Off The Beaten Track

Saeeda Bano was the first woman in India to work as a radio newsreader known then and still as the doyenne of Urdu broadcasting. Over her unconventional and courageous life she walked out of a suffocating marriage witnessed the violence of Partition lost her son for a night in a refugee camp ate toast with Nehru and fell in love with a married man who would in the course of their twenty-five-year relationship become the Mayor of Delhi. Though she was born into privilege in Bhopal-the only Indian state to be ruled by women for four successive generations-her determination independence and frankness make this a remarkable memoir and a crucial disruption in India's understanding of her own past. Review Generously studded with jewel-bright Urdu and Farsi verses ably translated by the author's granddaughter Shahana Raza the narrative retains the flavour of its Urdu original. It reminds us of a time when even those with little formal education had a wide frame of literary references and a world view that was eclectic and liberal. -- India TodayBut what makes this memoir an important one is also her professional strides at AIR. When AIR launched its Urdu service she began taking on more programming work leading a Women and Children's show analysing news broadcasting short bulletins and also producing a five-minute show called Dekhi-Suni. In her memoir she writes about this very matter-of-factly. -- Midday About the Author SHAHANA RAZA is Saeeda Bano's grand-daughter. She has a Master's in Film and Viedo Production and has worked in television radio and other print media. A liberal feminist Shahana is an independent writer and video producer a wannabe vegan and a dilettante environmentalist. She currently lives in Dubai with her husband and two children.SAEEDA BANO is the first woman in India to work as a radio newsreader