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Natasha works in the development sector, where most of her experience has been in Education and Livelihoods. She is passionate about working towards gender equity, sustainability and positive climate action. And avid reader and occasional writer, she has published two collections of short stories, and has contributed to several anthologies. A mother of teenage sons, thinking about how to ensure that they grow up to be feminist men is what keeps her awake at night . She defines herself as a dog lover, a tree hugger, a coffee addict and an handloom enthusiast.
Women know exactly how vulnerable we are in public, but whenever we speak about it men seem to believe that the solution is to learn the art of self defence. “Teach your daughter karate so she can defend herself when she is sexually harassed”, they say, quite forgetting that that even being among the best […]
Most young men will benefit from reading Concrete Rose by the iconic Angie Thomas, the prequel to the extraordinary The Hate U Give.
Women are NOT safe in India, and men have NO clue how we plan every time we go out of our safe spaces. This is no country for women.
I struggled to reconcile the two aspects- the formidable talent who literally moulded kathak into its modern form and the man who took advantage of women in his charge.
One is left wondering about who is worse- the men who make no excuses about being patriarchs, or the so called progressive men who still want to control their wives and daughters?
Suhana Khan used her name and platform to talk specifically about high end outfits, not about the jeans and kurtis which we wear daily, and also supported sartorial choices of another woman!
Shaming women who observe Karva Chauth does not serve any purpose because all it does is make people defensive and defensive people tend to dig further into their own beliefs.
Expecting people to work 70 hours a week as an industry leader said recently doesn't equal 'commitment', and is especially problematic for women.
Leila Seth's autobiography On Balance reveals how she was truly a woman ahead of her times, yet expected to do all that society expects of a woman, no matter who.
The Nobel Prize to Claudia Goldin for her work on ‘advancing our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes’ has put the gender inequity in the labour market in the spotlight.
Dr Anandibai Joshi defied all tradition and went to the United States to become a “lady doctor”. Sadly, she died soon after she returned to India, which ensured that her husband directed the telling of her legacy.
On a field visit to assess a textile plant in Madhya Pradesh, I was caught between my periods and no toilets for women. Now what?
A substantial portion of an Indian woman’s life is spent in feeding the family, and this responsibility restricts her opportunity to do something more productive and meaningful with her time.
Savarnas have always just taken from Dalit communities. When compounded by gender, it becomes worse. The makers of Made in Heaven should rethink their stand on Yashica Dutt's claims.
Most men don't realise that they are actually victims of the patriarchal mindset, and that instead of blaming feminism, they should actively work to demolish patriarchy.
I believe the main message of Barbie the movie was a feminist one. It will give men and women who don’t really understand feminism a perspective on the inherent inequity in society.
The recent Manipur horror is an example of gender based violence in conflict areas. Men, women's bodies are NOT your battlefield, leave them alone in your wars!
The tagline on the US hardcover edition of Nilanjana Roy's Black River reads "It takes a village to kill a child" - this is a hard to read police procedural shedding light on brutal realities.
All that a law granting marriage equity will do is to enable a person to formalise a relationship if they choose to do so- it will not force people to get into or solemnise a 'prohibited' relationship.
While travelling in a metro, a toddler opened my bag to take out things, but his parents, sitting nearby, didn't intervene. Shouldn't teaching boundaries to our kids begin early?
By specifying gender pronouns, cis-allies do exactly what Mariam did when she marked an “X” on every door- they make it harder to mark out transgender and non-binary/ gender queer persons who are often the target of hate based violence.
Mobility of women in India is restricted for a host of social and economic reasons. Fare free bus travel will, therefore, lead to economic, emotional, social and health benefits for women.
Kandasamy liberates the Tirukkural from its patriarchal translations, and firmly establishes the lovers as people who revel in their sexual and sensual attraction towards each other.
While it is hard to tell whether a person is being deliberately manipulative or not, it is safe to assume that if a person refuses to improve with time, it is a case of weaponised incompetence.
The Gynaecologist clearly wanted to prolong the labour so she could conduct a C-section at her convenience. Medical malpractice? Maybe. But how can anyone prove it?
"Death for Dalits is metaphorical. An 'Untouchable' never existed as a person worthy of respect from society or recognised as a mind. He was simply invisible, except when his labour was extracted, exploited and used for free…"
Sujatha Gidla's parents were both educated and worked as school teachers, yet, their caste followed them- they remained Untouchables. No matter how hard they worked, the family could not shake off poverty or untouchability.
‘Coming out as Dalit' should be mandatory reading for all Indians, because we need to understand that the caste system is still alive, and that by merely pretending it is no longer relevant, we cannot wish it away.
