Niven Charvet tells his Indian friends why he prefers China to India:
My belief in humanism, my love of my own language, a certain libertarian cast of mind – none of these could really explain why I am more comfortable in China than in India.
To me India is a land of separation, China a land of [...]
Archive for the 'Patriarchy' Category
‘Despicable Separation’
Published by May 10th, 2008 in Democracy, India, Patriarchy, Religion, Society and Women. 1 CommentWomen’s reservations bill
Published by May 7th, 2008 in Democracy, India, Patriarchy, Policy, Politics and Women. 0 CommentsSome early reactions:
Premasri asks- who represents Indian women?
On average, Indian women work longer hours than men, as their day consists of a more diverse array of tasks relating both to the maintenance of their livelihoods (public sphere) and homes (domestic sphere). In rural India, this could take the form of both working in the fields [...]
Female sexuality through a woman’s eyes
Published by May 4th, 2008 in Feminism, Literature, Patriarchy, Society, Women and sexuality. 3 Comments‘Is it risky for a woman writer to deal with female sexuality in India’? Sarojini Sahoo, feminist writer in Oriya, tries to answer that question:
”Yes, it is risky for a woman writer to deal with these themes in an Eastern country, and for that I face much criticism? But still I believe someone has to [...]
Who cares if its a girl?
Published by April 21st, 2008 in India, Patriarchy, Prejudice, Society, Women and sexuality. 0 CommentsIn a really heartbreaking account, Roop Rai chronicles the unfortunate state at the RSRM hospital at Royapuram, Chennai where two families who have had children born the day before laying claim to male child, while nobody wants the female one.
“We paid them money at every stage. A ward boy took Rs 300 saying it was [...]
The Shaming of Scarlett Keeling
Published by March 26th, 2008 in Feminism, Government, Human Rights, Justice, Media, Patriarchy, Women, public space and sexuality. 17 CommentsIf the killing was brutal, the reactions that followed haven’t been kind either- Sharanya condemns those who are condemning the victim:
In other words, the condemning of the murdered girl, her family, her friends, their lifestyles and their choices is a typical misogynist response – the wicked woman gets her dues. And this time, there are [...]
Three unwanted babies
Published by March 23rd, 2008 in India, Patriarchy, Society and Women. 2 CommentsNita’s ‘brief but true account of my experiences after my second daughter was born’:
By the time I went home to my father’s place I had caught on - and was not amused. Everything will return to normal, I told myself miserably.
However the nursemaid who came in to attend to me and the baby dashed those [...]
‘Saala ek machhar aadmi ko hijra bana deta hai’
Published by March 23rd, 2008 in Art, Books, Democracy, Feminism, Government, Human Rights, Literature, Patriarchy, Personal, Politics, Religion, Secularism, South Asia and public space. 2 CommentsThat line from a Nana Patekar film, says, Aman Kumar, captures his ‘rage and frustration’ over the Taslima Nasreen episode:
So has mine! Sadly, I no longer consider India a secular country after watching and analyzing the political developments in last 15-20 years. Right from Shah Bano case to Babri demolition, and from Gujrat massacre to [...]
Bhumika
Published by March 22nd, 2008 in Activism, Caste, Feminism, Human Rights, Language, Media, Patriarchy, Prejudice, Society and Women. 0 CommentsIn 1993 in Hyderabad a group of women from different feminist organisations decided to venture into the challenging terrain of publishing a feminist magazine in Telugu and the first issue of Bhumika came out in the month of Jan1993.
Bhumika Women Collective emerged in the context of the women’s movement as a felt need to make [...]
Shariah in the West
Published by March 21st, 2008 in Human Rights, Justice, Patriarchy, Policy, Religion, Secularism and Women. 0 CommentsAsghar Ali Engineer foresees conflict between conservative ‘ulama and progressive Muslims if Shariah laws are applied in the West:
I have met many ‘ulama in UK. They are as conservative as in Islamic countries, perhaps even more in the alien environment of UK and other Western countries. If any attempt is made to apply Islamic [...]
Man’s pleasure over woman’s need
Published by March 21st, 2008 in Feminism, Patriarchy, Theory, Women and sexuality. 1 CommentAvishek has a theory- he suggests that women ‘themselves have contributed to their sufferings because of their non-confrontational attitude‘:
The movie also briefly mentioned an egregious incident from India. It referred to an incident where five government-run mental institutions sought hysterectomy for 330 mentally retarded girls and women (In 1994, hysterectomies were performed on 17 girls [...]
What Bangles Mean
Published by March 16th, 2008 in Culture, Feminism, Humour, Media, Patriarchy, Politics, Women and sexuality. 0 CommentsA women’s day news report about Renuka Chowdhury’s “empowerment bangles” has Rimi B Chatterjee musing on bangles and their cultural significance.
If women are socialised to see certain kinds of jewelry in certain ways, so are men. Indian dance and drama have turned the business of a woman putting on her jewelry into an art form: shringar. Men [...]
A Valentine to the City
Published by February 25th, 2008 in Caste, Community, Culture, Indiaspora, Literature, Patriarchy, Personal, Poetry, Politics, Society, Spotlight Series and Women. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 19 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
A Valentine to the City
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Sharanya Manivannan
Sometimes, I hate this city. I don’t deny that. There is so much to hate here. It is merciless. A crude, cruel, unforgiving bitch of a city. The meanness of its people. Sycophancy, moral (dis)order, parochialism [...]
