Gender

Women’s Day Special Poem 2023

Poem dedicated to all the women in my life. Here is the content: Today is a very very special day Because it belongs to women and girls Without whom I would be a nobody A person whose existence would be forgotten As quickly as a politician forgets his/her promises to the public After winning the…Read more Women’s Day Special Poem 2023

You have endured so much

You have endured so much You have braved so much As a village girl In the clutches of poverty Studying, cooking, washing As a city girl In the murky waters Of office politics and gossip Tears well up in your eyes As a colleague revels in his sport Of cracking jokes at your expense You…Read more You have endured so much

A short response to Nivedita Menon’s blog on Raya Sarkar’s List

This is my shortest blog post ever. It is also very late. The reason why I am posting it is because my comment on the Kafila blog (of which renown Savarna feminist Professor Nivedita Menon is a member and co-Founder) is waiting for moderation - and I have doubts on whether it will be posted…Read more A short response to Nivedita Menon’s blog on Raya Sarkar’s List

Liberals and the complicity in casteism – Part 2

This is a continuation of my rant about the casual casteism of liberals from Part 1 https://ashwinkumar1989.online/2017/12/12/liberals-and-the-complicity-in-casteism-part-1/ . I am sorry for the long gap in between, but well; I was busy with work - to compensate for the end-of-the-year vacation that I am gonna take. Like I mentioned earlier, I am an ex-liberal. Like most…Read more Liberals and the complicity in casteism – Part 2

Liberals and the complicity in casteism – Part 1

I am from a conservative Tamil Brahmin family, which has always leaned to the right (supporting BJP, RSS etc.). I  am privileged in four ways - gender (male), religion (Hindu), caste (Brahmin) and class (upper middle - class). I have been blind to most of these privileges. Because of the patriarchal structure of my family…Read more Liberals and the complicity in casteism – Part 1

Anatomy of a chat: What is wrong with Indian men? – Part 2

Here I am, to continue my rant about the bewildering attitude of the savarna liberal elite; especially men - continuing from where I left out - the response to Bollywood actress Vidya Balan speaking about sexual harassment, involving an Army Jawan staring at her breasts https://ashwinkumar1989.online/2017/11/12/anatomy-of-a-chat-what-is-wrong-with-indian-men-part-1/ . Asit Misra, the OP who brazenly admitted to staring…Read more Anatomy of a chat: What is wrong with Indian men? – Part 2

Anatomy of a chat: What is wrong with Indian men? – Part 1

Many of you may not be knowing that popular Bollywood actress Vidya Balan recently spoke on the viral #MeToo campaign, regarding her experience of being stared at by a soldier during her college days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mglQoWeKlc . When asked about sexual harassment under the #MeToo Campaign, she said that sexual abuse has always been happening. Vidya said, referring to…Read more Anatomy of a chat: What is wrong with Indian men? – Part 1

Sexism and the difficult task of convincing men – 2

This is part 2 of my blog post on sexism in India, and the difficulty in convincing other men on our sexist culture and the need for change in attitude towards women; continued from https://ashwinkumar1989.online/2017/10/27/sexism-and-the-difficult-task-of-convincing-men-part-1/ . This mainly concerns the conversations between me and my right-wing and anti-feminist friend mentioned in Part 1, whose attitude proves…Read more Sexism and the difficult task of convincing men – 2

Sexism and the difficult task of convincing men – Part 1

The #MeToo campaign was helpful in many ways. It got me to publicly admit my wrongdoings  towards women (before I became a feminist); something that I should have done much earlier, without the need of a campaign to bring out guilt and remorse buried at the back of my mind. These are my two posts …Read more Sexism and the difficult task of convincing men – Part 1

I am part of the problem – Part 2

Continuing more of my contributions towards misogyny from  https://ashwinkumar1989.in/2017/10/18/i-am-part-of-the-problem-part-1/ , I also had another female friend from my undergraduation; whom I didn't give space - I sent her many Facebook messages (seeking reassurance from work stress) without giving her enough time to reply. I also posted on her wall quite a few times; without bothering to…Read more I am part of the problem – Part 2