The Great Indian Patriarchy in The Great Indian Kitchen
About how a small-budget breakout Malayalam language film ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ which captures the patriarchal power imbalance in Keralan households.
Blog
Let’s talk about the Kamasutra
We’ve marched against discrimination. We’ve fought for equal pay. As we sip our well-earned Cosmopolitans with our fearless female friends, where does an ancient (and some would say archaic text) like the Kamasutra fit into our lives? Because we all know that the Kamasutra is about hundreds of impractical, impossible sexual positions, right? Wrong. In …
To touch or not to touch…
Indians don’t touch. Indians don’t hug. Indians certainly don’t kiss. Growing up in India, that’s what I grew up believing. My parents never touched each other or us, and it was the same with all my other little friends. The general belief was that as long as you clothed your kids, fed them, educated them, …
Is my body mine?
My first experience of being touched as a woman happened on a dusty Mumbai bus. It was horrible. I was 11 years old, off to school in my freshly-starched-and-pressed grey school uniform. An ‘uncle’ (all older men in India not related to you are ‘uncles’) smiled at me, then brazenly put his hand under my …
Mum’s the word
Childless. Barren. The words sound awful, evoking images of shriveled-up women who’ve given up on life. I decided not to have kids. Not because I couldn’t. It just wasn’t for me. It was a decision I took in my early 30’s. It wasn’t so I that could focus on my career. It was just because…I …
Being naked
Why are we so embarrassed about being naked? Millions of Japanese women don’t seem to be. On a recent trip to Japan, I discovered onsens. These hot springs are dotted all over Japan and as much part of a Japanese woman’s life as a manicure is among British women. This is how it works: you …
Is your body bootylicious, baby?
What do you see when you stand naked in front of the mirror? I first see the lumps & bumps that I’m not happy with. The over-large tummy, the too-small breasts. Then, if I make the effort, I start to see the beauty in my body. I’m sure that’s the case with most women, in …
Guest Blog: Not Asian Enough?- Tanya Vyas
Several times over the last year – in fact, over the last decade – I have been told that I don’t look Asian, Indian or Sikh. Another common comment I receive is, “You look different”. Usually, I overlook remarks like this; I don’t worry myself with what others think of me. But since this was …