A couple of weeks ago, a blogger friend tagged me for a Not So (Wo)Manly challenge. The original tagger called this “Sinners Against Gender Stereotypes” and explained it, thus: Please list at least ten things you have ever wanted or done which your gender is not supposed to. The tag is called ‘My Sins…
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A friend found the “love of his life” on a matrimonial website. After seeing hundreds of photographs and commenting on each and every one’s height, complexion, nose-shape, assumed weight, and dress sense, he finally found one that was closest to his ideal image of an Indian bride. He has not even met her, but…
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I’ve been hearing this song play on the radio repeatedly for a week now, and while the tune’s catchy, I want you to take a moment to listen to the words. Here is the audio file, if you can’t watch the video above. The lyrics disappoint me. But I can’t fault the artist, for…
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Move on Let the healing begin So what if he raped you And beat you senseless? So what if he violated you When you were 8 And he was your grandfather? Go to your happy place And pretend He never cheated on you That he never felt another woman That he alienated himself Physically…
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. I am awesome And you can’t bring me down With your rude remarks Your judgmental tone Or your superiority complex. . I am awesome A superb lover A trustworthy friend A brilliant professional And a dutiful daughter. . I am awesome A woman in a man’s world Making it on my own terms…
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I finally had the opportunity to attend The Vagina Monologues — a theater production with proceeds to benefit the girls and women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was a packed house — 250 men and women sitting with eager anticipation. I had heard a lot about the monologues but didn’t quite…
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This one is from the archives. This poem holds a special meaning for me because of two reasons: It was recognized by UNICEF as a literary piece spreading awareness about child abuse, specifically that of the girl child. It introduced me to my life partner — this was the first piece of my writing…
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Here is an article I wrote for Hindustan Times a couple of years ago. For my readers in India, let me know if things have changed for the better on the streets, in the houses, at work … —————— In 1909 some women textile workers in New York went on strike. After thirteen weeks…
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Yesterday, a friend forwarded a Huffington Post slideshow of the seven most inappropriate toys for children. I was appalled, needless to say, but one that had me going “No way!” at the top of my lungs was this particular product: The Bebé Glotón breastfeeding doll. Who in their right minds would buy a four-year-old…
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As I was reading The Way We Live Now – The Overextended Family, my thoughts kept wandering back to 2001. The year when my husband and I “met.” What started as a random e-mail conversation connecting us through the intertubes halfway across the world, turned into a “virtual” courtship that resulted in an online…
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