Posted inPop Culture
Jalsa review: Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah in top form
Suresh Triveni’s Jalsa is an unsettling story about two mothers who though miles apart in class, caste and social standing, speak the same language of motherhood.
Posted inBollywood
How the Meenakshi Seshadri-Starrer Damini Taught Me My First Lesson in Feminism
In Damini, which released 28 years ago, Meenakshi Seshadri plays a housewife who beats impossible odds in her quest for justice for a rape survivor, the family’s domestic help. In some ways, the movie is the origin story of a conviction that has defined my life and given it purpose — that women are not second-class citizens of the world.
Posted inPOV
The Early Bird Might Catch the Worm, But What About Us Night Owls?
Being a night owl was never a conscious decision – I don’t derive any secret joy from knowing I’m awake while the world around me slumbers peacefully. It’s no fun needing a cup of coffee just to check your email inbox in the morning, nor is the feeling of drifting off into a fugue state by lunchtime something I would recommend to others.
Posted inPOV
How I Have Shamefully Benefitted from Patriarchy
Patriarchy benefits me in the tiny ways that it can benefit only upper-class, upper-caste Hindu women in India. I hate that most workplaces won’t treat me as equal, but I have to admit that it’s a relief to have the freedom to fail professionally, or even choose to have a career at all.
Posted inCulture
Dhakna Zaroori Hai: Why My Sindhi Family Has a Cover for Everything from the Toaster to the TV
In Sindhi households, everything is veiled. It starts at the heart of the home – the kitchen. The refrigerator handle dare not stand in nudity. The mixer, when not in use, stands gracefully under a crocheted hood. Twenty five years ago, I used to mock this great Sindhi cover-up. Today, I’m the one doing the covering.
Posted inGender
How I Fought Patriarchy in My Family By Voting for a Candidate of My Choice
In my family, it is always the men who take all the important decisions. Elections are all about herd voting, where my father announces his political leanings and the rest follow. Women, they believe, are incapable of understanding the affairs of the State. But this year, despite all the pestering, I voted for a candidate of my choice.
Posted inCoronavirus
Yes there’s a Pandemic still, but have we Lost the Resolve to Care?
The third wave is here. It’s screeching through India’s cities and smaller towns, but the suffering of these two years, has perhaps, inured people to respond with anything but a shrug. It’s still life and death, but we are now struggling to even care.
Posted inGender
The 10 Commandments for the Divorced Indian Woman
In India, a divorced woman is a ghost. She doesn’t exist in the popular narrative. What, then, are the rules of engagement? Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the 10 Commandments for the Divorced Indian Woman.
Posted inGender
“Ban the Burqa, No Ripped Jeans”: When Will We Stop Telling Women What They Can or Cannot Wear?
If you support the ban of a piece of clothing – a burqa, ghunghat, or a skirt – you’re still supporting the idea that women’s bodies, and what they put on them, can and should be subjected to regulation. Why should the world decide whether a woman should be behind a veil or cover her legs?
Posted inPeople
Remembering Vijaya Mulay, the Woman Behind the Legendary DD Film “Ek Anek Aur Ekta”
Those who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, learnt about national integrity and unity through a seven-minute animated film that aired on Doordarshan called Ek Anek Aur Ekta. The woman behind this little film with a big heart, Vijaya Mulay, passed away on Sunday, at age 98.
