Poem: The girl who bled
By Shruti Chandra
She bled for the first time when she was ten;
That day she knew the bitter truth:
She had lost control over her body and her destiny, too.
Book Review: Ira Mukhoty’s ‘Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth and History’
By Karthik Venkatesh
Draupadi is anything but ideal. All fire and brimstone, she rages against the system that put her in terrible situations. Quite unlike Sita who accepts what comes her way with a meekness that is unnerving, Draupadi chooses to speak her mind. An observation that struck me with respect to Draupadi was that young girls are rarely named Draupadi.
Just another day in a ladies’ compartment
By Ananya Dutta Gupta
Looking at my female co-passengers, as they quickly alternated between affected courtesy and barely concealed ill-will, I could not help recall the faces of complicit onlookers as Christ is led away bearing his cross in Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings.
Do Kashmiri women have a voice of their own?
By Javeed Bin Nabi
Why are we unable to give due opportunities and space to women in Kashmir? Once outside the Valley, Kashmiris from our society claim that Kashmiri women are more liberated and freer than women in Pakistan and India. But the truth remains that women in Kashmir remain a soft target for both the gun-wielding soldiers and the vicious and intolerant men of our society, who with each passing day infringe the freedom of women.
Book Review: Lopamudra Banerjee’s ‘Thwarted Escape’
By Bhaswati Ghosh
Thwarted Escape is a woman’s journey – not only through the alleys of memory – but also in the physical realm, from the East to the West. The narrative oscillates between the author’s life in Kolkata, India and cities in the US, where she moved post-marriage. Some of the book’s most tender parts are where the author is seen synthesizing her experiences of her home country with those of her adopted one. In doing so she realizes that despite her impulse to fly abroad, the escape from her old universe never actually happened on the emotional plane.
How and why does Bollywood promote stalking?
By Kouser Fathima
One can imagine the impact this hit movie had on his fans. Many guys must have come out of the movie hall thinking it is not only okay to stalk a girl but that stalking was heroic, something which can be done without any remorse or regret. That it’s okay to follow a girl, trying to impress her against her wish, until she eventually reciprocates the feeling.
Gauri Shinde’s ‘Dear Zindagi’ – The great leveler
By Sanhita Chatterjee
‘Dear Zindagi’ has set a precedent and will hopefully be followed by many such pursuits in order to dent the “narrow domestic” walls built by the patriarchs. Hopefully, someday a woman’s voice won’t sound as odd as it does today.
Poems: Women Martyrs
By Faakirah Irfan
The women who are raped in war zones
Aren’t martyrs,
There is no honor in rape.
Milli Gazette and Its Misogyny
By Kouser Fathima
But sadly, the people at Milli Gazette are trying to push a regressive ideology, wherein the victim is blamed for her rape. In the name of honor, the portal seems to be indirectly justifying the act.
The Drama about Triple Talaq and Instant Triple Talaq
By Kouser Fathima
The sudden interest of the present government may be new but the bigger question is: Why hasn’t anything been done about the TT issue in all these years? Why were no efforts made to reform the laws? Why were no efforts made to hear the voices of women and of educated Muslims who wanted to have a say in the way the laws were made and implemented? The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) must answer these questions.
Memoirs of a rape survivor’s friend
By Faakirah Irfan
The next time she opened up to me about her rape was in class. One fine day she came up to me and told me everything that had happened to her. My heart raced the entire night as I collided with the realities of life I hadn’t known. I wept by the side of bed alone without getting inside the sheets to sleep.
Kashmir’s Unsung Heroes
By Faakirah Irfan
Women of Kashmir with all your strength, your valor, your pride, your magnificence, your patience, your resilience, you are the definition of what a woman is. You battered the mountains and crushed the rocks, with your blood, and with the granite of your courage, you built the entire city.
Cafe Dissensus Everyday 