Womens Web

Is There A Future For Teaching?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:36:15 GMT

Is the Indian teacher an endangered species? In time for Teachers Day, we examine what was once the working woman’s first option.

By Suganya Lakshmi

Remember a time when teaching was among the handful of professions considered “suitable” by most Indian women? Since the 90s though, career options in India have multiplied (exploded!) and teaching no longer holds the charm it did. Why would it, considering the low pay, no extra perks or benefits, unlimited responsibilities and poor management?

Admission in B.Ed courses is declining rapidly, and it is difficult to find teachers with the same passion for teaching as in the past. Nevertheless, as Teachers Day (September 5th) approaches, Women’s Web spoke to a few young teachers, all

Translating Bharat For Readers

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:32:44 GMT

Mita Kapur, Founder of literary consultancy ‘Siyahi’ discusses the Indian book market and the task of translating Bharat for more readers.

By Aparna V. Singh

Mita Kapur is a freelance journalist regularly featured in many newspapers and magazines. She covers social and developmental issues along with travel, food and lifestyle humor stories. In 2007, she founded Siyahi, a literary consultancy where she doubles up as a literary agent along with conceptualising and directing literary events.

A literary agency that also organizes literary events and performances in theatre, storytelling; Siyahi is certainly something unusual. How do you define your mission?

Siyahi has committed itself to promoting literature and its related fields. We want to make people turn back to the simple

Can Working With Your Spouse Work?

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:49:20 GMT

Conventional wisdom regards spouses working in the same organisation as a bad idea. After all, every relationship needs breathing space. Is being together 24*7 a little too close for comfort?

By Melanie Lobo

Some sectors like the IT industry, media, advertising, medicine and teaching actually encourage ‘coworking’ (spouses in the same organisation), although most companies do not allow couples to work in the same team or have a boss-subordinate relationship.

The Indian context may have its own peculiarities. For example, Lopamudra Roy, Regional MR Manager for a reputed MNC, Mumbai says one of the biggest advantages of working with her husband is that they get to spend more quality time. Lopa joined the firm a month ago, while her husband, now a

Saraswati Park

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:52:19 GMT

A 'Bombay novel' that revels in the ordinary life of the city, Anjali Joseph's Saraswati Park deals with love, loss and obligation.

By Angelique Manchanda-Peres

Mumbai with its chaos, complexity, concrete blocks housing hundreds of people and cosmopolitan population continues to be a very popular city to write about. Infact, in the last decade or so, there's been a spate of books about the city Maximum City by Suketu Mehta, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, Sacred Games and Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra being some. The latest one to join the list is Anjali Joseph's Saraswati Park.

The title alone was enough to draw me to this book. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and the Arts in Hindu mythology has always been

So You Want To Be A Freelance Writer

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:22:45 GMT

Freelance writing seems a fun and easy career. Here we burst the bubble and offer help for would be writers.

By Aparna V. Singh

Many women who take a break from their careers to care for children consider freelance writing as a possible work-from-home job. Project boards like Elance and Guru make it appear as though clients are just waiting to hire you. It sounds fun. It sounds easy. Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but – it isn’t. The competition is tough and writing as a hobby just isn’t the same as writing to specifications.

When Women’s Web previously interviewed Dr. Nishi Viswanathan, Director, Chillibreeze (Chillibreeze is a writing services firm and writers

Divorce And The Indian Workplace

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:29:30 GMT

While divorce is becoming more common in India, divorced women still carry a stigma and face challenges at the workplace.

By Kiran Manral

The Indian government recently proposed an amendment that would allow for irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a cause for divorce, if only for Hindu marriages. No doubt, this confirms the anecdotal evidence that divorce, at least in urban India, is on the upswing.

While no official data is available, it has been estimated that 11 of every 1,000 Indian marriages end in divorce. Naturally, Indian workplaces now include more people with a divorce behind them or in the process of getting divorced.

The divorced woman at the Indian workplace is not new after all, divorce

Safety For The Sporty Woman

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:47:15 GMT

Indian women are avidly discovering the world of adventure sports. Take the plunge, but do it safely here’s how.

By Suganya Lakshmi

In the last few years, the number of women who dare to jump off a plane (attached to a string of course!), go white water rafting or bungee jumping has risen rapidly. There are even boutique travel agencies that come up with adventure holidays specifically for women.

While media attention on adventure sports often focuses on dramatic tragedies, extreme sports are not simply reckless or dangerous pursuits. When practiced within reasonable limits and exercising caution, they can be fun, challenging and provide you with unforgettable memories.

Ankita John, a college student was first introduced to sky-diving by her uncle

Flex The Workplace

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:07:42 GMT

Flex The Workplace!

Women often drop out of work since they are the ones caring for children or the elderly. Flexible workplaces actually help women to focus better on work, since they don’t have to “choose” work over family.

(What are flexible workplaces and have they arrived in India? Read our story on how to make flexi-working succeed.)

We need more workplaces to start becoming flexible and family-friendly, and not just for women – more fathers want to be involved too.

That’s why we want you to tell us!

What you need to do

Give us 1 specific suggestion on what an organization could do to offer greater flexibility at work. It could be related to HR

Takeover: Women In Family Businesses

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:59:56 GMT

These women working in family owned businesses reveal the joys and challenges that await women seeking to bust another male bastion.

By Debjani Talapatra

For generations, the onus of taking forward the family business fell squarely on the shoulders of the men in the family. A patriarchal society like India was naturally, no exception to this rule. The last decade has however seen a marked deviation from this trend, with women from well-known Indian business families making their entry.

Some notable examples include the Chauhan sisters- Schauna, Alisha and Nadia of Parle Agro Ltd. and the Reddy sisters of Apollo Hospitals (Preetha, Sangita, Sunita Reddy and Shobana Kamineni) who all play active roles in the

Desigirls And Their Stories

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:06:22 GMT

Interview with Ishita Srivastava, maker of documentary film, Desigirls, which deals with the experiences of South Asian queer women in New York.

By Aparna V. Singh

Ishita Srivastava grew up in New Delhi and very early on, was inspired by the power of the arts to effect social change. After completing her MA degree in Cinema Studies and Cultureand Media at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in May ‘09, Ishita left academia to explore her passion for making documentaries. She is interested in harnessing the power of non-fiction storytelling and exciting, new media forms to raise awareness about political, cultural and human rights issues. She currently lives in New York and works on the media team of a non-profit organization