ABSTRACT
Shankuntala Paranjpye delighted in shocking people, and often went out of her way to do so. Her unconventional behaviour was not an attention-seeking device, nor mere nose-thumbing at Poona propriety. Shakuntala's efforts were directed towards convincing the government to focus less on targets, to integrate family planning with health and medical programmes, and use motivators from the same socio-economic background as the intended audience. She fought against raising the age of marriage for girls and tried to get a controversial bill advocating sterilisation of the unfit, passed by Parliament. In 1991, when she was 85, Shakuntala's pioneering work in family planning was finally recognised and she was awarded India's civilian honour, the Padmabhushan. Shakuntala Paranjpye died on 3 May 2000, at the age of 94. Sai Paranjpye went on to become an internationally acclaimed Indian film director and scriptwriter.
