Rajani Pandit
Rajani Pandit is an Indian private investigator who is regarded as the first woman private investigator in the state of Maharashtra,[1] and sometimes the first in India.[2] She has been the subject of a documentary, written two books, received numerous awards, and is considered one of the most famous detectives in India.[3]
Early life
Rajani Pandit was born in Palghar, in the Thane district of Maharashtra. Her father, Shantaram Pandit, was a criminal investigator with the Mumbai Police.[4] She studied Marathi literature at Ruparel College in Mumbai where she first became interested in detective work when, in 1983, she investigated a classmate who was involved in prostitution.[4][5]
Career
Pandit says that when she solved her first "case" in college, the grateful family of the girl that she investigated encouraged her to go into detective work as a profession. She found that "No qualification is required to be a detective. It requires concentration, hard work, struggle, in-depth knowledge and dedication towards the profession." As a result, Pandit started her agency, Rajani Pandit Detective Services, also known as Rajani Investigation Bureau, in 1991.[4][6] She set up an office in Mahim, Mumbai and, by 2010, employed a staff of 30 detectives and was handling about 20 cases a month.[7]
In a 1998 interview, Pandit said her firm had handled "domestic problems, company espionage, missing people and murders" throughout India and abroad, sometimes in disguise. "I've played a maidservant, a blind woman, pregnant woman, dumb woman—fear is not a word in my dictionary", she remarked.[1] Discussing her work in a Times of India interview, Pandit spoke of a case where a woman was allegedly involved in her husband's death where Pandit worked undercover as a maid in the home for six months.[8] In another case, she pretended to be a lunatic to investigate two business executives.[4]
Books
Based on her experiences, Pandit has written two books: Faces Behind Faces and Mayajal. The former has won two awards, while the latter has won six awards.[1][4]
Awards and recognition
In addition to honours for her books, Pandit is a recipient of the Hirkani award from Doordarshan that honours women achievers.[3] She is the subject of a documentary film made by Dinkar Rao, titled Lady James Bond.[3]
References
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