Articles

No Baby, No Cry: What it Means to be Childfree by Choice

Society finds it hard to respect a woman’s choice in several matters of sex and marriage, but the decision to not have children is beyond the pale. How can you not be a mother? Isn’t it going against your DNA as a woman and your purpose on this planet?

Alka Shukla July 8, 2016

Gender

Hidden Figures: Should Homemakers Be Paid a Salary?

The lockdown has placed many homemakers in the unenviable position of having to cater to their family day in and day out, without the respite of seeing them off to school, college, or workplaces. It has also forced many working women to quit their jobs to tend to their homes. Shouldn’t they all be compensated for their labour?

Kahini Iyer July 8, 2016

POV

I Didn’t See Tenet in the Theatres & It’s Ok: Honestly, Do You Really Miss Going to the Movies?

The thought of sitting in a socially distanced theatre, with paranoia over safety measures constantly breaking the immersion of the film makes the cinema experience an unattractive proposition. And not even the lure of another Christopher Nolan mindbender is going to be enough to overcome my misgivings.

Dushyant Shekhawat July 8, 2016

Love and Sex

Love in the Time of Uber Ratings

You have to give it up for millennials. We’re ready to ignore our instincts and let one feature of a transportation app decide who we go on a date with.

Arré Bench July 7, 2016

People

Disability Day: When Your Prosthetic Leg is a “Security Threat”

I have a prosthetic leg, which makes me a security threat. Every time I go through an airport scanner, it beeps maniacally, like I’m a ticking 9/11 waiting to happen.

Antara Telang July 7, 2016

Pop Culture

Loving My Love Handles Like Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham empowered her actors to act through their bodies. In the six years that I’ve followed Girls, it has made me not cringe at my own nudity.

Amrita Paul July 7, 2016

Bollywood

20 Years of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani: In the Age of CAA and “Godi Media”, this SRK Film Seems Prophetic

Twenty years ago, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani that starred Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, featured a news channel that toed the government’s narrative and paid goons hired by a politician to orchestrate riots. It ends on a positive note where codes of democracy are honoured and protestors usher in a change. Today, as the entire country protests against the CAA-NRC, the film’s subtext has never been more relevant.

Manik Sharma July 7, 2016

POV

Dear General Rawat, Homosexuality Does Not Make One a Poorer Soldier

Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat today said he won’t allow gay sex in the forces – enough to win the “Outrage of the Day” contest. But expecting a woke response on sexuality from a 60-year-old army man is like looking for an auto-rickshaw outside Andheri station – you should be prepared for disappointment before you even begin.

Dushyant Shekhawat July 7, 2016

Pop Culture

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood Review: A Moving Drama Elevated by A Gentle Tom Hanks Performance

In A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Marielle Heller isn’t fixated with viewing Fred Rogers as a mystery that needs to be solved. Instead, Heller, complemented by a pitch perfect Tom Hanks performance, is invested in mapping the extent of his influence through a tender tale of redemption.

Poulomi Das July 7, 2016

Love and Sex

Until Marriage Do Us Part

For a people big on weddings, the “no-frills, no-fuss” of live-in relationships takes some getting used to. We’d better. Living in sin is in.

Meenakshi Reddy July 7, 2016