Meet The Early Orange Flower Nominees Who Are Using The Power Of Their Words To Highlight Issues That Matter!

Literature, in any form, has always been a medium to bring about a change. The first wave of feminism saw the rise in distribution of pamphlets, which with time paved the way to books. In the present era, with the rapid pace of advancement of technology, changemakers are now using the digital medium to reach out and wide to inspire others. It is an incredible job, and it is time that we acknowledge them. Come, meet the early nominees of the Orange Flower Awards 2023.

A lot of social issues surrounding women are still considered as a taboo. But they can be as natural as menstruation, or as evil as domestic abuse. Hence, it has grown all the more important to urge women to speak up, and claim their rightful place in the society. 

Kruthika Ganesh’s article talks about menstruation and the hypocrisy surrounding it. It narrates the experience of a girl who was celebrated with huge pomp and show one day for getting her periods. But from the very next day, she was chided for even saying the word aloud. Menstruation is normal, and it is time that we speak about it.

Kavitha Yarlagadda pens her article with the hope that people learn about the Open Prison System, and realize how it is a way to live with dignity. What we know as prisoners, are not held behind the bars, but allowed to go out, work and earn for their family, and come back as their will. As absurd it might seem, this system based on trust has been found to be extremely effective.

Sneha Banerjee, in her Orange Flower submission, uses her experience as a mentor to the marginalized communities. She considers this piece very close to her heart, as she writes on the lack of ownership of gadgets due to their gender. 

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Anjali Tripathi wants her readers to know that emotional baggage and clutter are real. Writing it during her own times of despair, she realizes how life is not always going to be a happy ride, and it is important that one pays attention to their mental health concerns.

Soumya Bharathi is a strong advocate for acceptance of the true self. She notes how the society has attributed masculine traits as “stronger” and feminine as “weaker”. This stereotyping needs to stop, and every individual should be given the space and the respect to be their true self.

Swetha Vangaveti rebukes the hypocrisy in people who believe in God, yet make no attempts to change their mindsets regarding something s natural as menstruation. She attempts to throw a light on how menstruating women should be treated, and how not. 

Though Juili Ballal has had multiple opportunities over the year to interview women cricket players, her most cherished conversation remains with the captain of Brazil’s women’s cricket team- Roberta Avery. A country which has a predominant football following, this interview gave her, and her readers, a deep insight into how the gendered sports suffers and remains under-explored despite the potential to thrive.

Via her article, Chandra Sundeep reflects on how the societal bias of gender is far greater than differentiation on the basis of class and caste. They cease to matter when at the receiving end there is a woman to blame— a woman who likes living according to her own terms and conditions. Sad but true!

Not just in our everyday lives, the most amount of discrimination happens in the workplace. Though inclusivity is on the rise, the mindset of the employees are yet to change, and the underlying misogyny yet to find its way out. Little issues for at workplace can impact a woman gravely. A little consideration goes a long way.

Anita Sabat comes in support of the popular actress Anusuya Bharadwaj and opens up about age-shaming in employment institutions across the country, in her essay. She delves deep into the issue of how individuals judge on the basis of what is right or wrong, instead of supporting the wishes or the choices of their fellow beings, especially if they are females. She also brings out the contrasting behaviour that is metted out to the male stars as opposed to the female stars. 

Sadvika Kylash’s piece is an ode to moms who were multitasking and juggling multiple roles within her home and her workplace, during the pandemic. She shares her own anecdotes and experience to relate how women are capable of doing so much more, if they wish to.

Natasha Ramarathnam brings to light the twin factors that contribute to the rapid decline in the number of women employees, as the seniority of the posts increase. Women are still expected to fulfil their primary duties of housekeeping or child-rearing at home, and the lack of gender-sensitive infrastructure or policies deter them from taking on more responsibilities at their workplace.

Sahana Ahmed is the president of the Rural Tourism Council of Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Having formed this council in 2021 under the initiative of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, in this article, she writes about her journey and the projects that she is most proud of.

Gayathri Venkatesan’s piece is a reflection of her learnings as an overworked and overstress working mother during the pandemic. She recounts the time when she felt as a failure in both her professional and family life, due to the lack of adequate support. It resonates with all new working mothers who feel overwhelmed tending to the new responsibilities without any support.

And inclusivity involves diversity irrespective of their communities, sexual identities, caste, creed, etc. Rejecting someone on the basis of their sexual orientation is a sad and unwise move, for you tend to lose out on immense potential. Besides, each prejudiced mind makes the world a significantly more unfair place to live in. So, why not we give the queer community the respect that they deserve?

Preethi Warrier cites a heart-wrenching case of a transgender woman from Karnataka pleading Euthanasia, and the reason is her painful rejection from the society. She is denied a proper shelter, a paying job, and respect from the society and is left with no other alternative but to die. The author questions this lack of acceptance, and suggests methods through which one can be inclusive.

Meenal Sonal Mathur believe that inclusion is not a concept, but a mindset that needs to cultivated from a young age. The world should be a fair place for all, but to achieve that fairness, it has to be a safe and non-judgemental space for individuals of every kind.

Swagata Tarafdar talks about the much less spoken about section within the queer community— the asexuals. She narrates her experiences as an asexual woman in India, and hopes to familiarize her readers with little known aspects, or side of this queer community.

Sharanya Misra, through her article, expresses her anger as a new parent. She realizes how the unchanging mindset, and the lack of any inclusivity initiative within Indian families, is leading the next generation to grow up with the same prejudiced mindset. The change needs to begin at home, for it to be followed by the society. After all, home is the place where the kids spend most of their time.

The digital media has made us, indeed, a lot more aware. The focus has now shifted from having a slim body to having a fit body. Though the mindset is yet to change, we now see people being more aware of their dietary habits, or unhealthy lifestyle habits. And the credit goes to the people who write about it more often.

In her article, Jayashree Ravikumar brings to light the gender inequality that subtly exists in the dietary consumption of women in Indian households. Men are still served the fresh and hot meal while the ladies consume the leftovers. Women deserve nutritious, healthy diet, and it is time that we demand for it.

Laxmi Todiwan writes to highlight the efforts of Asian Countries Chamber Of Hospitality Industry (ACOHI). Through their initiative “Own Fresh”, they are producing unrefined and unfiltered oil without any added chemicals or preservatives. This is believed to be changing the culinary landscape of the hotel industry in India and Asia. Moreover, such an initiative is empowering a village in Maharashtra as of now, before the expansion project begins.

Tanvi Sinha intends to educate women about female condoms. It not only provides protection, but also allows women to take control of their own sexual health without disrupting the pleasure. Very little supply can be found of it in the market due to the lack of demand, but it mostly stems from lack of awareness among people with vagina, or the fear of rejection by their partners!

Dr. Manisha Sharma shares her journey to fitness, where she shed 20 kgs of her body weight. By sharing the small tricks and tips that helped her achieve fitness, she hopes to inspire her readers who are struggling with body weight issues. 

Check them out, if you still haven’t!

Comments