish - Slave to Sultan 5. Meerabai - Dyed in blue 6. Jahanara Begum - in the shadow of the peacock throne 7. Rani Laxmibai - The accidental heroine 8. Hazrat Mahal - The making of Rebel Begum

The concept of female heroism is difficult to describe. Among men, the concept is frequently associated with physical strength and excessive bravery. The essence of women's heroism has always been quite distinct and difficult to describe. All the depicted women-Draupadi, Radha, Ambapali, Raziya Sultan, Meerabai, Jahanara, Laxmibai, and Hazrat Mahal-share an unshakeable conviction in a cause for which they are willing to die. This belief always brings them into conflict with a horrifying patriarchy. In the book, we meet lotus-eyed, dark-skinned Draupadi, the dharma queen, whose story emerges nearly three millennia ago; the goddess Radha, who sacrificed societal respectability for a love that transgressed convention; and Ambapali, a courtesan who renounced the luxurious trappings of Vaishali to follow the Buddha and wrote a single, haunting poem on the evanescence of beauty and youth.