Ripped Jeans: The Latest Threat to Our Sanskar
Posted inGender

Ripped Jeans: The Latest Threat to Our Sanskar

Twitter is flooded with images of women in ripped jeans after Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat said that they should dress to preserve the sanctity of their homes. It’s 2021 and our netas are still tripping over the fact that women, too, possess knees which are visible from time to time.
Why the Weight of 2021 Feels More than 2020
Posted inCoronavirus

Why the Weight of 2021 Feels More than 2020

Lockdown 2.0 has opened the floodgates to remnant anxiety from last year. The past year, in spite of the challenges that we were confronted with, we revelled in the novelty of the work-from-home life and the liberty it donned on us to pursue other interests. This time around, it feels like there is no imminent end to misery.
Purr…suit of Happiness: It Took a Pet Cat to Change the Rules of Love in Our House
Posted inAnimals

Purr…suit of Happiness: It Took a Pet Cat to Change the Rules of Love in Our House

Tough love was the only love language that existed in our house until my brother got home a stray kitten. Very soon, my stoic father was suddenly brimming with kisses and mushy nicknames, and my mother started treating him like her third born – now she doesn’t eat until he does. Unbeknownst, the pet had opened the floodgates to our emotions and expressions.
Lust Stories: Erotic Novels are Where Indian Girls Get the Sex Education Their Parents Are Too Timid to Give
Posted inGender

Lust Stories: Erotic Novels are Where Indian Girls Get the Sex Education Their Parents Are Too Timid to Give

When I was growing up, it was easier and more socially acceptable for men to gain access to erotic media in the form of magazines and videos because their introduction to adulthood was celebrated. However, for women, puberty came with concealment: of sexuality, breasts, and acne. Erotic fiction masquerading as “romance literature” then became the medium of instruction for many women.
Framing and Failing Britney Spears
Posted inPop Culture

Framing and Failing Britney Spears

Framing Britney Spears, a heartbreaking documentary by The New York Times, is a story about the public vilification of the pop star. It is testament to the fact that society detests women who control their lives and the only way to restore the old order is to strip them off this autonomy – as illustrated by what the men and media have done.
Kamala Das: The Poetess Who Taught Me It Was Okay to Not Sound Perfectly English
Posted inPeople

Kamala Das: The Poetess Who Taught Me It Was Okay to Not Sound Perfectly English

When I made my foray into the poetry writing world, it was Kamala Das’s style that spoke to me. It had no airs about it, no wish to sound perfectly English. Like her, I spoke a cocktail of languages – Hindi, English, Punjabi, and Marathi. So when she wrote about the language she speaks, “It is half English, half Indian, funny perhaps, but it is honest…”, it is something I could relate to.