"I'm tired of working on my thesis," she says just after throwing herself in the couch. But she only has to work on it for less than a month. Her dissertation is due on December 10, and then she's off to do some work in her country.

Shinde is a doctoral student in Sociology at Indiana University. She defines herself as a 'feminist sociologist' and she is ready to prove her point. "I want to change things for women in India," she put in plain words. "I want to organize them against violence, by empowering them."

After eleven years in the United States, Shinde is willing to go back home, and to her husband, whom she hasn't seen in more than one year now. Several times she has gone back to her country. One of those times, she stayed for year and a half to do field research. "My thesis is a case study of one village, Maharashtra, and the women of two castes: the Marathe and the Mahars." According to Shinde, most studies about India focus on the men, and not on the women. "Some people say that women don't organize because they don't see the need to." A statement that could prove true if women do not have the tools to even think of such thing. This is why Shinde insists, "Women should have the power to do what they want." An idea that may have

During this year, Shinde would spend her days with the women of these castes, going with them to the fields, and talking to them in their own houses. "I went with them to the fields and got to know what they were doing. Going with them was a part of adjusting to them."

As a child, Shinde always refused to do things just because she was supposed to. Not a child anymore, she seems to be proud of every aspect of herself, of every decision she has taken, of every battle she has won.

She's the middle sister of three girls, born in Bombay to an atheist father and a not so religious mother. "In my house there was never a need for God. Religion treats women unequally," she says, adding that she, herself, is an atheist. "As long as we have equality, and as long as people treat each other humanly, you don't need a religion, or a god."

After finishing her dissertation, Shinde will take her beliefs and her knowledge back to India. Once she is there, she would think about working as a professor in women studies in Osmania University, or work with women's organizations. One of the groups she can join is ASMATA, which means 'pride', "I don't want to end up giving services." "Finding housing for these women is OK, but we need to talk to them about aspects of their lives, so they can change this things." These aspects, she explains, can go from contraception to teaching them about their own bodies.

About the role she's about to take in Indian society, Shinde rushes to expose a reality that may not be what we might expect, "Nobody will look down on my work. Even though it is not all that common, there are lots of groups in India that help women." In her life, one of the things she accepted without reply was marriage. When she decided to come here to do her Ph.D., so did her boyfriend. "My parents don't believe in living together," she clarified, "so I didn't argue with that part. I was going to live with him anyway, so I got married," and as simple as that was also her wedding.

She married in a court at Lafayette, with very few friends as witness, since she had just arrived. After the wedding, they had lunch, and that same night they had a gathering at the new husband's lab, with some of his friends. Shinde was 22 when she got married.

Although she does not believe that motherhood or child bearing should be an issue in a woman's life, she has not ruled motherhood at all. She will not give birth, "I don't have the urge to give birth," she says, but she will be a mother after all "we want to adopt two kids, and one of them has to be a girl." She adds that in India it is more difficult for girls to be adopted.

By now, she has abandoned the couch and is cooking, rice and pork with sweet and sour vegetables. "No, I'm not a vegetarian," she adds while eating with her hands, as this is the custom in India.

While eating, Shinde looks more tired. Now she starts talking about the struggles she has as a feminist. "I dress up, sometimes, I even bought a lipstick the other day. But I questioned myself, even then."

At last, she finishes her meal. As she picks up the plates, she gives one last thought, "It's a pain, really, to always have to question yourself." Uttering her thoughts without a pause, as if she is really willing to speak her mind to the whole world, as if she is really willing to be finally heard.