Mothers

Bringing up father

In Hindustan Times, I argue for the need fathers to take a far more meaningful role in bringing up their children by taking paternity leave.  It was after his son Viggo was born that Swedish photographer, Johan Bavman, then on parental leave, began looking for information about stay-at-home-dads. He found nothing. What he did find […]

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Remove the cultural baggage, awkwardness about menstruation

Removing GST from sanitary napkins and menstrual hygiene products is only one of many issues we need to address when talking about menstruation. Hay, dried leaves, straw. Nature’s bounty? Hardly. These are just some of the innovative blotters used by many Indian girls and women who menstruate. That word itself; so troublesome, so awkward. Perhaps

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It’s not just the British, but our govts also owe us a range of apologies

If we are to talk about apologies with any degree of honesty, then there’s plenty to be remorseful about in post Independent India. It’s not a foreign colonial power, but our own governments that also owe us a range of apologies. Nobody is owed an apology more than the Dalits and the women of this

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Make them feel relevant

A State can make it mandatory to look after the elderly. But what about emotional care? In the sepia-tinted narrative, the parents grow old, earn their place of respect and have hordes of dutiful, loving children and grandchildren worship at their feet. The Grand Indian Family is alive, well and happy. The golden years are

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A card cannot say it all

On Mother’s Day, spare a thought for the sufferings of millions of women. Tomorrow I will not be gifting my mother either flowers or a card. No spa treatment. No manicure-pedicure. Like all the other 364 days this year, I will call her, perhaps pop in to fill her medicine box, make sure she has

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