First published in 2006. Purdah, which can be formal law or informal custom, involves keeping women segregated from society, restricting their independence and regulating their dress. This classic work, published in 1032 was the first accurate description of the institution of Purdah, its effects on the women of India and their rising revolt against it. Written by a woman who herself lived the life pictured in the books, this was a seminal book for the women's rights movement and general and Indian's women's movement in particular.