Pinki Virani
Encyclopedia
Pinki Virani is an Indian writer
and journalist
who has won critical acclaim for her works "Once was Bombay", and "Aruna's Story".
, Mumbai
, India
, to Gujarati Muslim parents. Her father owned a shop, and her mother was a housewife. She attended school in Mumbai, Pune and Mussoorie. She went to the US to study for a Masters in Journalism, from Columbia University
, on the Aga Khan Foundation
scholarship. She did an internship at The Sunday Times
, where she reported extensively on the race riots in Britain.
Deaf Heaven is her fourth book and first work of fiction.
on behalf of Aruna Shanbaug which resulted in a judgement by the Court that legalised passive euthanasia
in India. Aruna Shanbaug was a nurse working at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai
on 27 November 1973 when she was sexually assaulted by a sweeper. During the attack she was strangled with a chain, and the deprivation of oxygen has left her in a vegetative state ever since. She has been treated at KEM since the incident and is kept alive by feeding tube. On behalf of Aruna, her friend Pinki Virani filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing that the "continued existence of Aruna is in violation of her right to live in dignity". The Supreme Court made its decision on 7 March 2011 . The court rejected the plea to discontinue Aruna's life support but issued a set of broad guidelines legalising passive euthanasia in India. However, the supreme court judges held Pinki Virani in high esteem as seein in the judgement. However, the Supreme Court refused to recognize Ms. Pinki Virani as the next friend of Ms. Aruna Shanbaug, a description she had used to file the petition. The Court observed in paragraph 14 of the judgment, "Ms. Pinki Virani who claims to be the next friend of Aruna Shanbaug and has filed this petition on her behalf is not a relative of Aruna Shanbaug nor can she claim to have such close emotional bonding with her as the KEM hospital staff. Hence, we are treating the KEM hospital staff as the next friend of Aruna Shanbaug and we decline to recognize Ms. Pinki Virani as her next friend. No doubt Ms. Pinki Virani has written a book about Aruna Shanbaug and has visited her a few times, and we have great respect for her for the social causes she has espoused, but she cannot claim to have the extent of attachment or bonding with Aruna which the KEM hospital staff, which has been looking after her for years, claims to have."
and the couple live in Mumbai
.
Bitter Chocolate: child sexual abuse in India, Penguin Books, 2000
Deaf Heaven, HarperCollins Publishers India, 2009. ISBN 8172238495.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who has won critical acclaim for her works "Once was Bombay", and "Aruna's Story".
Early life and education
Virani was born in MazagaonMazagaon
Mazagaon, also spelled Mazgaon and Mazagon , and pronounced by the Catholics as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and the Marathi-speakers as Mazhgav. It is one of the seven islands of Mumbai. It is part of South Mumbai and can be reached by Byculla Station on the Central railway line and Dockyard Road...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, to Gujarati Muslim parents. Her father owned a shop, and her mother was a housewife. She attended school in Mumbai, Pune and Mussoorie. She went to the US to study for a Masters in Journalism, from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, on the Aga Khan Foundation
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by . AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and...
scholarship. She did an internship at The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, where she reported extensively on the race riots in Britain.
Career
She returned to Mumbai and joined MiD DAY as an editor.Deaf Heaven is her fourth book and first work of fiction.
Works
She is more of an activist than an author. The books she has written have all been to highlight some issue.- "Aruna's Story" is about the rape of a nurse that left her in a coma.
- "Bitter Chocolate" is about child sexual abuseChild sexual abuseChild sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
in India. Lushin DubeyLushin DubeyLushin Dubey is an Indian stage actor and director. She directed, acted and scripted many drama productions for over twenty years. Lushin is also known for her Solo plays Untitled and Pinki Virani's Bitter Chocolate with theatre director Arvind Gaur She also acted in film like Partition ,Murder...
's solo play 'Bitter Chocolate', which was directed by Arvind GaurArvind GaurArvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues...
, is based on this book. - "Once was Bombay" is part autobiographical. Here she recollects about the Bombay of her girlhood, and the tolerance and innocence which characterised it.
Aruna Shanbaug case
Pinki Virani is known for filing a petition in Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
on behalf of Aruna Shanbaug which resulted in a judgement by the Court that legalised passive euthanasia
Euthanasia in India
Passive euthanasia is legal in India. On 7 March 2011 the Supreme Court of India legalised passive euthanasia by means of the withdrawal of life support to patients in a permanent vegetative state. The decision was made as part of the verdict in a case involving Aruna Shanbaug, who has been in a...
in India. Aruna Shanbaug was a nurse working at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
on 27 November 1973 when she was sexually assaulted by a sweeper. During the attack she was strangled with a chain, and the deprivation of oxygen has left her in a vegetative state ever since. She has been treated at KEM since the incident and is kept alive by feeding tube. On behalf of Aruna, her friend Pinki Virani filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing that the "continued existence of Aruna is in violation of her right to live in dignity". The Supreme Court made its decision on 7 March 2011 . The court rejected the plea to discontinue Aruna's life support but issued a set of broad guidelines legalising passive euthanasia in India. However, the supreme court judges held Pinki Virani in high esteem as seein in the judgement. However, the Supreme Court refused to recognize Ms. Pinki Virani as the next friend of Ms. Aruna Shanbaug, a description she had used to file the petition. The Court observed in paragraph 14 of the judgment, "Ms. Pinki Virani who claims to be the next friend of Aruna Shanbaug and has filed this petition on her behalf is not a relative of Aruna Shanbaug nor can she claim to have such close emotional bonding with her as the KEM hospital staff. Hence, we are treating the KEM hospital staff as the next friend of Aruna Shanbaug and we decline to recognize Ms. Pinki Virani as her next friend. No doubt Ms. Pinki Virani has written a book about Aruna Shanbaug and has visited her a few times, and we have great respect for her for the social causes she has espoused, but she cannot claim to have the extent of attachment or bonding with Aruna which the KEM hospital staff, which has been looking after her for years, claims to have."
Personal life
She is married to a fellow journalist, Shankar Aiyar, a senior executive with India TodayIndia Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
and the couple live in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Books
External links
- SAWNET biography
- Supreme Court ruling, Aruna Shanbaug vs. Union of India, March 7, 2011 at Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...