Against the Current
Thriving in a Male-Dominated Society
Aug 28, 2016
“I was the first woman in India to get into this field,” Rajani Pandit recalls, reflecting on the professional wall she encountered at every turn. “People used to pass snide remarks and wonder if I chose to become a detective because I didn’t get any other work. ‘This is not a woman’s job,’ they would tell me” (Gupta). This external skepticism was mirrored within her own home; despite his own background in law enforcement, Pandit’s father remained a staunch opponent of her chosen path. He frequently reminded her that the shadows of private investigation were historically reserved for men.
“Pandit credits a lifelong ‘stubbornness’—a tenaciousness reinforced by her mother’s quiet support—for her ability to persevere.”
However, Pandit credits a lifelong “stubbornness”—a tenaciousness reinforced by her mother’s quiet support—for her ability to persevere. Even after securing her father’s eventual, if reluctant, approval, the broader social landscape of 1988 Mumbai presented new hurdles. Following the success of her first pro bono jewelry case, Pandit sought to formalize her business by placing a classified advertisement in a prominent Marathi Daily.
The newspaper, however, refused to publish her advertisement. While my research has yet to uncover an official explanation for this denial, the cultural context suggests that systemic sexism was the likely culprit.
In a turn of poetic justice, Pandit’s reputation soon outpaced the gatekeepers. Shortly thereafter, she successfully solved a case for a close friend of that very same newspaper editor. Recognizing the missed opportunity—and perhaps the merit of her work—the editor published Pandit’s first major interview. This exposure proved more valuable than any classified ad; from that moment on, her business flourished through word of mouth alone.
By 1991, at the age of twenty-five, Rajani Pandit achieved a historic milestone: she established Rajani Pandit Detective Services, becoming the first woman in India to helm a private investigative agency.