Bullet Nani: And Other Badass Indian Grandmas, the latest book by Mumbai-based author and travel journalist Jasreen Mayal Khanna, is set to release on July 24, 2026, bringing together the remarkable stories of twelve Indian grandmothers who challenged stereotypes, broke barriers and embraced extraordinary lives well beyond middle age.

Published by Macmillan India, the 280-page anthology profiles women from diverse backgrounds—including doctors, entrepreneurs, scientists, activists, police officers, martial artists, winemakers, teachers and digital creators—whose lives defied conventional expectations of aging and womanhood.

Drawing on four years of research and extensive in-person interviews across India, Khanna presents intimate portraits of women who pursued bold second acts, shattered glass ceilings and continued to reinvent themselves in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Among them are a woman who joined the United Nations as a war-zone trauma doctor at 56, another who launched a high-fashion modelling career at 57, India’s pioneering women in fields such as policing, nuclear science and winemaking, and an 82-year-old martial artist who practises sword fighting while wearing a traditional silk sari.

Jasreen Mayal Khanna

The book also highlights women whose everyday acts of courage quietly challenged patriarchy—from raising families as single mothers and staging domestic protests to becoming successful entrepreneurs and social media personalities later in life. Their stories offer a window into significant moments in Indian history, including firsthand accounts of World War II in Manipur, the 1965 India–Pakistan war and the 1992–93 Bombay riots.

Inspired by her own grandmother, Khanna says the book is a tribute to the generation of women whose resilience and determination laid the foundation for many of the freedoms enjoyed by Indian women today.

Bullet Nani has received praise from prominent voices including Shabana Azmi, Zeenat Aman, Sonali Bendre Behl, Lillete Dubey and Pooja Dhingra, who have described it as an inspiring celebration of women who quietly and courageously transformed lives, families and communities.

Jasreen Mayal Khanna is an author and travel journalist whose work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveller India, Robb Report, AFAR and DestinAsian. She previously authored Seva: Sikh Wisdom on Living Well by Doing Good, which was published internationally.