These writings, translated for the first time from Bengali, form a path-breaking collection of issues that aimed at the empowerment of women and thus remain alive today. The women were the first to receive a ‘modern’ education, and became members of the reading and writing public that hitherto was entirely male. The writers came from urban elite backgrounds, most from Brahmo Samaj families, many comparatively unknown today like Bamasundari Devi or Kumudini Mitra as well as more famous ones from the Tagore family—Swarnakumari Devi and her daughters. Some were Hindus like Kailashbasini Devi and Krishnabhabini Das, among others. There are also two Muslim women writers—the brilliant Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and the social reformer Khairunnissa Khatun. The articles cover a whole range of social issues: social powerlessness, domestic management, the Swadeshi movement, what to wear outside the house when leaving seclusion, and financial independence. Writing for the new journals that came up as vernacular print media was expanding. Making their way into the literary world, the women opened up new roles for themselves and their successors. Contents: Foreword by Tanika Sarkar Acknowledgements Malini Bhattacharya Introduction Bamasundari Devi What Are the Superstitions That Must Be Removed for the Betterment of Our Country? Kailashbasini Devi The Woeful Plight of Hindu Women Kusumkumari Devi A Letter Saratkumari Chaudhurani The Modern Age and the Modern Woman Girindramohini Dasi A Terrible Problem Krishnabhabini Das Independence and Subjugation in Women’s Lives Anindita Devi How to Establish Amity among the Different Communities in Bengal Hemantakumari Chaudhuri Women’s Dress Kumudini Mitra What Women Should Do When the Motherland Is in Distress Kamini Roy The Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain The Worship of Women Hiranmoyee Devi Proposal: A Women’s Arts Association Khairunnissa Khatun Patriotism Jagadishwari Devi On the Use of Footwear by Women in Ancient India Swarnakumari Devi Words from Times Past Sarala Devi Chaudhuran My Life Changes Track Index