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Nandita Sharma feels that women should not need to "take permission" for their choices, and is angered by the fact that daughters are brought up to be dependent in our society.
Nandita Sharma feels that women should not need to “take permission” for their choices, and is angered by the fact that daughters are brought up to be dependent in our society.
Women’s Web is powered by an incredible community of (now) 3000 contributors, who bring their experiences, views and knowledge to share with others in the community. Every month, we recognise three of them as the Authors of the Month. This July 2018, Nandita Sharma is one of our three Featured Authors of the Month. You can view Nandita Sharma’s writing at Women’s Web here.
Authors are often asked this question, but everyone has their own reasons, very personal to them. So, why do you write?
Writing to me comes naturally. It is in fact, in my genes. My father is a writer and the inspiration was there right from a very tender age. I write as it is the perfect food for my soul’s hunger pangs apart from travelling. It is my space where I can pen down my deepest emotions. It is more like unburdening yourself on the paper.
What do you enjoy reading? Does any of it help your writing?
I enjoy reading stuff where I can connect to the subject on some level. Writings for example like Khalid Hosseni’s ‘The Kite Runner’ and works by Ruskin Bond, are great examples of writings from the heart. Yes, they have actually helped me to a large extent in the way thoughts can be articulated and presented to the reader apart from their strong visual imagery and keen observation as writers. I call their works as learning libraries for budding writers.
When it comes to writing on/for/about women, what questions and issues drive you the most?
Writing about women, the issues that drive me the most is the problem with our upbringing where most women in Indian families are not taught to be mentally strong and take a stand on their own whenever the need be. We still come across numerous examples where the norm is that daughters should carry on being unloved just for the sake of her children and moreover, to escape the social stigma. The voices are being raised and curbed subsequently but I as a writer feel that our pen should never cease to bring the reality to the fore and that too, without a peck of hesitation.
Could you narrate an issue or incident in your life which you think was gender related, and you handled it in a way that has made you proud.
Yes, that was one of the male members in my in laws family objected to my going out to work and earn. However, I did not hesitate to go ahead with my preferences and inclination as an independent thinking women, keen to create her own identity.
What are the things you would like to write about in the future for Women’s Web?
I would like to write about transgender women and their lives, the changing relationships between parents and their off springs and the need to do away with that ‘requisite permission’ for most women to make choices.
Thank you!
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What I loved was how there is so much in the movie of the SRK we have known, and also a totally new star. The gestures, the smile, the wit and the charisma are all too familiar, but you also witness a rawness, an edginess.
When a movie that got the entire nation in a twist – for the right and wrong reasons – hits the theatres, there is bound to be noise. From ‘I am going to watch it – first day first show’ to ‘Boycott the movie and make it a flop’, social media has been a furore of posts.
Let me get one thing straight here – I did not watch Pathaan to make a statement or to simply rebel as people would put it. I went to watch it for the sheer pleasure of witnessing my favourite superstar in all his glory being what he is best at being – his magnificent self. Because when it comes to screen presence, he burns it, melts it and then resurrects it as well like no other. Because when it comes to style and passion, he owns it like a boss. Because SRK is, in a way, my last connecting point to the girl that I once was. Though I have evolved into so many more things over the years, I don’t think I am ready to let go of that girl fully yet.
There is no elephant in the room really here because it’s a fact that Bollywood has a lot of cleaning up to do. Calling out on all the problematic aspects of the industry is important and in doing that, maintaining objectivity is also equally imperative. I went for Pathaan for entertainment and got more than I had hoped for. It is a clever, slick, witty, brilliantly packaged action movie that delivers what it promises to. Logic definitely goes flying out of the window at times and some scenes will make you go ‘kuch bhi’ , but the screenplay clearly reminds you that you knew all along what you were in for. The action sequences are lavish and someone like me who is not exactly a fan of this genre was also mind blown.
Recent footage of her coming out of an airport had comments preaching karma and its cruel ways, that Samantha "deserved her illness" because she filed for divorce.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu fell from being the public’s sweetheart to a villain overnight because she filed for divorce. The actress was struck with myositis post divorce, much to the joy of certain groups (read sexist) in our society.
A troll responded to Samantha’s tweet, “Women Rising!!” by adding to it “just to fall”. She replied, “Getting back up makes it all the more sweeter, my friend.”
Here’s another insensitive tweet by BuzZ Basket showing fake concern for her autoimmune disease. “Feeling sad for Samantha, she lost all her charm and glow. When everyone thought she came out of divorce strongly and her professional life was seeing heights, myositis hit her badly, making her weak again.” Samantha responded, “I pray you never have to go through months of treatment and medication like I did. And here’s some love from me to add to your glow.”
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