Best Of Women’s Web – Editor’s Pick Nov 2012

Posted: November 30, 2012

November was a good month for us – and a tough one. What with festive season break and short travel breaks and so on, its a miracle we managed to get any work done here at Women’s Web, but when I look back at the reads we brought to you, I’m surprised – and not dissatisfied at all.

Not to be smug about it, but I am surprised at how diverse this month’s content was. From festival food and shopping – to the stories of visually challenged girls in rural Bengal, we had a number of insightful writers with us this month, and how grateful are we for them!

So, here are my favourite picks from Women’s Web for November 2012, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading them, and re-visiting them if you have come across them before.

The stories of women who travel – Amodini Sharma’s list of books and films with some amazing female protagonists who travel without being tied down by their gender, was a great read. While I am familiar with some of them, it helped me add some “musts” to my own list. Read it when you feel blue and want to be transported to faraway lands, if only in spirit.

Sometimes we write as part of our work, sometimes for recognition or money, but sometimes, we write simply because it is such a part of who we are. Gauri Trivedi’s account of one such heart and hand connection was part of this month’s writing theme and resonated with me because it expressed that connection so beautifully.

Have you ever cared for a chronically or terminally ill patient who required intensive nursing for long periods of time? With the best of intentions, such nursing can be emotionally and physically draining. And many of us get through only thanks to paid caregivers who step in to help. What are the lives of these caregivers like? How do they cope with the demands of their own lives? This highly under-read story on, Who cares for the caregiver? deserves a look – if you haven’t come across it yet, I urge you to go and read it now.

Were you elated at the recent news that Intel India will now be headed by a woman? It’s too early to celebrate, says Unmana Datta, and explains why the slow progress of women in leadership roles is a big problem.

In the interests of being modest, I should not be nominating this story (given that I conducted and wrote the interview), but Deborah Thiagarajan, the visionary Founder of Dakshin Chitra, the noted heritage centre near Chennai, is so worth reading about, that I give modesty a temporary reprieve.

Finally, a burst of humour completes my list of favourite reads on Women’s Web this month – fair warning, this is not humour that leaves you feeling entirely pleased, but this anonymous blogger’s proposal of Kaala Matrimony, the service for all those who cannot ‘make it’ in the fairness crazed marriage market is sure worth your time.

Happy Reading, and do tell me which read on Women’s Web delighted you!