In 1978, Shailaja Ganguly started freelancing for Femina after she picked up the Rajika Kripalani Memorial Young Journalist Award. The magazine’s editor, Vimla Patil, had been one of the judges. She was offered a job soon after by the editor when she managed to hand in a story that another writer had failed to deliver on. The journalist, writer, voiceover artiste and anchor credits the decade she spent at the magazine under Patil’s editorship for much of her triumphs in the world today.
 
“One never felt throttled or subdued in any way, one could speak one’s mind and had the freedom to write and express one’s views. The open-mindedness with which [Patil] accepted my ideas in many areas gave me the confidence that I have what it takes in the world outside,” Ganguly observes, recalling the freedom she and other writers had to exercise their writing chops for other in-house publications like Evening News or Filmfare.

This week, Femina shared covers, brought out by the magazine [during Patil’s time], showcasing “her bold vision, feminist spirit, and commitment to highlighting stories that mattered”. Pics/Instagram