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Avid hiker, and a perceptive watcher of the transitional society that India is, Nikhila Chandrashekhar writes on Women's Web about the many subtle ways in which women still face bias.
Avid hiker, and a perceptive watcher of the transitional society that India is, Nikhila Chandrashekhar writes on Women’s Web about the many subtle ways in which women still face bias.
Every month, the editors at Women’s Web identify three from our 2500+ contributors, whose work we and audiences have loved, who have brought something unique to the platform. This May 2018, Nikhila Chandrashekhar is among our three featured Authors of the Month.
Nikhila’s writing reflects many of the issues of critical importance to young women in urban India today, whether it is fraught parent-daughter relationships, or finding oneself in marriages that are superficially modern, but nonetheless cast in patriarchal moulds. You can find Nikhila Chandrashekhar writing at Women’s Web here, and on her own blog, Figment Of The Mind.
Women’s Web authors are often asked this question, but everyone has their own reasons, very personal to them. So, why do you write?
It all started with documenting important experiences in my life. I wanted to pen my thoughts down as I could get clarity and better understanding of the experiences by writing. The more I wrote, the more I started to enjoy it and I wanted to write to express my opinions and share my stories.
What do you enjoy reading? Does any of it help your writing?
I read all kinds of books, poetry, magazines and articles, including topics related to business, technology, history, psychology, and social issues. I have been reading books as long as I can remember, and it has definitely helped expand my worldview. The more I read, the better I can translate my feelings and thoughts into words.
When it comes to writing on/for/about women, what questions and issues drive you the most?
Various issues that women face in modern India haunt me. I am no stranger to the biases that women are subjected to. Even though we think that we are shifting towards becoming a progressive society, there are so many subtle ways in which we put women down and treat them with disrespect. I want to bring those biases to light.
Could you narrate an issue or incident in your life which you think was gender related, and you handled it in a way that has made you proud.
I developed a passion for the outdoors and hiking at a young age. I loved exploring trails, camping under the stars in forests and climbing. I encountered some resistance from my grandparents and they said, “Why do you want to be outdoors and hike for days?! It’s dangerous and not for girls. Besides, you will get a tan!”
Girls are still expected to stay indoors, not take risks and stick to social norms. But I was headstrong and pursued my interests and have continued to do so.
What are the things you would like to write about in the future for Women’s Web?
I would like to write more about the changing Indian society and the day to day issues which women face that get overlooked. My hope is that it wakes up other women and drives them to make small changes everyday.
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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