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Watch Kamla Bhasin, the well known Indian feminist activist, in conversation about feminism in India in this engaging video!
Kamla Bhasin ia a well known Indian feminist, social scientist, poet and author. In this video, she talks about feminism in the South Asian narrative, concentrating on India and Pakistan.
The video begins with the host asking her if the word feminism is as infamous in India as it is in Pakistan, and she laughs and says, “Bibi, ye to poori duniya mein badnaam hai” (it’s infamous everywhere), and I can’t help but let out a hum of approval.
She goes on to state that it may be because feminists criticise everything, because “har cheez patriarchal hai!”- everything is patriarchal be it education, religion or capitalism. This could just be the much needed answer to those people who complain about how ‘feminists drag feminism into everything’. What they don’t realise is what she points out so, so simply.
“Baatcheet karke hi samjhane ki koshish ki hai, magar fir bhi badnaam hum acche khaase hain.” (We have always tried to use only dialogue to create change, but we’re still pretty infamous)
Right before coming to this, she explains how feminists, unlike other movements (cough JatReservation cough), have never torched buses or used violence as a medium to make themselves heard. This, right here, is when I almost clapped because of how true it was! Feminists have been protesting about their causes but not at the expense of human rights and yet.. we’re still called ‘feminazis’.
She moves on to talk about the dynamics of a movement, how feminism has brought about changes in India and Pakistan, how schools were inherently a feminist institution and are now being used a a tool of patriarchal propaganda, drilling gender roles, stereotypes and all sorts of regressive constructs into the impressionable minds of children.
Watch the full video to hear her talk about these things in more detail, with a delightful Urdu drawl, if you’re interested!
New Delhi, India I like to read, write, and talk. A feminist through and through, with a soft spot for chocolate. read more...
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Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
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