So, another advertising campaign, another round of outrage on Indian social media. These images of abused goddesses, with the lines: “Pray that we never see this day. Today, more than 68 per cent of women in India are victims of domestic violence. Tomorrow, it seems like no woman shall be spared. Not even the ones… Continue reading These images of abused goddesses are not “incredibly powerful”
Category: – Gender issues
the girl child, violence against women, discrimination…
The story of a rape
No, this is not about the infamous Delhi gang-rape that had the nation outraged (and where is all that outrage now?) just a couple of months ago. This is about the recent Steubenville rape of a 16 year old by a couple of “rising football stars” of her school. There are so many things wrong… Continue reading The story of a rape
This time, it’s personal
Enough and more has been said and written about the Delhi gangrape and the reactions of the nation to that horrific crime. I shed tears, along with many women I know, the day she died. I went for a peaceful protest demonstration at Shivaji Park, I discussed it endlessly with my husband and followed every… Continue reading This time, it’s personal
Tamilnadu’s cradle babies
Remember Baby Falak? In a country where babies, especially girls are abandoned and killed every day, the story of the bruised and battered two-year-old girl is not really new or particularly shocking. Now leave Baby Falak for a moment and travel with me across the country. To Tamil Nadu, which has one of the highest… Continue reading Tamilnadu’s cradle babies
Women power – and powerlessness
Last week of January – Jaipur edition of Times of India – two front page items caught my eye on consecutive days. Wheel power for Alwar women – about how ‘In a remote village in Alwar district, 25-year-old Kesari Devi routinely goes to her farm, much to the envy of men. Reason: She herself drives… Continue reading Women power – and powerlessness
Ladies Special
I came across this bit in a travel magazine recently about rooms for female travelers at the Movenpick Hotel in Hanoi. Sounded interesting. I have traveled enough on work and been alone at enough hotels in strange towns to know what feels like to hear that random knock on the door in the middle of… Continue reading Ladies Special
Life and a career
This is not a good way to begin a Monday morning – What’s the connection between abortion and careers? But it appeared on the blogs feed, shared by Gautam Ghosh and I read it. It takes a *lot* of courage to bare one’s soul the way Penelope Trunk has done here (knowing the kind of… Continue reading Life and a career
Free hugs and pink chaddis
Update: My article on the pink chaddi campaign was published in the Women’s International Perspective. In Bangalore, the hug karo campaign… Though we did not keep a steady count, I’m quite certain that our group gave out at least 50-70 hugs which considering the small group was a pretty good number. However, the entire time,… Continue reading Free hugs and pink chaddis
National Girl Child Day
January 24 has been declared National Girl Child Day… To mark the day, the Ministry of Women and Child Development will launch a sustained campaign to highlight the evils of female foeticide, female infanticide and discrimination in matters of health, nutrition, education and opportunities. The importance of the girl child will be highlighted through TV… Continue reading National Girl Child Day
Pregnancy kits for rural brides
Puzzled over this since I read it a couple of days ago – Government’s gift for rural brides: Pregnancy test strips! The government will give packets of pregnancy test strips to rural women on the occasion of their marriage – to reduce unwanted pregnancies and maternal mortality across India. So how are pregnancy kits a… Continue reading Pregnancy kits for rural brides