Long stares on the chest… A touch at the hips followed by a ‘Sorry, it was by mistake’! A sexual gaze at your jeans clad legs and dirty rubbing against your breast in a bus! Women in India have to go through such vulgar sexual approaches every single day! To men, it doesn’t quite matter whether you are a 16 year old naive girl or a 40 years old mother! The way people look at you and make sexual advances at you is not right!

India, known for its culture, heritage and integrity is also known for some extremely obnoxious rituals and beliefs. The Dawoodi Bohra community away from all the attention and eyes of the Indian citizens practices circumcision on women. The practice has been going on in this particular community for so many years but it is only that men and women cohesively started raising their voice against it. The practice is called as “khatna” in India.

I went in front of the mirror to check how I looked. As soon as I saw my reflection on the mirror, it gave me the shock of my life. I really couldn’t see myself; I saw a girl with messed up hair! I rubbed my eyes vigorously, pinched myself to make sure that I was not dreaming. No.. it wasn’t a dream.

Many will argue that city kids don’t have these values of hard work, commitment, respect etc as they have it easy. My answer to that is always simply – who are the role models, first, let’s discuss those attitudes before branding the children! And second, values are driven by experiences, so are the children exposed to a variety or sheltered? If they are, then once again, who is responsible.

“I was always by myself and at the age of 10, one of the professors at my school took advantage of the situation and raped me.” Imagine a girl who is as young as 10 years old going through something like that. One normally might break down but this girl took it courageously and today is successfully leading a happy life.

Indian Court and Indian Laws – Does our judicial system impart justice equally to men and women? The answer seems to be in the favour of men, I think! With rape cases being dragged on for years, no proper laws penned down for punishing the molesters or rapists, the Indian Judiciary system has always been in question, especially when it comes to justice for women.

My life is perfect. I have a great job (I know it’s a hard to believe because there is no perfect job in this world) but I am very much happy with the work that I am doing, I have a supportive family and some amazing friends who make my life even more awesome. But there is something which always seems to be missing.

Kanchan is just like a normal woman but her specialty lies in her will to do the extraordinary. She wakes up at 6 in the morning, finishes her household work and then sets out on a mission to make sure the people in need of healthcare reach hospital either voluntarily or with some care.

As an educator, for me the tangibles that herald change will always remain qualitative and perhaps not always defined as concrete models. My mantra in life has been – the process is more important than the outcome and the India that Gandhiji left behind is going to make him proud in many ways. A country so vast as ours, a country so rich in its heritage embracing the ways of a global world will need time and patience and the freedom we have and celebrate today as one of the leading democracies of the world is staggering. We have to be grateful as Indians.

Also, where is the equality? Shouldn’t the judgement be the same for a woman, who leaves her parents to live with the man forever, can she seek a divorce? Why Indian laws always oscillate between lawful and lawless, will remain answered!! From the Judgement that the Supreme court passed it appears that sons are still preferred over daughters! Why is a daughter living with her parents is not so touched or even given a thought upon and here a freedom to seek a divorce is granted for sons? I would say again, I am annoyed by this sexist judgement of the court!! I don’t deny the fact that there are women who simply do not let her husband take care of his parents but there can be other solutions to this!! Is Divorce is an option, really?? Now any man who has least interest in his wife will offer an alibi and frame her into a fowl case!! What if a mother tried to conspire that her bahu does not want to live with them? It’s easy for them!

At a time when I thought I couldn’t trust anyone, I found him always there. I began to trust him, to depend on him and to feel so safe with him that at times I lay my head on his chest just to hear his heart and calm down in my worst moments. I had a connection that I couldn’t define but was just so thankful to have. I would and did do anything for him. He was my closest friend and confidante. As our friendship grew, so did my closeness to him.

Being a woman we have taken ourselves granted, be it anything… you are good at compromises, good at being guilty for silly reasons which doesn’t even make much difference. And mistakes are a part and parcel of every human, it happens and are closed with apologizes but not every mistake are worth worries, not every mistake results into a guilt. Well, I shouldn’t call them mistakes but Independent Ideologies, for which you should never ever feel apologetic!

PINK, the name itself is unique, bold, beautiful and has many meanings to it. The movie do not need a review as to how it is and what qualifies it to charge you money for a silver screen, but the movie deserves to be discussed upon, to be analyzed and then to be learnt and engrave deeply in our minds. After a long time, there’s a movie Bollywood has in its kitty that is packed with the reality, no cuts but harsh truth that we all need to accept, cannot run we have no other options!

Indian audience connects well when emotions are poured into a message, that’s the crux and everyone knows it, pretty well. Be it International brands or companies that have Indian roots, they know Indians ke dil ka raasta is through emotions. Like many other adverts which play its tunes on the subjects like Mother-daughter bond, sharing is caring funda, Daadi ke haath se bani daal etc, this new advert throws bold light on the conventional women stereotypical myths.

Aren’t you familiar with these phrases? And these aren’t just statements thrown on women but these are the prejudices that are deeply engraved in our Indian society. Time to time since centuries, we have held back women to know their own talent and potential, their power to do something and defend her in any situations. Every Time a woman raised her voice or capabilities to move forward and walk shoulder to shoulder with men, she is demotivated, she is demoralized, she is devalued with such phrases which make her feel that she is way subordinate to men. Society has taught inequality on every single step of her life.

She runs 2 schools in the city and learns from the travel expenditure which is a regular part of her life. For her traveling is a learning experience, about culture, about food, about how people evolved in that particular place, so that is what she does now but what makes her stand aside extraordinarily is her contribution to the animal welfare and the values by which she lives by. Vcare is active because of volunteers, donations and contributions. She not only provide animal shelter but facilitates surgeries if required and food. At times it is very difficult to even pay the salaries but somehow she manages.

Life isn’t easy for anyone, it’s more or less a hard road to walk on; however, the worst has been in the share of Hijras, the Third gender. From unacceptable discovery to inevitable self acceptance, they go through a lot of pain that we might not imagine. And it do not limit here, post self acceptance comes the family estrangement, who would ever want to get away from the loved ones forever? This happens with them! One such unfortunate Transgender shared a bitter-sweet story of her life from self-realization to being lonely to enjoying the fatherhood to Humans of Amdavad.

The life everyone craved to be a part of, shattered in seconds, nothing would be as before. Nishil left no reason that had dragged him to take a lethal decision. Nobody knew what worried him so much, that he had not even shared it with his wife, the woman whom he loved the most. Life changed, every bit of it. His father now has began a part time job at a bookstore, to support a bit of financial situation which may soon wither if not added little of little earnings. Nishil’s wife has forgotten how to smile, she works from morning 6 to 10 in the night, also takes care of her little son – who believes his father is out for a meeting and will be back soon. He keeps wearing and smelling his father’s clothes and often asks his grandmother, “Dadi, why you don’t pray god these days?”