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Vandana Shah grew up in Ambala and moved to Mumbai as a teenager. She studied at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and has since donned various hats including that of a model, a deejay and an advertising professional.
After being thrown out of her marital home with just the clothes on her back and Rs 750 in the bank, Vandana rebuilt her world and founded the first Indian support group to help people going through a divorce, 360 Degrees Back to Life. She has since come full circle from being a litigant to being a divorce lawyer and practices at the family court in Mumbai. Vandana writes a monthly column in the magazine, Black and White, Oman and she edits Ex-Files, India’s first divorce newsmagazine. She has also participated in the Lead India Programme and was the winner from Mumbai in 2010.
Vandana’s work for the cause of women going through divorce in India has resulted in a BBC documentary about her work, entitled Invisible Women of India. This was broadcast worldwide on international Women’s Day in 2014.