Shalini Mulackal was born in Kerala, South India, into a Syro-Malabar [one of the three Catholic rites in India] Catholic family. After completing her Higher Secondary education, she joined the Presentation Sisters and opted to be a missionary in North India. After completing her Masters in Theology, she did her Doctoral studies in the University of Madras and did her research on Religio-cultural practices of Catholic women of Dalit origins in Tiruvallur Dist., Tamil Nadu. At present she is a Professor of Systematic Theology at Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi. She is also a visiting professor to a number of other Seminaries and Theological Institutes in India. Currently she is a member of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) and has served the Association as Vice-President and also as its first woman President. She is also a member of the Indian Women Theologians Forum (IWTF), Ecclesia of Women of Asia (EWA) and served as coordinator of both. She is the chair person of Centre for Dalit Studies (CDS) Delhi. She has published a number of articles with special emphasis on women empowerment in Church and Society. Her publication includes a contribution to the Dalit Bible commentary series where she has written the commentary for the books of Ruth, Esther and Judith from a Dalit perspective which has been published by CDS as Volume 6 and another commentary on Minor Prophets as Volume 20 of the same series. She has also edited three books of the Indian Theological Association. Besides, she regularly presents papers at national and international seminars mostly from a feminist perspective. She takes keen interest in many social issues affecting the poor in general and women in particular.