Tamil Nadu has become the first state in India to officially ban the harassment of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) people by the police. Harassment by the police, which is routine especially for transgender people, is now a punishable offence. “We have been fighting for so many years to get our rights,” […]
A step forward in Tamil Nadu for gay rights Read More »
If you want to save Muslim women, then educate them. It really is that simple. Instead, school administrations, headed by politicians, deny girls education because of a piece of cloth on their heads Burqa-clad female Muslim students arrive to attend a class at ATNC College, Shivamogga, February. 17, 2022 (PTI) After her husband’s death, my
Hijab row: It’s about control, not choice Read More »
What began as a local issue with six high school girls in Udupi insisting on wearing a head scarf over their uniforms to class has now escalated into a full-blown national row that has landed in the Supreme Court. On Friday, the apex court refused to hear petitions against an interim Karnataka high court order which states
Another government-run institute in Karnataka has barred the entry of women students who wear head scarves and hijab. Ramakrishna GJ, the principal of the junior college at Kundapur, Udupi district, shut the gates on the girls as he told them they would have to comply with the uniform rules set by the government. The students counter that
Hijab row erupts, again Read More »
This tribalist culture is reflected in ways in which the mob metes out what it sees as justice. It has the sanction of the crowd, whether it’s dealing with a pickpocket, suspected ‘beef eaters’ or ‘honor’ killings Rule of law, says psychologist Rajat Mitra, remains an alien concept over seven decades after we adopted our
Rule of law remains an alien concept in India Read More »
The death of one of India’s most accomplished dancers resulted in a rash of largely laudatory obituaries. Less vocal and visible was a thread that alleged that he was a sexual predator who abused the famous guru-shishya tradition to prey on young female students. On Twitter and Instagram, a woman kathak dancer posted a thread
How do we talk about the art of predatory men? Read More »
While we’ve been chipping away at the traditional silence around menstruation, its progression to menopause is still deemed too awful to talk about A recent survey in the United Kingdom (UK) finds that one in 10 women has quit a job due to menopausal symptoms. The Indian Menopause Society estimates that 150 million women in
Menopause is real. We need to talk about it . Read More »
Six students have continued to be marked absent since December 31 after being denied entry into their classrooms at the Government Women’s pre-university college in Udupi, Karnataka for their insistence on wearing a hijab. College principal Rudra Gowda has said the students can wear hijab on the college premises but not inside classrooms. The rule is being followed to
Hijab stand-off at Udupi Read More »
G Gopakumar’s acquittal of Franco Mulakkal, a bishop of the Jalandhar diocese, is the latest in misogynist rape judgments and tells you why sexual assault survivors remain reluctant to speak up. In two words: Rape trials The acquittal of Tarun Tejpal in May 2021 falls into this pattern and is rife with graphic details about
Why rape victims hesitate to speak up Read More »
The online ‘auction’ of Muslim women exists in an ecosystem of hate. But the sexualized attack on Muslim women is not new. Over the past year, there have been at least three “auctions” — May 2020, Eid in July, and November on Clubhouse It reflects the divisiveness sown by media that makes free use of
A petri dish of deep distrust and hatred Read More »
Vanitha, one of Kerala’s most popular women’s magazines published by the Malayala Manorama group, chose for its January cover a smiling portrait of Malayalam actor Dileep, along with his wife and two daughters. The picture-perfect image caused a furore. Actor Swara Bhaskar tweeted, “shame on you” and film critic Anna Vetticad responded, “sick”. Dileep is
Waiting for justice Read More »
A new variant of Covid in full throttle has tempered the hope that traditionally comes with a new year. It’s also a grim reminder of just how hard it is to dislodge that other ‘p’ word, patriarchy. What are the trends that will define India’s gender agenda in 2022? This edition of Mind the Gap
Six Trends To Watch Out For In 2022 Read More »