Explore the complex realities of gender quotas in Indian politics with ‘Women Who Only Serve Chai: Gender Quotas, Reservations and Proxies in India’. This insightful book delves into the lives of women city councilors in Jaipur, Rajasthan, appointed through a 20-year-old gender quota. Discover how these women navigate societal stigma and normative restrictions, often sidelined by male ‘parshad-patis’ who exert control even when formally excluded. The book reveals ingenious subversions of the quota system and offers pragmatic strategies to empower women in grassroots politics. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, it provides crucial insights into everyday Indian politics, essential for scholars of gender studies, politics, and South Asian studies. Understand the challenges and potential for true gender equality in patriarchal societies.