Kahini Iyer, Author at Arré

Gender Commute Gap: How Distance Gets in the Way of Women’s Ambitions

When I signed on for a new professional opportunity, I knew I could handle the demands of the job. But how would I handle the late-night commute, taking rickshaws through deserted streets at odd hours? I am not alone: 3 in 5 Indian women limit their opportunities to only a kilometre from home.

Kahini Iyer May 11, 2016

Pop Culture

Will Mrs Maisel Stop Being Marvellous and Start Being Vulnerable?

In its third season, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel continues to be a perfectly pleasant – if overly long – confection. Yet it still seems unwilling to call Midge’s courage into question and ask whether she has what it takes to be not just a better comic but also a better person.

Kahini Iyer May 10, 2016

POV

We’ve Spoken a Lot about Shweta Now Let’s Talk about the Friend Who Bitched about His Ex-Girlfriend

We’ve had our share of laughs over the Shweta call but we are also privy to its darker side. After all, there is a real person involved – the girl Shweta was discussing. And while she thankfully remains anonymous, the conversation reveals how men talk about their partners, often to other women, when they are not around to speak for themselves.

Kahini Iyer May 10, 2016

Books

Book v/s Show v/s Movie: A Complex Unravelling of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen readers come in all ages, genders, stripes, and origins: from Bridgerton to Northanger Abbey. She is the rare popular classic that can boast of having something for everyone. However, her seminal work, “Pride and Prejudice” follows a long line of contention, whether it is the 2005 film or the 1995 BBC miniseries. Interestingly, the 1995 version shines as the One True Adaptation of Austen's most beloved novel.

Kahini Iyer May 9, 2016

Gender

Asia Argento, Tinder Date Rape, and What Makes a “Good” Sexual Assault Victim

The #MeToo movement has changed our perception of who a sexual abuser can be – but not our view of victims of sexual assault. Who exactly is the “perfect” victim? The Asia Argento case challenges that notion, letting us know that a victim of assault can also be a perpetrator.

Kahini Iyer May 9, 2016

Gender

The Future is Female: The Ladies Who Took Centre Stage at Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration

No matter where you look, there is no dearth of powerful women in and around the Biden administration. It's fitting that these capable women have come to the fore to clean up the mess of an outgoing government that will go down in history for its widespread incompetence.

Kahini Iyer May 7, 2016

Gender

We’ve All Come Across Women Like Bombay HC’s Justice Pushpa Ganediwala Who Make Excuses for Men

It’s not news that this is no country for women and girls, and Bombay High Court’s Justice Pushpa Ganediwala who recently gave the two infamous rulings in sexual assault cases serves to remind us exactly how it got that way. Her views on sexual abuse and harassment are bafflingly archaic, allowing her to set damaging precedents for women and children’s safety.

Kahini Iyer May 6, 2016

Bollywood

In Josh-Filled 2019 Would Main Hoon Na, Bollywood’s Masala Movie on the Military, Find Any Takers?

Few films seem further from today’s cinemascape of chest-thumping nationalism than the 2004 film Main Hoon Na. The lighthearted patriotic film about “Project Milaap”, an Indo-Pak peace operation would probably be labelled “anti-national” in today’s times.

Kahini Iyer May 6, 2016

POV

First Unnao Rape, Now Murder Charge: What’s Stopping the BJP from Expelling MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar?

A collision with a speeding truck with a blacked-out licence plate is the third time the Unnao rape victim has emerged as a survivor. A murder case has now been filed against the accused, BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. But what’s stopping the party from expelling him?

Kahini Iyer May 4, 2016

Sports

What Dutee Chand’s Coming Out Means for Indian Womanhood

Dutee Chand has come a long way: She’s won a fight against the sexist, transphobic practices of the International Olympic Committee. And now, she has come out as being in a same-sex relationship. The small-town athlete continues to challenge outdated notions of womanhood, just by being herself.

Kahini Iyer May 2, 2016