Gloria Steinem, one of feminism’s most influential voices, on the state of the women’s movement, and her enduring connection with India. I am putting together Gloria Steinem’s first-ever pani-puri, and a great deal of care has gone into its making: cracking the puri, stuffing the filling and adding the chutneys with what I can only hope is a judicious mix of spicy and tangy. The tapering fingers on a hand that proudly bears the vestiges of a hard, long battle—age spots and veins that stand out with startling clarity, allowing for the adornment of a single, silver ring—pick up the pani-puri and she’s about to…

Men say they are scared by this new environment. Far too many women have lived in fear of the old environment. It’s time to pack the dinosaurs off to the museum, writes Namita Bhandare. I hear a great lament these days. Aggressive women are killing romance in the workplace with their flurry of complaints (young corporate executive) Come on. He put his hand on her back. And that’s sexual harassment? (older lawyer) Really? You can just name and shame a senior judge and damn his reputation forever? (even older lawyer) Farooq Abdullah’s fatuous comment — “I’m scared to talk to…

Political parties are slowly realising that women constitute the largest vote-bank and they need to at least look concerned. But, dressed-up manifestos and sops like saris and pressure cookers won’t cut it any longer. Namita Bhandare writes. HT Image I am a woman. When I vote, I do not cast my ballot because my husband tells me to vote for a particular candidate or because my father-in-law wants me to vote for a certain party. I vote as an independent woman who asks her candidate: how are you going to make my constituency, my state, my country a better place…

The SP deserves to lose. That’s a small compensation for those who live under open skies in the Muzaffarnagar riot relief camps, scrambling to rebuild what is left of their lives. ‘Live communities don’t wait for five years.’ Akhilesh Yadav might want to heed these words attributed to his party’s mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia, speaking of the wrath of voters. With just a few months to go before the general elections, the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar that displaced over 40,000 people and left 60 dead will be an issue that he will have to answer for. Once seen as the…

The SP deserves to lose. That’s a small compensation for those who live under open skies in the Muzaffarnagar riot relief camps, scrambling to rebuild what is left of their lives. Namita Bhandare writes. ‘Live communities don’t wait for five years.’ Akhilesh Yadav might want to heed these words attributed to his party’s mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia, speaking of the wrath of voters. With just a few months to go before the general elections, the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar that displaced over 40,000 people and left 60 dead will be an issue that he will have to answer for. Once…

Apart from expressions of disapproval in meetings, Modi has been silent and it’s not clear whether he is upset that his development agenda is being hijacked, lacks the clout to shake off the RSS or is playing the good cop/bad cop where he will make the right noises about governance, leaving the Hindutva brigade free to pursue their agenda. It’s tempting to laugh off the fringe’s view of the world and Hinduism. Nathuram Godse was a great patriot and his statue must be put up in public places (Hindu Mahasabha). The conversion of Muslims to Hinduism will lead to genetic…

Political parties are slowly realising that women constitute the largest vote-bank and they need to at least look concerned. But, dressed-up manifestos and sops like saris and pressure cookers won’t cut it any longer. I am a woman. When I vote, I do not cast my ballot because my husband tells me to vote for a particular candidate or because my father-in-law wants me to vote for a certain party. I vote as an independent woman who asks her candidate: how are you going to make my constituency, my state, my country a better place for me and my daughters?…

In just a month’s time, it will be one year to the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi. The incidence that shook the collective conscience of the nation has inspired a documentary film, which was screened recently in the Capital. In just a month’s time, it will be one year to the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi. The incidence that shook the collective conscience of the nation has inspired a documentary film, which was screened recently in the Capital. Titled Silent Screams: India’s Fight Against Rape, the 45-minute film is directed by Pria Somiah Alva…

Sexual harassment is an abuse of power, a betrayal of trust and one of India’s worst-kept secrets. But one thing has changed, and it is the refusal of an increasing number of women to remain silent. You could say it’s just another week in the life of working women in India. A retired Supreme Court judge is probed for sexual harassment. A high profile editor faces charges of sexual assault. And revelations emerge of a massive surveillance effort on a working woman in Gujarat, allegedly by then home minister Amit Shah at the behest of an unnamed “saheb”. Each instance…

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate should know that national pride lies in not wanting the world to look at India in admiration. It lies in making your country a better place for its citizens. The man who hopes to be India’s next prime minister is talking about national pride. It will be built on the foundation of the world’s tallest statue, a statue of a man neglected by the Congress and now appropriated by its principal rival, the BJP. When completed, the 182-metre high statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, built by melting iron pieces of used agricultural implements collected from…

Sexual harassment is an abuse of power, a betrayal of trust and one of India’s worst-kept secrets. But one thing has changed, and it is the refusal of an increasing number of women to remain silent, writes Namita Bhandare. You could say it’s just another week in the life of working women in India. A retired Supreme Court judge is probed for sexual harassment. A high profile editor faces charges of sexual assault. And revelations emerge of a massive surveillance effort on a working woman in Gujarat, allegedly by then home minister Amit Shah at the behest of an unnamed…

Caught in a shadowy time between tradition and globalisation, post liberalised India’s fascination for godmen continues. My first instinct was to laugh. Only in India would a seer dream of a long dead king telling him about buried gold. Only in India would this be taken seriously enough to send the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) scurrying off to unearth hidden treasure in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Only in India would this set off a frenzy of treasure seekers who reportedly hold two priests at gunpoint while they dig a temple and a fort in an adjoining village looking for the…