WOMEN

I know how March 8 is going to be for me.I will be wished, my praises sung, my existence celebrated and my attention vied for. I will be wooed big-time by advertisers, offered discounts on jewellery, clothes. Why, someone will creatively offer 8% off on beer and champagne... There is no escaping March 8th these days if you are a woman. But there is more to International Women's Day than discount offers and "pampering the woman in you". The real reason why this day is historic, I will leave it to your online searching skills to discover - but the…

It has happened to every woman. You are filling a form for a bank account or a driver's license or an internet connection. And the tip of your pen momentarily hovers over the section that stubbornly demands a ‘Father/Husband's Name'. In nearly every form we fill, however irrelevant to the nature of application you are filling, this information is vital. You ignore the thought as if the field were a leering lout serenading you on the street with a song and comply to the necessary evils of paperwork. A pre-paid SIM card application form picked up in Bangalore. Pic: Siri…

At first glance, the store called "Himalayan Dowry An Anti-Dowry Store" seems like any other place dealing in Kashmiri handicrafts, except for its name. Only on enquiring, would one realize that there is more to this outlet situated on M. G. Road. Incidentally, it is in the basement of a building near the office of the Printers (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd. (publishing Deccan Herald, Prajavani, et al). According to the website of the store, it traces its origins to an establishment in Kashmir in the year 1809. This was founded by a great Sufi and healer, Kh. Naqi Ali Shawl from…

One billion rising, it is a very exhilarating and exciting thought. I had to be there and I wanted my daughter to be there. Although she's too young to understand its significance.On 14th February, I decided I should take my daughter's babysitter also along. Selvi is very fiesty, she minces no words when it comes to bullshit. And that is pretty much what made me pick her to take care of my child.When we got there the mood was all set. The women were ready to strike, rise and dance. They painted, they danced, they sang. Pic: Anu Gummaraju. Selvi,…

Valentine’s Day, for all practical purposes, is a commercial creation. The day itself does not bear any deep significance to those who may celebrate it, though the love they celebrate might bear some value. Politically and socially, it is a fluffy construct, and should not require too much inspection. But V-Day is D-day now, as far as women’s rights movements are concerned. The day has grown to be important because it appears that there is now a fight on for the ability to love and express it. Illustration: Shilo Shiv Suleman - this is part of the set created by…

In the last few weeks, we have started segregating waste in our apartment complex. Valuable lessons have been learnt on the problems created by thoughtless waste disposal, while understanding how resistant residents can be to change, even if it is for ‘greater good.'But what I did not expect is - insights into gender equation in households. Before you accuse me of bringing in feminist agenda into waste management, hear me out, I do have a point.Firstly, when the entire city was stinking up and grappling with how to dispose garbage safely, it was the women in the apartment who mooted…

“Arey yaar.. in logon ko to kuch kaam dhandha hai nahi, saare aakar yahan baith ke aawaz uthathe hai…. hamare desh mein aise bahut saare hadse hote rehte hai, aise awaaz uthake kya fayda; kuch hone wala to hai nahi” - (These people are not at all serious about the issue, what is the use of protesting on streets then? How are we to benefit from these protests?) - this is what a commuter told me as he stopped his bike for a while to witness people raising their voices at Town Hall – a popular protest spot in Bengaluru.…

Of late, many suggestions have been floating around on ensuring security to women. One recent suggestion has been by electricity utility BESCOM's Managing Director P Manivannan (IAS), known for his reformist efforts. In a discussion on Facebook last week, Manivannan said that having a 911-like helpline will be a major step in improving police responsiveness. If police tracks calls automatically and reaches a spot within 10 minutes of the call, it will deter criminals, he argued.The current 100-helpline for Bengaluru is inefficient to the point that many do not consider it to be working at all. For a city of…

The death of the 23-year-old Delhi girl after her gang rape and brutality shook the conscience of the nation, even as more and more stories continue to be reported.Bengaluru has had its own share of cases involving sexual violence against women and 2012 was no different, indicating that the remains far from safe. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics for 2011, Bangalore had ranked fourth among cities of the country in recorded rape cases.Early in 2012, C C Patil, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, had advised women to “dress appropriately” so that they do not face…

There has been outrage in the country after the recent Delhi gangrape case. The ripples have been felt in Bengaluru too. Different groups in the city, ranging from feminists, political parties, students and IT employees have been protesting. There have been protests in the city earlier, on issues of violence against women with barely 20-30 activists participating. The number of male protesters would be negligible. The protest would often be seen as so irrelevant that the public would not give a second glance. If there was no police permission given, there would be no gentle treatment from the police either.…