Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
An interview with Amrita Rajan, among the group of women who make up Team Women's Web
In a series of posts called ‘The Women Behind Women’s Web’, we present to you the people involved in bringing you this website – some who’ve been there from the very beginning, and some who joined in enthusiastically a little later. Hope you enjoy reading more about the team that contributes to Women’s Web. Presented in a Q&A format, this one is with our Media Columnist, Amrita Rajan, who shines the Spotlight every month on films, television and popular culture.
Intro: Tell us a little about yourself.
Writer, blogger, reader, film buff, internet addict, liberal, feminist.
Q1. Why do you blog/write? What attracts you to it?
Instant gratification. I started writing as a small child and I’ve always found it cathartic and deeply pleasurable. I express myself better, think more deeply and live more vividly when I write. Reading or creating a well-written sentence or a well-crafted turn of phrase is one of the greatest joys in life. Blogging is an extension of that. We’re slowly turning into a world full of people who don’t really write in our personal lives – who writes long letters, keeps a journal or personal diary anymore? And I think that’s a loss that blogging addresses. It’s like a letter to the world, a record of our times. When I read things I wrote a year or five ago, it’s like I’m reading about the life of a stranger.
Q2. What do you like best about writing for Women’s Web?
I like the fact that it exists. I like that it’s not condescending. I like writing for women. It’s not something I usually do consciously – I just write irrespective of target demographics.
Q3. What do you think Women’s Web can do better/do differently?
I think the personal is the universal, especially on the internet. So I would put the blogs front and centre on the front page, a series of posts you can scroll past the whole day long. And the featured articles and columns would be –
1. Featured up top in the box as it stands right now
2. Be included on the front page as part of the blog posts.
This way nobody has to go hunting for anything, and you could roll out your main articles on a pre-determined roster at specific intervals while visitors always have something new to read when they come to the site.
Q4. What are the things that trigger you to write, that make you go, “I have to write about this!”?
Violence against women, child abuse, attacks on liberty (civil, artistic, personal), rampant idiocy, watershed moments in pop culture, and arguments that haven’t been properly argued.
Q5. Who are your favourite women bloggers? What do you admire about them/their work?
The ones I love the most, I love so much that they’re now my friends and know me personally so it’s a long list if I were to take names. So let me say there are certain groups I enjoy more than others:
1. Mommy bloggers – I know some women find that title offensive so I’d like to apologize but it’s still the easiest descriptor out there. As a single woman who intends to keep it that way, it’s like reading about an interesting alien life form. Also, the kiddies are cute. (But I’m not available to babysit.)
2. Research mavens – I love it when someone puts in the time, whatever be the subject. Film, science, politics, whichever it is, when I see someone make studied arguments about something, I’m immediately attracted to that writer. Bonus if it’s well written, funny and/or doesn’t take itself too seriously. I read so much and my tastes are extremely catholic but there’s a certain pleasure in being educated by a peer. It takes me back to college.
Q6. What would you like to say to people who are interested in writing/blogging but are hesitant to start?
If you can’t throw yourself into it 100%, then you shouldn’t be writing in a public forum. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh but this is the internet. People are going to be assholes just because they can (and this applies doubly to women bloggers). So if you’re already scared of publishing your thoughts then it’s easy to get beaten up because you’ve already signed over all the power to them. But if you can develop a thick skin, write what you believe, and hit that publish key, then you will also find an amazing network of people out there who will be supportive, appreciative and are genuinely nice. It’s a way to participate in the world while sitting in your chair at home. It’s addictive!
Previous interviews with the Women behind Women’s Web:
Freelance Writer, Nayantara Mallya
Food Columnist, Lavanya Donthamshetty
Gender Issues Enthusiast, Preethi Krishnan
Blogger, R’s Mom
Freelance Writer, Melanie Lobo
Blogger, Hip Grandma
Freelance Writer and Blogger, Kiran Manral
Founder-Editor of Women’s Web, Aparna V. Singh
Women's Web is an alternative magazine covering real issues for real women. This blog handle usually includes posts about happenings at Women's Web, interesting contests/events, people working on the website and so read more...
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address