POV Archives - Page 4 of 45

“Baad Mein Zaroorat Padegi!” Why Are Indians Such Obsessive Hoarders?

The great Indian store room has everything — all the things you can think of and millions you can’t even imagine — waiting to be summoned some day. We never need 99.9 per cent of the things. In my house, we still have the galla that my grandfather started his business with more than 50 years ago and a kadhai, the size of a bathtub.

Sonali Kokra July 21, 2016

POV

Main Aur Meri Tanhai: Instagram’s “Ask Me a Question” Feature is Peak Loneliness

Instagram once saved us from the mundane mediocrity of Facebook, one pretty photo at a time. But its new “Ask Me a Question” feature is the epitome of modern loneliness: A way to convince yourself that your followers are actually interested in your life.

Runa Mukherjee July 21, 2016

POV

Like Kangana, Vir Das should be allowed the right to believe in the India he sees

Vir Das has made the culpable mistake of saying out loud, what he felt. But like Kangana Ranaut, however fictional or provocative, Das must be allowed the right to believe in the India that he sees.

Lakshmi Govindrajan July 20, 2016

POV

How choosing not to be a mother brought me closer to my father

Motherhood is so often expected to come as a natural choice to women. Almost a year into the pandemic, I realised it is not for me. Here's how I revealed my choice to my father. It only brought us closer.

Divya Unny July 18, 2016

POV

What Losing a Job in the Middle of a Pandemic Feels Like

What does losing a job in the middle of a raging pandemic feel like? A little less worse than trying to find a job. It’s like going to Jaipur and asking for directions to Helsinki – theoretically it is possible, but practically? Almost impossible.

Perennial Scroller July 18, 2016

POV

The Case for Arranged Marriage

An arranged marriage is thoughtful curation more than a blind choice. People with similar customs, tradition, and upbringing are likely to make fewer compromises, fight lesser, and be happier. Truth is, marriages are not made in heaven, they are made in convenience.

Ramjaane July 17, 2016

POV

Humbly Submitted for Your Esteemed Perusal

High-flown language may have developed as a means of officialdom to isolate itself from common folk but thanks to our feudal hangover, we continue to embrace it in our daily lives.

Rudy Singh July 17, 2016

POV

“Oh, Those Desis!” Why Do Indians Abroad Despise Their Countrymen?

I have noticed a curious trait about Indians living abroad – the sight of a fellow countrymen annoys them. It’s like what one Punjabi woman sincerely told me in England, “I didn’t escape to a foreign country only to be surrounded by more Indians.”

Vijayta Mahendru July 16, 2016

POV

“Main Toh Maa Ki Tarah Hoon”: When Aunty Judgement Masquerades as Concern

Time and again, girls are shamed by the aunty patrol only to then have them conveniently package the whole thing as “maternal concern” – “Beta, I’m like your mother.” But the truth is, these women are neither our mothers, nor are they genuinely concerned. Then why does the length of my skirt or the sound of my laugh bother them?

Akanksha Dhyani July 16, 2016

POV

The White Nun’s Burden

The question is not whether Mother Teresa did in fact create a legacy of humanitarianism, but it is one of overcoming the white saviour complex some day.

Kripa Krishnan July 16, 2016