"I used to think that at the rate they worked, men and women both, every single day, they should really be able to advance themselves. But of course, they never received a payment that was appropriate to their labour.”
I'm tired of this unsafe, non-supportive, abusive society - which is because of men. Those who claim to be 'good' men and say 'not all men' ,what are you doing about this?
Women who think they don’t need feminism often benefit from the struggle of women who came before them. Yet, with their attitude, they actually make the workplace more difficult for the women who come after them.
If a woman insists on her prospective groom earning enough to keep her comfortable, she is not being “lazy”. She is just being practical, just like men!
Shouldn’t the focus be on getting men to stop molesting women under the pretext of Holi, and not on locking women up?
It couldn’t have been easy for Preeti to enter a male dominated field, but through grit and hard work, she had reached the top. And best of all, she was determined to ensure that the women who came after her didn’t suffer as she had.
Despite having extremely supportive parents, I could never bring myself to report it either. Had they heard about it, my parents would have certainly ensured those boys were pulled up.
Grief was strange. Weeks would go by without her even thinking of Deep, and suddenly a memory would pop up and totally overwhelm her.
Many people feel that some women will "misuse" period leave, but it is not enough to hire diversity; diverse needs arising out of diverse people should be acknowledged.
The SMA needs a notice of marriage that is in a book available to the public, but is commonly interpreted as putting up the details of the couple on a public notice board; this can become dangerous.
Mansplaining may seem harmless or even mildly amusing to an outsider, but at the core of it is the belief that men know better than women, even on subjects where the woman is an expert.
If society, the law, and a woman's family is supportive of her in a live in relationship, the man will know that he cannot get away scot free with such violence, protecting these women to a large extent.
I am glad that the Orange Flower Awards seek self-nomination. High achieving women often suffer from self-doubt, and this is a good way to remind us that we are good enough.
It shouldn't be hard for men to educate themselves on what comes under the gamut of sexual harassment, and to avoid such behaviour, if they are willing to listen to what survivors say.
The hit and run case from Kanjhawala Delhi where a woman was dragged for a few kms by drunk men driving or Shankar Mishra urinating on an elderly woman are about entitled men who are inebriated.
Essentially, the men in power have deemed that higher education is not necessary for women and that a small number can be trained in private according to need, like female gynaecologists.
Indian women, and especially Dalit women owe their literacy to intersectional feminist Savitribai Phule. A tribute on her 191st birth anniversary.
Andrew Tate is the face of toxic masculinity and a corrosive influence on young boys and men who will become insecure, entitled toxic males.
When the family of a minor comes to know of her relationship with a man deemed unsuitable for her, they threaten to register a case under POCSO against her lover, even if he too is of the same or similar age as her.
A few Bangalore schools recently did a search of students' bags for mobile phones that are banned inside, and were shocked to find condoms, oral contraceptives, cigarettes, etc.
People preferred vigilantism - 'encounter' - to a justice that is excruciatingly slow and then sometimes never reached. But that is not a real solution.
Some of Shraddha Walkar's friends knew she was in an abusive relationship. Could a way of communicating to them that she was in mortal danger changed things?
Instead of merely celebrating women for juggling multiple roles, shouldn’t society encourage both partners to share the responsibilities, so they can both reach their full potential at home and at work?
While discussing certain recent events, a few of us wondered if there was even a single woman who has never been harassed in public.
Wearing the hijab may be the only way a conservative family will permit a young woman to go to school, and in those cases, her hijab is her ticket to education.
October 11 is #InternationalDayoftheGirlChild. A day to remind ourselves that there is so much more to be done before the Girl Child can be safe. A collection of stories that are almost universal.
As if illegally coercing a woman to not abort a foetus was not bad enough, the District Collector has compounded the injustice by forcing the woman to stay with her in-laws till she delivers the baby.
A very large percentage of young women do not have access to a hygienic method of menstrual protection, and the request made by the student was a valid one.
If as parents, we want to raise children who read, we need to let them read what they want to read, not force them to read what we want them to read.
September 17, 1948 is the date when Hyderabad became a part of the Indian Union. Manreet Sodhi Someshwar’s book, “Hyderabad (The Partition Trilogy #2) describes the people and events which led to that.
Those of us who have publicly taken on perpetrators like this one know what happens. He will refuse the charge, and the woman might land into greater danger.
The question that torments me to this day is simply this- if in a few weeks we could create sufficient capacity of oxygen, why then had we not done so when we had almost a year to prepare?
