What’s the Deal With Uniforms and Dress Codes?

Uniforms and Dress Codes Are an Excuse to Police Young Boys and Girls! As a school going kid, I’ve always wondered about the requirement of uniforms. Schools in India require students to wear uniforms specific to their assigned sex. Girls in my school were required to wear skirts, whereas boys were mandated to wear pants. I remember my principal emphasizing the …

Lipstick under My Burkha: Review

“The lady oriented” film has arrived with all guns blazing, giving patriarchy and misogyny the red lipstick finger” Cast: Ratna Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur, Vikrant Massey, Sushant Singh, Shashank Arora, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Jagat Singh Solanki Movie Director: Alankrita Shrivastava Story: The movie dishes out in a frank manner the female desire and fantasy that runs like …

Casual Sexism and Item Bomb Milkshakes

From ‘Hot Fudge Bipasha’ To ‘Katrina’s Mango’, on this sexist menu, customers can choose from a list of “Item Bombs.”  In Hyderabad, the restaurant chain “Ohri’s Eatmor Coffee Shop” is synonymous with great food, drinks, and quirky decor. However, the Banjara Hills branch took sexism to another level when it decided to name milkshakes after Hollywood and Bollywood woman celebrities. The bizarre …

SDGs: Involve, Engage and Empower The Youth

“The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today‘s younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations.”- UNDP The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as Global Goals are a new, universal set of goals, adopted by the UN member states to frame their agendas and political …

Revenge Porn and Social Media

It’s necessary that revenge porn is taken more seriously and not encouraged on social media! What comes to mind when you hear the term revenge porn? The definition is: “Revealing or sexually explicit images or videos of a person posted on the Internet, typically by a former sexual partner, without the consent of the subject and in order to cause them distress …

Sheila and Munni: The Women in Bollywood

   Is the inadequate portrayal and remuneration of women in Bollywood a reflection of the larger Indian society?  Bollywood has often been a source of homeliness to Indian students studying away from home. A member of this international student club, I often found myself watching melodramas like ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham’ to cure my homesickness. I grew up in the …

Not In My Name: India Unites to Protest Mob Violence

 India unites to protest mob violence, says lynching should not be carried out in the name of religion, caste or creed! India has lately been divided over the recent lynching incidents. One side argues that mob violence is meted out towards specific minority groups, whereas the other side agrees to disagree. But, we all can agree that mob violence is a reality in India. …

An Urban Tale: Crimes Against Women in Gurgaon

An upsurge in sexual assault against women continues to plague Gurgaon! As I think about how to reiterate my thoughts, I find myself at a loss of words. Not because I don’t know what to say, but because words simply don’t satisfy my emotions. A familiar feeling of a fatigued anger inching towards indifference overcomes me as I read about …