Captain Abhilasha Barak on Wednesday became the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as a combat aviator.

Violence and sexuality share a circular relationship: violence not only sets the parameters of individuals sexuality, it also affects their sexual persona and makes sexuality a space of fear and shame.

Kipling was paying tribute to the Vicereine who established the Fund associated with her name. This was an organisation which employed medical women (or 'lady doctors') to run a chain of hospitals and dispensaries all over India and Burma.

In the absence of a basic questioning of women's status and role in society, birth control, abortions-and even maternal health care end up merely replacing an old set of traditions with new ones.

Violence is generally interpreted as physical, sexual and mental abuse of individuals.

Gender violence causes more death and ability among women aged 14-44 than cancer, malaria, tmffic accidents, or even war.

Health is a major issue in the women's movement, along with the struggle for justice, dignity and equality.

In l995, nurses and doctors in many of the public maternity ward in the state of Tamil Nadu in India were routinely inserting IUDs immediately following childbirth and abortions, as part of the target-orientated family, planning policy.

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994 reiterated the need for appropriate health care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and produce a healthy infant.

Should we fear the destruction of our culture because a 30-year-old woman from Chandigarh plans to `rent' her womb?