author
Cornelia Sorabji
1866–1954
A pioneering lawyer, reformer, and writer, she broke barriers in India and Britain at a time when women were largely shut out of the legal profession. Her life and work also centered on helping women in purdah navigate the courts and protect their rights.
2 Audiobooks
Between the twilights : Being studies of Indian women by one of themselves
by Cornelia Sorabji
Indian tales of the great ones among men, women, and bird-people
by Cornelia Sorabji
About the author
Born in Nasik in 1866, she became the first woman to graduate from Bombay University and later the first woman to study law at Oxford. Those achievements alone made her a pathbreaker, but they were only part of a much wider life of public service and writing.
Much of her legal work focused on representing purdahnashin women, who often could not appear freely in public or deal directly with male lawyers and officials. In colonial India, that made her a rare and important advocate, and over time she became recognized as one of the first women to practice law in both India and Britain.
She also wrote books and essays that drew on her experiences across law, empire, and social reform. Remembered today for her intelligence, persistence, and complicated place in history, she helped open doors that had long been closed to women.