CADET NO. 1 And Other Amazing Women In The Armed Forces by Maya Chandrasekaran & Meera Naidu

22 October 2021

Meet Wing Commander Dr Vijayalakshmi Ramanan, the first female officer in the Indian Air Force; Major Priya Jhingan, the first lady cadet in the Indian Army; and the all-woman Navy crew who circumnavigated the world!

Follow the journeys of these exceptional, path-breaking women in the Indian Armed Forces, who shattered stereotypes and created new opportunities. Interspersed with vivid illustrations, diary entries and blog posts, these stories are sure to inspire young readers.

Tina Narang, Publisher – HarperCollins Children’s Books says, “As we enter the 75th year of India’s independence, it makes us immensely proud to publish a book on the Indian Armed Forces whose three able wings ensure that we remain free. And what makes it even more noteworthy, is that the focus here is on the trailblazing women who made a mark in the forces. From Dr Vijayalakshmi Ramanan, the first female officer in the Indian Air Force and Major Priya Jhingan, the first lady cadet in the Indian Army to the all-women Navy crew who circumnavigated the world – each of them created history and we are delighted to present their remarkable stories in Cadet No. 1 and Other Amazing Women in the Armed Forces.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & THE ILLUSTRATOR

Maya Chandrasekaran is, in no particular order, an author, traveller, mother, investor, climate

warrior and progressive. She lives in Bangalore with her husband and two sons, and is generally

located lost in a good book.

Meera Naidu is an artist and textile designer who has settled in Bangalore after growing up all over India. When her son lets her, she works on reimagining traditional craft and design with

communities across India.

About HARPERCOLLINS INDIA

HarperCollins Publishers India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Prabha Khaitan Woman’s Voice Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins Publishers India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins Publishers India has been awarded the Publisher of the Year Award three times: at Publishing Next in 2015, and at Tata Literature Live! in 2016 and 2018. HarperCollins Publishers India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.