Why Good Indian Boys Never Become Good Indian Men
Posted inGender

Why Good Indian Boys Never Become Good Indian Men

The metrics for being a good child are different for Indian boys and girls. There is a soft bigotry of low expectations for boys, and a very high degree of expectations from a girl. By 10 years of age, my sister was equipped to survive a season on LOST – but I was the good boy who didn’t need to do anything more than tuck his legs in.
Mard Ko Dard Hoga: How Ripped Male Bodies Became a Joke
Posted inPOV

Mard Ko Dard Hoga: How Ripped Male Bodies Became a Joke

There was a phase in Indian cinema when our beefy leading men were both, the poster and the song – the hero and the wit. But the sun is setting on the ripped male form. For a cross section of audiences, the sculpted male body is now an object of ridicule.
What Dutee Chand’s Coming Out Means for Indian Womanhood
Posted inSports

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 The small-town athlete continues to challenge outdated notions of womanhood, just by being herself.