More on the Gulabi gang
Published by February 23rd, 2008 in Activism, Adivasi, Caste, Dalit, Democracy, Feminism, Government, Justice and Patriarchy. 2 CommentsBecky B devotes some (much needed?) attention to the gang:
What is so amazing to me is the anomaly that the leader figure represents. Not only that one woman could be so unabiding to the expected norm, but also that she can mobilise hundreds of women to fight for her causes. As I said in my [...]
Tell her you care.
Published by February 23rd, 2008 in Activism, Feminism, India, Patriarchy, Personal, Society, White Ribbon Campaign, Women and sexual harrassment. 0 Comments“We, the society, have always been harsh and cruel to women who dare to complain about the violence faced by them and worse if they dare complain about sexual harassment. This is the main reason why most victims don’t speak up in the first place. If a victim musters the courage to speak up, then [...]
Blank Noise
Published by February 18th, 2008 in Activism, Cinema, Community, Culture, Feminism, Human Rights, India, Justice, Patriarchy, Prejudice, Society, Spotlight Series, Women, public space and sexuality. 8 Comments[ This is Essay # !6 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Blank Noise
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Jasmeen Patheja
How have you felt every time you ignored a stranger’s eyes stripping you naked?
How often have you been a mute witness or spectator to street sexual violence?
How often have you whistled, passed remarks, leched, intimidated a female stranger, just [...]
The Gulabi Gang
Published by February 16th, 2008 in Activism, Feminism, Government, Justice, Patriarchy, Women and public space. 0 CommentsI keep reading about this gang on a lot of blogs, but never on an Indian blog. Why do so many outsiders find the Gulabi gang so fascinating? This post by SocProf might provide some answers:
This gang resembles the groups of Sicilian women trying to fight back against the Mafia because no one else will. [...]
Statement of Protest
Published by February 16th, 2008 in Human Rights, Justice, Patriarchy, Society, Women and public space. 0 CommentsFound this Statement of Protest at Arpita’s Tangled Up In Blues:
Justice S.R.Nayak, Chairperson- State Human Rights Commission, delivered his opinion on the Mumbai New Year molestation case on the occasion of speaking on “Human Rights and Lawyers Role”. He expressly mentioned that “Yes, Men are bad“, “But who asked them (the women) to venture [...]
Kamalamba
Published by February 13th, 2008 in Art, Caste, Culture, Feminism, Music, Patriarchy, Society and Women. 0 CommentsVidya tells a story and has a few thoughts on caste and gender in the classical arts.
One day her father noticed her write namO namO rAghavAya anisham on the walls of her house and singing a lovely sindhubhairavi. He was happy and sad at the same time. He called his wife and said,”Look It is [...]
‘Mothers will be mothers’
Published by February 10th, 2008 in Health, Patriarchy and Women. 0 CommentsPr3ma finds the gender bias in the ‘transplant business’ objectionable:
This hurts more than female foeticide and infanticide.You are talking women who are your wives, mothers and daughters and not an unseen entity. The possible reasons behind this gender gap could be men being the only earning members of the family, coercion or emotional blackmailing. Women [...]
Watered down
Published by February 4th, 2008 in Cinema, Culture, Patriarchy, Women and sexuality. 0 CommentsPadmaja Thakore feels Deepa Mehta’s Water does not do justice to its subject:
The women in ‘Water’ have no desires (except Bua’s hunger for laddoos and Chuhiya’s desire to go home). The only woman (Kalyani) who has any sexual experience is a victim, forced into prostitution. The only man-woman relationship that is not forced (between Kalyani [...]
Women, India isn’t worth visiting
Published by February 4th, 2008 in India, Patriarchy, Society and Women. 1 CommentNews, statistics, travel advisories- The Temptress finds several reasons why women tourists should not travel in India:
Countries like US, UK, Australia, Canada and France have warned their nationals to be alert while visiting India, which is a right thing to do considering India is only worried about the dwindling tourists arrivals due to these incidents [...]
A mathematician and a woman
Published by January 29th, 2008 in Education, Patriarchy, Society and Women. 0 CommentsProfessor Sujatha Ramadorai, of the Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research, on pursuing what’s considered an unusual career for women:
The response of people, when they learn that I am a career mathematician has long been one of the following: “How fascinating, I have always loved mathematics and used to be quite good at it in my [...]
If men could breast-feed
Published by December 28th, 2007 in Culture, Feminism, Media, Patriarchy and Women. 0 CommentsFor example, it does seem to say that women are gamblers, they prefer gambling to taking care of their children. However, if you just look around you, the ad seems laughable, it is not the reality. In families with small children, it is men who go out more. An evening out, with friends at the [...]
No means no
Published by December 14th, 2007 in Cinema, Culture, Feminism, Media, Patriarchy, Women and sexuality. 0 CommentsDesigirl is incensed by the message about rape given by the Tamil film Varalaru.
The cherry on top of this sick icing happens a few scenes later, when the girl’s mum pleads his case to her now pregnant daughter, with the standard “He is a good man, sweetheart” line. Of course he is, if you discount [...]
Working women
Published by December 8th, 2007 in Business, Community, Feminism, Patriarchy, Prejudice, Society and Women. 0 CommentsSo men are slowly no longer treating workplaces like an old boys club. Yet we are far from achieving true equity. And in some sense, I would think equity is not just about equal representation of women. It is about women being women and not having to completely change themselves to fit into a [...]
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