Inderjit Kaur Sandhu had been a celebrated academician and the first women Vice Chancellor of Panjabi University and the first women Chairperson of the Staff Selection Commission, New Delhi.

Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh in his special message of greetings on her birthday, wrote that the book has weaved “a phulkari that is an enriching mosaic of vignettes of her life”, and also made a mention that “not many know that she was among the first batch of Punjabi MA students and helped edit Giani Ji’s famous ‘Mera Pind’,” to whom she was married.

The editor of the book, senior journalist Roopinder Singh said,” My mother had a long and distinguished career. As you know, she was Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala (1975 to 1977), and the first Chairperson of Staff Selection Commission, New Delhi (1980 to 1985). She was educated in Lahore and became the first woman Vice-Chancellor a university in northern India, representing the country in various international academic fora.”

With a forward from Mrs Gursharan Kaur wife of the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, there are contributions in English and Punjabi.

Among the eminent people who have written in English are: Prof H S Gill, Prof Emeritus, Jawaharlal University; Dr Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh of Colby College, Maine, USA; Dr Ashok Vohra of Delhi University; the thespian Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry and Supreme Court Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan. Archival material written by the publisher Ashok Chopra and humourist the late Suba Singh provides a snapshot of the times. Personal accounts of younger persons— authors Ranjit Powar and Aradhika Sharma, journalist Madhusudan Srinivas, administrator Radhey Pratap Singh and Deputy Advocate General Daldeep Singh, and Mrs Inderjit Kaur’s grandchildren provide different kinds of perspectives.

The Punjabi section has articles by the author Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana; the historian Dr Kirpal Singh, university administrator Tirath Singh, literary critic Dr Kuldip Singh Dhir and journalist Narinder Singh Sathi. Unfortunately, we have lost these eminent people since they wrote for the book.

The educationist Harcharan Kaur, former MP Tarlochan Singh, university administrator Dalip Singh Uppal and linguist Dr Bhupinder Singh Khaira bring out different aspects of the life of Mrs Inderjit Kaur. Also included in this section are archival articles by Rajinder Kaur and Balwinder Kaur.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and there are many pictures that portray the life of Inderjit Kaur. An Inspiring Journey, indeed.

She had been an inspiration and role model, and ahead of her time, as close associates, friends and family members including Prof Arvind, Vice Chancellor of Panjabi University, former VC Prof SS Boparai, theatre personality Neelam Mansingh, Nikki Gurinder Kaur, Nitya Ramakrishnan, senior journalist with NDTV Madhusudan Srinivas, and Ranjit Powar, shared their experience with her and the family