Suraiya Shaikh at Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan's Bandra East office, where she is training to be a qazi, a role traditionally reserved for men. Pics/Bipin Kokate

Growing up in the narrow alleys of Behrampada, Bandra East's congested neighbourhood, Suraiya Shaikh remembers being privy to domestic squabbles that were often conducted in full public glare. But one incident is particularly etched in her memory. It was chaand raat, a time of celebration when families and friends would gather on the last day of Ramzan to spot the full moon. That night, a man stood on the terrace of their building at 2 am and shouted triple talaaq to his wife. "It was heartbreaking to hear the wife wailing, children crying on what was meant to be an auspicious occasion. At that time, even as a 10-year-old, I remember telling my father, a maulana, that what the man did was wrong. I told him that I wanted to put an end to this injustice. And, all my father said was, 'Do whatever you want when you grow up'." After all, he was aware that his daughter was the rebel among his nine children - six daughters and three sons.