POV Archives

Mothers: The Most Judgemental People on Earth

I used to scoff at friends who gave their toddlers phones or ipads while feeding them. I did not want to be that mother. Three years later, it’s more likely that India tops the Olympics than my son eats without a screen in front of him.

Vani Rane June 7, 2016

POV

Behind the Scenes at Delhi’s Madame Tussauds

Why does one go to a Madame Tussauds at all? The cult of celebrity drives many of us in this country, but what convinces us to spend money to indulge in what I can only explain to myself as necrophilia of the eye?

Manik Sharma June 7, 2016

POV

“Paani Chala Gaya”: Why India Will Never Have its The Shape of Water

Would the creature from The Shape of Water, who needs to stay hydrated all the time, fall in love in India, staring at its own version of the water crisis? He might be an anti-hero instead, avenging the loss of his habitat from the worst of us.

Runa Mukherjee June 7, 2016

POV

Sabarimala vs Triple Talaq: Dear PM, There’s No Choice Between Hindu & Islamic Oppression of Women

In a rare interview, PM Modi stated that banning triple talaq has helped secure gender equality, but the Sabarimala ban on women is a tradition that has nothing to do with discrimination. But if treating women’s bodies as sacrilege isn’t blatant discrimination, what is?

Kahini Iyer June 7, 2016

POV

9/11 and the Upshot of Flashbulb Memory

The explanation for the HD recollection of 9/11 lies in "flashbulb memories". For me, they’re a welcome reminder that human beings are actually not dead inside.

Akhil Sood June 7, 2016

POV

Ayodhya Verdict: Now is the Best Time for India to Say, “Let Bygones Be Bygones”

The centuries-old Ayodhya dispute has stifled and bolted political discourse in India to the regressive wall of hate and bigotry. It has limited the average citizen’s capacity to disassociate from the politics of religious difference. Secularism had almost turned into a hoax. Saturday’s verdict, however, may change something, if not everything.

Manik Sharma June 6, 2016

POV

I’m a Muslim and I Can Never Go “Boo!”

I wear my religion on my sleeve – actually more like on my head in the form of a headscarf. And this happens to be a not-so-good time to be a practising Muslim.

Saadia S June 5, 2016

POV

Shouldn’t the People of Kashmir Have Had a Say in the Revocation of Article 370?

I am not going to debate whether the revocation of Article 370 is going to be good or bad for Kashmir and India. The result of this action will only be clear with time. But what we must consider is the way this whole manoeuvre was orchestrated. And what that might portend for the future of our democracy.

Karan Mujoo June 5, 2016

POV

Dear Fellow South Indians, Sexism isn’t Just North India’s Problem

Have South Indians really earned the right to claim the moral high ground when it comes to sexism? For starters, comparing stats on women’s rights in developed states to the rural cowbelt, is like lauding India for having a stronger record on human rights than Saudi Arabia.

Kahini Iyer June 3, 2016

POV

“What Do JNU Students Do All Day?” Ask Economics Nobel Winner Abhijit Banerjee

Surprisingly, rather than celebrating Abhijit Banerjee’s achievement of winning the Nobel Prize for Economics, some have been deriding him for his “anti-national” credentials. What must sting these critics most is that Banerjee happens to be an alumnus of the most hated-on educational institute in right-wing intellectual circles: Jawaharlal Nehru University.

#VALUE! June 3, 2016