Women's Web

This month’s brand new 15-minute episode of the Modern Family podcast features Dr. Anand Philip a.k.a. @uberschizo.

Podcast by Amrita Rajan 

Although his interests are varied, Dr. Philip is one of the rare male bloggers to write about feminism and gender violence at the aptly named Cerebral Salad. In a free-ranging conversation, we covered:

Gender Violence

- What made him first pay attention?

- Why don’t more people think it’s a problem? Is it because people are disinclined to believe survivors?

- Abuse survivors who’re looking for any sliver of an opening to end their silence

- The impact of a recent article by feminist author Meena Kandasamy, detailing her abuse 

Men and Gender Violence

- Why don’t more men discuss the subject?

- The paucity of academic research into domestic violence as inflicted by men, but especially as inflicted upon men

- The need to reclaim the men’s rights movement from misogynists

The Modern Indian Man

- The emotional availability of the [...]

In a brand new 17-minute episode this month, the Modern Family podcast returns with Broom from the popular blog, Confessions from the Closet.

Podcast by Amrita Rajan 

Broom is also the Co-founder of GaysiFamily – one of the first desi LGBT-oriented websites to give equal voice to the Indian lesbian experience. She talks about the modern Indian marriage as someone who was once in a conservative marriage with a man and is now in a deeply committed relationship with a woman.

We discuss:

- The difficulties of growing up, embracing our identities, and learning to vocalize our emotions

- The changing face of India as it slowly begins to accept the LGBT community

- Coming out as queer to friends and family, online and offline

- Interracial relationships and same-gender relationships

- The importance of equality in marriage

- Expecting better from our spouses vs. “learning to adjust”

Click to play or use the download button to listen at your leisure!

In our new series of podcasts, ‘Modern Family’, we explore the state of the modern Indian marriage with people from various walks of life.

First up on this 15-minute episode is Orange Jammies, a feminist blogger and (almost) newlywed, talking about her own marriage and how she has seen gender roles changing in our daily lives.

In this podcast we discuss:

- Housework – who does it and why?

- Nature vs. Nurture – what drives men and women toward an equal partnership?

- Role Models – the importance of role models from the opposite gender.

- Generation – the meaning of marriage for the younger set.

(The podcast begins with a discussion of a recent ad for a breakfast product – if you haven’t seen the ad in question, check it out here). 

Click to play or click on the download button and listen at your leisure!

Meet Kalamandalam Bindhulekha, the mural painter who paints on temple walls – a profession that few women, if any, are involved in.

Interview by Amrita Rajan

Kalamandalam Bindhulekha is a talented, self-assured young woman fast gaining acclaim for her work in a traditional male bastion – the temple art of mural painting in Kerala. Belying her matter-of-fact manner, she expresses herself through the use of vivid hues in her paintings. Elemental reds, blues and yellows reveal the rich landscape of her mind.

Here, she talks about following her dreams, creating her own opportunities and powering through life with self-confidence.

Amrita Rajan (AR): When did you start painting murals?

Is celebrity baby culture here to stay in India? Do celebrities like Lara Dutta and Aamir Khan have some lessons for us? Listen to the first Women’s Web podcast!

By Amrita Rajan

Everything the Bachchans do makes the news – even if it’s just being born. This is the lesson we learned from the arrival of “Beti B”, the daughter of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. It was such a hotly anticipated event, even in these troubled times, that the I&B Ministry actually sent out guidelines for news crews to follow.

In the first episode of the Spotlight podcast, Sunayana Roy of the blog Sunny Days joins me to discuss:

- Has celebrity baby culture officially arrived in India?

- Is the Bachchan family’s obvious joy at welcoming a granddaughter a positive sign for society at large?

- Can celebrities really influence other people’s child raising choices?

- Lara Dutta and maternity wear against the backdrop of Indian [...]

Even as reality shows on Indian television channels showcase the talent of gifted children, what do they tell children about Winning?

By Amrita Rajan

The great reality show juggernaut that established Zee TV as a  ratings superstar in the Wild West days of 1990s cable television was Antakshari. Based on a popular parlour game usually played by children, it featured adult contestants, a live band, and a host who was palpably passionate about music. Five years after it aired its last episode, however, things are very different – now children on Indian television channels take part in reality show competitions originally designed for adults, with lackluster celebrity judges who often bring nothing to the table other than their ego.

Indian television discovered the power of cute child actors when Balika Vadhu – the story of a child bride who must balance her dreams of a bright, independent future with her untimely marriage in [...]

A growing celebrity culture and 24×7 connectivity means that ‘role models’ today exist only as long as their 15 minutes of fame.

By Amrita Rajan

I’ve yet to sit through an entire episode of Simi Garewal’s India’s Most Desirable without cringing so terribly in second-hand embarrassment for everyone involved that I had to change the channel. But watching the youthful, enthusiastic audience on it makes me wonder if she knows something I don’t. Maybe these painfully young celebrities, trying to act more worldly than their years, who have nothing interesting to say other than the fact that they’re rich and good-looking, are the role models of today.

Even the term “role model” seems charmingly old-fashioned these days, more suited to beauty pageants and earnest 10-year olds in need of an essay topic. It used to be that a role model was someone you selected because their achievements held personal meaning for you [...]