For as long as girls are taught that marriage is their only goal, they must compromise and a bad husband is better than no husband, they will continue to remain in abusive relationships. Until the monstrosity of his alleged crime, Aaftab Poonawala was your average abusive neighbor. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo) When R, then 19, fell […]
The insidious prevalence of domestic violence in India. Read More »
Credit: HT Print Shraddha Walkar had cut ties with her family when she walked out of home to move in with her boyfriend, Aaftab Poonawala in 2020. When a friend, Lakshman Nadar told her father in mid-September this year that he hadn’t heard from her for months, the father got in touch with the police. It was
A horrific murder in Delhi exposes the dark underbelly of domestic violence Read More »
At 9.18 pm on February 9, 2012, a 19-year-old woman working with a call centre at Gurugram’s Cyber City got off the bus to walk the remainder of the remaining 10-minute distance home at Chhawla Camp. Suddenly, to the shock of two friends who were walking with her, a red Tata Indica pulled up and
Why did the Supreme Court acquit three men sentenced to death for gang-rape and murder? Read More »
For too long, too many of us have remained silent about just what it takes to be an employed mother, believing the lie that if we lean in enough, it will all magically work out. It won’t It won’t. If we want workplaces and society to acknowledge, if not understand, what it takes to be
Motherhood and job, not an easy balance Read More »
Credits: ONMANORAMA In a country where the “motherhood penalty” leads to young mums quitting jobs in droves, one working mother decided to take her three-year-old son with her to a public function to which she had been invited. The valedictory function of a film festival was held on a Sunday, October 30. In the video, Divya
WHY WE NEED TO NORMALISE THIS Read More »
On the 40th day after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody for being ‘improperly’ veiled, thousands ignored road closures and marched to her grave in Saqez, Iran. The protests are being led by women. They are burning hijabs, cutting their hair, dancing and chanting: “Women, life, freedom”. Despite a brutal crackdown that has, according to one estimate left 222 dead,
The wrath of women: How the battle was won when women protestors took to the streets Read More »
I can’t help but wonder at the depths we have plumbed in the decade since the brutality of the December 16, 2012 gang rape led an outraged nation to demand justice, compelling the then Congress-led government to tighten rape laws. Since 2012, violent crimes against women have only gone up, a reflection perhaps of both
Women’s safety: A hollow slogan in the India of today Read More »
In the rampage that followed the 2017 conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for murder and rape, 30 people were killed, 200 injured and vehicles and public property were set on fire as his followers clashed with police. Rahim had been sentenced to 20 years of hard labour. In the five years since
Convicted rapists get out-of-jail-free cards. Is there an election around the corner? Read More »
No matter what he does, film, ad or a talk about intolerance in India, Aamir Khan has long been a red flag to the Rightwing ecosystem. The latest furor comes over an ad that follows a story line where it’s not the bride, but the bridegroom (played Khan) who enters his wife’s home. The outrage has followed
On the performative wokeness of Bollywood celebs Read More »
The hijab row is now headed to a larger Supreme Court bench and all eyes will be on the Chief Justice of India. The composition of this bench will be crucial to determine what is at heart a simple question: Do India’s women have the right to choose? Justice Shudhanshu Dhulia’s dissenting opinion trends towards
Do India’s women have the right to choose? Read More »
The Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion as a right available to all women regardless of their marital status is creating a stir – and, for once, it’s for all the right reasons. The ruling, passed by a three-judge bench of justices D.Y. Chandrachud, A S Bopanna and J B Pardiwala, “can inspire new benchmarks on reproductive rights
Why the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion is creating waves Read More »
The choice between the right to education and allowing girls to wear a headscarf with their uniforms is a no-brainer. The girls must be allowed their fundamental right to expression, privacy, and autonomy. There is no contradiction. The fundamental point in both countries is a woman’s right to choose. In Iran, the extraordinary sight of
Iran to India, let women decide their hijab rules Read More »