The government should accept that women are exposed to dangerously high levels of indoor air pollution, and provide subsidies to ensure that even the poorest households can afford cooking gas.
Men yell at other men all the time. Sometimes, the men even come to blows. But almost never is a video shot and made viral. And even less is a complaint made, unless there was physical violence.
These are men who were convicted after a long fight for justice. Men who knew exactly what they were doing, and did so anyway.
The anti-CAA-NRC movement was much more than just that. It was also women coming out and reclaiming their place in the world.
None of the things I told you till now will significantly change the course of your life, but this one thing is different- it will significantly alter how you look at life and how you conduct yourself.
Women were integral to our freedom struggle, yet we still think a woman's place is only in the home! Why did we forget women freedom fighters of India?
As long as teachers are competent in their job, and adhere to the workplace code of conduct, how does it matter what they do in their personal lives?
Indian men do not think twice before taking off their shirts in public places. Women either back off, or studiously ignore it while completing the transaction they have with the men.
Abortion is legal in India but the absence of inclusivity and women's lack of reproductive autonomy show that India isn't doing any better.
That the client, the advertising agency, and the network knew exactly what they were implying is clear from the second advertisement for the same product.
Lesbian couples attract hate from cis-het men who deliberately misconstrue it as “rejecting men”, and also secretly worry about how their position might be eroded if "women band together and shut them out."
A perpetrator's crimes are "forgiven" because he is a top performer, because he comes from a well-respected family, because no complaint has ever been made against him.
Instead of seeking vengeance after horrific crimes, the public should push for faster and better judicial resolutions. That is the best tribute we can pay to the victims.
No law in the country recognises enabling the rapist to walk free after marrying the survivor. However, in reality, it is something that families and communities often push for.
It is necessary to drive the point home that while women bear the consequences of unwanted pregnancies, it is men who are responsible for the pregnancies and should take accountability to prevent them.
In a patriarchal society, the purity of caste, class and religion is rigidly maintained by controlling the sexual agency of women, even 'punishable' by murder: honour killing.
The focus has to shift to the causes which make it unsafe for woman - the perpetrators and the infrastructure that are the problem.
However, even when a woman settles down to watch her favourite serial, she is also keeping an eye on the children, and multitasking by doing something useful like shelling peas or cutting vegetables.
While one can certainly argue that cricket is almost a religion in India, that is not sufficient reason to describe Dipika as a cricketer's wife, and certainly not in the headlines, which should celebrate her achievement, not his name.
My mother tried hard to dissuade me, but I refused to relent. Our neighbour was then called in, and she appeared even more shocked at the prospect of participating in my Valaikaapu than my mother had been.
“It is love that made me do it!” is the standard excuse used by every perpetrator of domestic violence. By saying it on a global stage, Will Smith provided it legitimacy, and that is something women do not need.
In India, unpaid labour like housework, child care and elderly care is seen as the sole responsibility of the women, after which they have no time or energy to engage in paid work.
While praising Bismah Maroof for bringing her baby on tour, gender stereotypes are actually being reinforced. It's assumed that as the mother she is the primary parent, something we never assume for male sportspersons.
If teachers and students can adorn their foreheads with bindis/ pottus/ vibuti/ kumkum and if married teachers can wear mangalsutras, taalis, shakha-pola, or any other sign of a married Hindu woman, then why the hijab controversy?
Have you ever wondered why women who are jogging in a slightly deserted park only have their headphones on in one ear?
When a man makes a mistake, it is a mere stumble. When a woman makes the same mistake, the entire gender gets branded and questioned.
In our toxic patriarchal system, men stalk women in the smug knowledge that the woman dare not turn them down. And if do, they are made to pay the price for it.
From the time one dancer went public about Pt Birju Maharaj through a series of stories on Instagram, the classic cycle of victim blaming started asserting itself- deny, disbelieve, discredit, disgrace.
Statistics show that the number of so called 'false rape cases' is sufficiently small to dismiss all the arguments about how the lives of 'millions of men' will be destroyed by feminists once marital rape is decriminalised.
These young people didn’t get beamed down from outer space. Nor did they need any special brainwashing to get this way. Then what has happened?
While increasing the legal age of marriage for women to 21 appears to be a great move, let's look into the practical issues more closely.
Every young woman needs that someone who shows her what she can be. Each of us has it in us to be that someone who shows another what they can be.
A lovely poem about how women never take credit for their work and how it is important that they do.
Instead of respecting the talent, hard-work and dedication of the sportsperson, her worth is reduced to the viewership she can draw on the basis of her physical appearance, and her on and off court personality.
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