Speaking for Herself

It is a rather ho-hum afternoon at the luxury mall Emporio at Vasant Vihar, the only buzz seems to come from the second floor, where the Indian designers have their boutiques.

Cherie Blair on her working-class roots, her affinity to Indian fashion and Tony

It is a rather ho-hum afternoon at the luxury mall Emporio at Vasant Vihar, the only buzz seems to come from the second floor, where the Indian designers have their boutiques. Stray security guards are stationed here and there and store attendants at designer Surekha Jain8217;s boutique are busy perking up the exquisite ensembles on display. Jain, who has worked with Valentino Couture and Armani in her long career as an exporter, has launched her first standalone store in India, and is expecting one of her long-time customers, who happens to be in town, to drop by. Suddenly, Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair walks in.

It8217;s not Blair8217;s first visit to the mall, but before her autobiography Speaking for Myself is launched in India, there is always time for friends 8212; and couture. 8220;I am quite fond of the sari though I still need someone to drape it for me. I won8217;t wear it to Paris probably, but elsewhere it works really well for me,8221; she says, browsing through handmade pashmina shawls. 8220;Is this work done by women?8221; she asks Jain, picking one up, and then says, almost like an afterthought, 8220;I love to know about women in different cultures. I was in Punjab a couple of days back, and loved the fact that the village I had gone to had a school where the majority of the students were girls.8221;

Much of her concern for women, she says, goes back to her working-class roots. 8220;I know what it is like to be the first woman to do something. In my family, nobody had ever studied law and there weren8217;t many women barristers when I made it to the Queen8217;s Council,8221; she says, adding how it has always been a priority, both personally and as a policy, to prioritise the common woman.

It8217;s been a while since her husband left No 10 Downing Street, but Blair, who famously compared Tony to Winston Churchill, still sticks to that opinion. She says Tony8217;s contribution to global policies is substantial enough to be remembered for a long time to come. 8220;I was in China for the Olympics and people really know Tony. Likewise, his African Commission made him popular there. We have always had a great support from south Asia, particularly India. A lot of work was done in that period,8221; she recaps.

Life, post-10 Downing Street, has not turned out to be any less hectic. 8220;There is so much to be done, so many charities and women8217;s groups that I am part of. There8217;s always scope for more,8221; she sighs. So does her husband espouse all her causes? Blair breaks out in to a broad grin. 8220;He is a good husband, you know. He has to.8221;

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More