SAGE Classics is a carefully selected list that every discerning reader will want to possess, re-read and enjoy for a long time. These are now priced lower than the original, but is the same version published earlier. SAGE`s commitment to quality remains unchanged. To be assaulted, abused and raped by someone as intimate as a husband, or lover, is the most degrading experience for a woman. Not recognized as ‘real violence, abuse of this nature is experienced daily by countless women in every culture. Behind closed doors of family, custom, values, traditions that are taken for granted and never questioned―are muffled voices of terror and trauma, which do not reach beyond the threshold nor attract the attention of lawmakers of redress agents. Edited by a renowned women’s rights activist and a former victim of domestic violence, the book takes us inside these closed doors. It puts together the life stories of seventeen women from diverse culture, class, education and religious backgrounds in India who were victims of domestic violence. Apart from being a first person account, this powerful book is a tribute to the courage and determination of women who decided to break their silence. The book will inspire other victims of this ‘hidden crime’, to speak out, share their plight and change their fate. A window into the ugly yet largely ignored world of domestic violence, this book will be of immense importance for students and scholars of social work, gender studies, lawyers and groups working for women. It is an essential read for all who dream of a gender egalitarian world―and also for those who prefer to turn a blind eye to this heinous crime. Rinki Bhattacharya is Chairperson of the Bimal Roy Memorial Committee. She is also a well-known journalist and documentary film-maker based in Mumbai. Her documentary, Char Diwari , on domestic violence has received international acclaim. She made a five-minute audio-visual capsule, Janani ―based on the same theme as this book. Ms Bhattacharya has also worked as a volunteer at Nari Kendra in Mumbai and started, in 1987, a crisis hotline called Help. Her publications include Bengal Spices (2005), Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Violence in India (2004), Indelible Imprints―Daughters Write on Fathers (1999), Uncertain Liaisions: Sex, Strife & Togetherness in Urban India (1996), Bimal Roy―A Man of Silence (1994), Cuisine Creations from Bengal (1993), monograph on the film-maker Bimal Roy, monograph on film-star Ashok Kumar, genres of Indian Cinema―Les star Du Indian Cinema.