Flowing Thoughts

As a woman in her mid-twenties living alone in a metro, I have had a lot of moments in my life when I introspected the things that matter to me, the beliefs I want...

Once a month, women bleed in a natural biological dance that signifies - “hey, no baby for you this time!” Simple? Well. yes. But over the decades, people have been incredibly innovative in interpreting what it could mean instead. 

There’s a five-km stretch on a highway in Karnataka, between Kudur and Hulikal, that’s lined with majestic Banyan Trees. These trees are special, because they were all planted by one woman - Saaluumarada Thimmakka.

I am 30, unmarried, and I work with dogs for a living. This was not my plan. I come from a family where not just girls, even boys get married right out of college. So when I  told my parents I wanted to work, they were hesitant.

Mother-daughter is an oft eulogised, little understood relationship. Popular media mostly paints it in two prominent ways, the best friend mom or the guide/mentor...

Do not start with the ‘Ugh! That’s disgusting.’ We all know how much you boys like your Zombie movies and post-apocalyptic video games. So why is it so hard to stomach our period stories? Strap up boys because this, you NEED to read.

We all have fond memories of our childhood. My best ones though, come with a pinch of salt. Because as I was growing up, I was constantly mocked and teased by my relatives and teachers about how short I was. Every time I topped my class, or when I was chosen...

Gender roles have been around for centuries. A quick look back at the history of civilization shows us that traditionally, men have been the fixers of the world and women, the nurturers. And while there have been exceptions to this standard pattern...

You see us today, walking in our tic-toc heels, smashing stereotypes with the swing of our expensive handbags. You see us today, rolling our eyes at men who expect us to sit at home and be the good wife. You see us today...

Popular opinion says that the independent woman is someone who is able to pay her own bills, live on her own money, and take care of herself without depending on anyone else for financial support. But there’s more to this label that just the financial aspect...

Gender inclusivity is not limited to equal pay and equal rights. It includes the way we perceive others on the basis of gender, the ideas we attach to them, and the daily practices we follow. It is each person’s right to live and engage in an environment that is respectful...

It was on a Tuesday, back in 1994, that I first learned about the power of kindness. Nope. Not true. I have no memory of any Tuesdays of 1994. I was 4, in 1994. I didn’t even fully understand the concept of a week, in 1994. Here’s the thing about kindness, though...

Yes, you read that right. A woman’s health is not only her business but also of everyone else in her life, including the men. You must have read or heard that bit about a happy woman making a happy home. Let us rephrase that – a healthy woman makes a happy home.

The law can legislate and wise men in the courts can pass orders; but the real test of the acceptance of any verdict is in the court of the people and that of society at large. Public acceptance is everything. Especially when any law is passed that is regarded as contrary...

In 1982, Parvaty Ramanathan at 38 was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was in an advanced stage and options for treatment of breast cancer were very limited. She underwent mastectomy. Parvaty survived.

Consent, in and to any relation, should be a matter of right - when a girlfriend says it to her boyfriend, when a wife says it to her husband; indeed, when any woman says it to a man, it should be the last word.

One of my most vivid and distinct childhood memories is watching my mother take an English lesson for her class at a local elementary school. She conducts the lesson in her bold, confident and genteel manner as all the students...

Switch on the television and browse through any Indian Channel. You’ll notice, and this is interesting, that every daily soap that you’ll come across has at least one female character who’s the devil incarnate. And it’s not just in the recent times

She snoozed the alarm thrice before switching it off altogether. Her dreams were so much warmer than the marble floor. She was walking up the stage to receive her first Oscar for Best Actress. Without warning, the dream crashed...

I feel like a small-little-nothing sometimes. Like my words have no meaning, my thoughts no voice and my life, no direction. I feel as if I am just a puppet, with someone else’ fingers twisting and turning me.

I was 14 the first time someone explained ‘sex’ to me. And I was downright disgusted. To think that your parents did that! I couldn’t look them in the eye for many days...That’s how the journey of sex starts for most girls, with disgust.