About the Book
Young girls on transition into the adult world need to know about themselves, about sexuality, about their reproductive health and their rights and responsibilities.
This lucidly written and profusely illustrated book provides answers to questions that youngsters and their elders are normally curious about but are unable to ask.
About the Author-1
Tarala D. Nandedkar is a doctor in applied biology at the Institute for Research in Reproduction, Mumbai. She has acquired fellowships from institutions in India and abroad, besides having attended national and international conferences, workshops and seminars. She has also authored a few popular science books.
About the Author-2
Medha S. Rajadhyaksha obtained her doctorate in biophysics. She worked at the ICMR and the BARC before joining as reader at the Life Science Department, Sophia College, Mumbai. She has written articles for primary science journals, participated in various science popularisation programmes and authored a few popular science books.
Acknowledgements
This book could not have been written but for the request made by the National Book Trust. We are grateful to the Trust for giving us this opportunity. The staff of NBT has put in a lot in this book, especially Ms Manju Gupta whose untiring enthusiasm kept us going. We thank them for all their efforts.
Well-wishers and friends have helped to add a dimension to this venture. Ms Shanti Ganeshan, Dr S.D. Kholkute, Dr Hema Ramachandran, Ms Kutty, Dr Kamal Hazari and Dr Shanta Chitlange have carefully gone through the manuscript and made invaluable suggestions. A kind friend from WHO, Mr J. Khanna, despite his busy schedule, agreed to go through the manuscript and gave constructive feedback. We are obliged to all these people who have spared their valuable time.
A million thanks to young Mr Prasad Kholkute who illustrated the book in record time. Thanks also to Dr Mali who very willingly provided several of the photographs. We are extremely grateful for their cooperation.
We are specially obliged to Dr G.P. Phondke for his timely advice. Without his encouragement, the challenge of this venture would have been impossible to face.
Preface
In India, half of unmarried women seeking abortions are adolescents, many of them below the age of fifteen. With no access to information, counselling or reproductive health care services, boys and girls in our country are a bewildered lot. Interestingly, they comprise one-fifth of our population. To these millions of people, the winds of liberal behaviour that are blowing through their homes and surroundings bring more confusion and tensions.
Drummed in through the aggressive visual media like television and movies, permissive relationships are in vogue. A host of questions arise in their young minds for which they want answers urgently: questions about their changing body and its needs, about their relationships and a lot more! Simple truths about sexuality, about how a baby is born or about how one can avoid having babies needs to be explained explicitly. On the other hand, parents and teachers often find it somewhat embarrassing to explain in detail all that the youngsters want to know. Ideally, sex counsellers or educators should step in to help. If not, a book giving the scientific basis of reproductive life would be of some help. The first few chapters of this book have been written with the intent to do so.
Foreword
The book on Reaching Womanhood is a timely publication to be immensely useful for sex education which is a subject of debate among many circles. Living in an open society where there is more interaction between boys and girls from an early age demands some education on the part of the youth, especially for girls. Since the matter of sex education is considered to be a sensitive issue, parents are not able to handle it adequately not knowing how to do it. Therefore, the authors' attempt to write a book of this nature which gives adequate information fills the void of the times.
Modern age opens many opportunities along with freedom. Along with that, there needs to be awareness of the responsibilities and the inner conviction of the values which guide our actions. Many of the health problems, which women are facing because of inadequate attention.
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