Rules and laws are the foundation of civilized society. Yet it is not easy to make rules. A system that involves a large number of people, like a school, or a housing society, or a community is quite complex, let alone a city or a country. Rules are necessary for smooth functioning of groups. But no matter what rule is made, there will always be a few people who are reasonably inconvenienced by it.
Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to to extinguish patriarchy and gender bias, we lose sight of he important stuff and follow formulas and mantras. Do we forget, that is what got us here in the first place?
Criminalizing marital rape would send the clear message that: We as a nation do not condone marital rape.
Bigotry is on the rise in some parts of the world. Be it in the form of racism, sexism, religious intolerance or something else. People are becoming more comfortable with publicly expressing harsh hostile opinions directed against certain groups. So what can we do about it?
Most large societies evolved to be patriarchal. Many of us today are fighting against patriarchy and struggling to rectify the situation, but a question does come to mind. How or why did most large societies evolve to be patriarchal? What is the evolutionary biology explanation for this?
Last night the Nobel prize in literature was awarded to Bob Dylan. Here is a little about him and his views on parenting.
I was reading the very popular facebook post by Tannishtha Chatterjee about her humiliation on some comedy channel about the colour of her skin. “How is it funny to call someone dark? I don’t get it..” she says and she is right of course. But that got me thinking about jokes in general. There is a whole category of jokes that stereotype people and make fun of them as a group. Any of these sound familiar?
Often in the fight for equality and rights for women, the virtues of women are highlighted. Their endurance and emotional strength is emphasized. But what I don't understand is this. Do women need to be strong or successful or productive to deserve basic rights and equality?
Today we were stuck in traffic for a while. Our driver was bored waiting for some movement in traffic and turned his attention to my 2 year old. He held out his fist and asked her if she wanted a sweet. He occasionally gives sweets to my kids, so that is okay. But today, I was trying to frantically signal to him that he should not offer one today as she had eaten a few in the morning already. His response baffled me. He laughed and said, “Don't worry I don't have any. Look my hand is empty.” He said opening the fist.
Whatever their age may be, most women are anxious as they step through the doors of a gynaecologists office for the first time. For some of us, a host of questions run through our minds. Others prefer not to think about it. Some are too embarrassed to ask the questions that plague them.
Recently, I have come across a number of posts where people claim they are not going to teach their daughters to be nice. They are going to teach them to stand up for what they believe in, instead. What puzzles me is, how these came to be mutually exclusive.
Sweat trickled down her face and spine. The sun was beating down. It had been so pleasant when they had left for the walk, but the sun had creeped up on them quickly.
When is the right ime to talk to your kids about periods? How does one broach such an uncomfortable subject? This post is about how I talked to my daughter about periods, and why I believe we should be open about it.
Why do we treat our fellow women this way? Why is it so important that, if our legs are visible, they must also be bald? Why not let everyone make their choices and leave judgement and embarrassment out of it?
Many of us go for flag hoisting on Republic and Independence day and feel patriotic. We feel patriotic when we hear the national anthem and we stand up. We get angry when someone criticizes our country and feel a surge of patriotism. This is all good, but hardly enough.
