Stand Together

  The International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women  should be one of the most important days of the year for the whole world. Why is this so important? Isn’t the fact that nearly half of the world’s population is either female or born female, enough? This is more than enough, but it isn’t. Women and girls face violence every day in some form or the other. From physical and sexual abuse (which are pandemics on their own), to more invisible forms of violence such as emotional abuse, gaslighting and more, we experience these every day, across the year. There comes a point in each of our lives when we think and say - it is enough and take measures to put a stop to it. This happens when we are empowered to do so. What about those who don’t have the same empowerment or privilege? Can we just say ‘it is what it is’ and turn a blind eye to it – let the victims deal with it the way they have been, so far? No – we cannot and should not. I have experienced violence in ...

When I was 14-years old, Britney Spears sang “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” and parts of the lyrics rang true in my life. I was apparently a girl and a woman and this didn't sit well with me. Although it was drilled into my brain by family and society, I knew I was still just a child.  Have you noticed that in most cultures, girls “grow-up” or “mature” faster? How true is this? Do you think this actually happens? Or is this a way for patriarchy to groom girls to be compromising throughout their lives? I believe yes, there is no other reason why we place such a high-pressure expectation on the shoulders of children who just happen to be born female.  The below picture was shared by someone I know. The occasion was Children’s Day  at a school in India. Do you notice the big difference between the two genders represented here? Look closely, how are the boys (on the top) dressed and how are the girls dressed?    My struggle with this picture is that on...

  We are popularly known as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Immigrating sounds glamorous to most of us Indians and it mostly is. It is an opportunity to upgrade your own life and that of your family, which is why most of us are keen to reach greener pastures. Although the process is stressful, in the end, we do reap the rewards of a more convenient life and access to a higher income. Every immigrant will tell you how wonderful life is in a foreign land. If they don't tell you, you clearly see it in their social media activity. Here is what they don't tell you – life overseas is a big challenge. They don’t tell you the discomfort you feel when you cannot fit into your new social environment. They don't warn you about how much you may end up missing your family or your country. They don’t tell you how the small things that irritated you back home are the things you miss the most. You miss the marigold flowers in your mother’s temple in her kitchen, you miss adding ghee to ...