 My Teacher In Oxford – Shirley Ardner
 In the year 1997, I was awarded Queen Elizabeth Fellowship to study ‘the political empowerment of women’ at the Oxford University. I did not have a clue about how to proceed with my work and I was searching for an eminent feminist scholar to guide my work.
After arriving in Queen Elizabeth House, I came across the CCCRW (Centre for the Cross-Cultural Research for Women) and its Founder Director, and social anthropologist, Shirley Ardener. The Centre was set up initially in 1972 as Seminar on anthropology of women. When in 1983 it was formally recognised as the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research for Women, she became its Director. Having handed over the directorship to colleagues, she continues as a very active research associate of the
CCCRW.
 Shirley has actively encouraged her colleagues to publish and many volumes have been published with Croom Helm. Since 1992, she has been editing Centre’s series with Berg Publications (Oxford and New York), on "Cross Cultural Perspective on Women" jointly with Dr. Jacqueline Waldren. More than twenty books like the Persons and Power of Women, Defining Females, Women and Space, Bilingual Women, and Women and Missions, have already been brought out.
Shirley’s heart has always been in Cameroon where she undertook pioneering work along with her husband Edwin Ardener, a distinguished social anthropologist. For her work in Anthropology she was awarded Welcome Medal and later for her outstanding contribution to the CCCRW, she was decorated with O.B.E. (Officer of the British Empire).
Since I was desperately looking for a teacher to guide my work, Professor Peters of Queen Elizabeth House suggested that I meet Shirley.
Before I could formally meet her I saw her first as she was walking towards the Centre carrying bundles and bundles of papers in her hand. She had a large colourful bag made of Indian fabric hanging down her shoulder. She was wearing a black skirt and a top with prints of tropical flowers. She wore long ear-rings and big beads and strands of her hair were falling on her forehead.
To say the least, she was nothing like a grave looking scholar in a dark suit and hair pulled back. She was a feminist who was proud of her femininity. She had style and intelligence. Her mind was sharp and agile and yet her eyes were kind and compassionate. She carried her self with grace. She was a woman of ageless beauty who seems to be celebrating every inch of being a woman. I was fascinated with her and knew that my search ahs come to an end.
 When I requested her to guide my work. She listened to me with interest but said she had never worked on India. That her area of work has been ‘Cameroon’. That her hands were full and she book deadlines. That she could not take any more.
What mattered to me was that she was the best scholar to have worked on women and having come to Oxford I wanted nothing but best. I was adamant and requested professor Peters and my friend Maria to put in a good word for me to Shirley, which they did.
Finally, she relented and took me under her wings, as a mother hen will do. Rest of my days in Oxford was spent in the safety and security of her loving guidance and care. She was so involved in my work that she practically saw me everyday.
She won’t let me sit on my desk and chased me out into field to meet women leaders and politicians and interview them. Due to her personal contacts and reputation, I could meet councillors and mayors, members of Parliament, leaders of the political parties, civil – servants, heads of the NGO’s and even ministers.
I travelled form one end of the England to the other. I even attended the ‘Labour Women’s Conference’ and interviewed Robin Cook, the British Foreign Secretary who was the chief guest. Finally, I ended interviewing over sixty leaders in UK and Canada, attending a conference in Tunisia and writing some three hundred pages. She was behind all this and more.
She made me watch the women’s participation in the ward level party meetings, in committees of parliament, in House of Lords and at the Prime Minister’s question hour House of Commons.
 Though she was a great asset to me I was big liability to her as a student. My English was not up to the mark. At times she spent hours correcting my mistakes in the fond hope that I will not repeat them.
She was very concerned that I may ask direct personal questions to women I was going to interview. Hence, she gave me a long lecture on how to talk to a proper English woman. How not to offend her. How to be very subtle yet get all the information needed. (in short she taught me how English like to beat around the bush).
She yelled at me and expressed her displeasure but she also cooked for me and served me innovative meals complete with wine and what not. When I was depressed and homesick she took me home to her garden for tea and cookies and a piece of her mind. She cheered me up by showing her paintings (she is an excellent artist).
As an Indian woman what touched me most was her great love for her husband Edwin Ardener, who had been a Don at St. John’s College at Oxford. They had met as undergraduates at London School of Economics and worked together in Cameroon. She lost him in 1987 yet every time she speaks of him her eyes got moist. Many may find it incongruous that a feminist should be so devoted to her husband but she is a ‘Memsahib’ of old school, which belonged to the age before ‘partners’.
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