I was recently at the book launch of Once Upon a Story by Dr Swati Popat Vats and Vinitha R, a book based on life of India’s finest unsung educator, Gijubhai Bhadheka from Gujarat. Approximately 100 years ago, he pioneered some path breaking work in the education space with limited resources and support. This was pre-Independent

Nine-month-old raped and murdered in Telangana, minor sexually assaulted in outer Delhi, 16-year old abducted and gangraped in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, 14-year-old raped by two in Alwar, 2.5-year-old raped and murdered in Aligarh, 10-year-old raped in Bhopal, 12-year-old Dalit girl raped in Khushinagar, four-year-old raped in Jabalpur, 16-year-old raped for five days by six in Andhra Pradesh, and many more. The list seems to be endless and these shocking incidents have occurred in 2019 alone.

‘Born Again on a Mountain: A Story of Losing Everything and Finding it Back’, India’s first female amputee to climb the Mount Everest Dr. Arunima Sinha stands true to her book which narrates the story of a woman who despite losing a leg at the age of 23 managed to conquer Mount Everest in 2013.

Some people think that you can’t lose weight with the help of Yoga; some think that it’s very important to be flexible in order to do Yoga. All these are just misunderstandings which need to be cleared out, which is why you’ll see that anything that you do consistently will make you better.

The art of Yin yoga draws upon the doctrine of the five elements of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire, and the principle of yin and yang used in Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Gender equity is the route to be fair to the women and men equally and to ensure that specific measures must be taken in every organisation and sphere.

Our children need to be street smart, educated, knowledgeable because that makes them responsible for crafting their careers. High marks do not highlight the success of your kids.

Today, Shrradha is free of SLE after years of battle, but she makes sure to help people by inspiring them and encouraging them to fight against the odds and live life to the full. In this interview with WomenPlanet, Shrradha speaks her heart out about the deadly disease, her life during and after the diagnosis of SLE, and her wish to help people around.

The virtual lifestyle has spared none and crippled all! While it has made life simpler for most of us, there is also an increasing rate of side effects that they bring along with them. And one such harsh truth is that of going through virtual peer pressure. While peer pressure among the youth and specifically the teenage children, in the physical surroundings is always a cause of concern, parents have another reason to worry with the virtual peer pressure building around their kids.

Have you ever felt a pang of anger or a twinge of jealousy on hearing about the achievements of a girl in your social circle, or about an acquaintance’s happy married life and a beautiful family?

It is not difficult to hate someone who seems to have it all! It starts with Mean Girls-esque episodes in school, “Who wore it best” contests in college, and becomes a part of our psyche, especially in an Indian setup where everything is compared to the bajuwale Sharmaji!

I don’t know where to begin my story from. I am battling depression and I’m a wreck. I don’t think my life can be back on track anymore and I have no hopes left. Like it is said in our Bollywood movies, your head bows in front of three most important women in your life. Well, in my case, the three most important women ruined my life and now, I can’t even feel happiness at this point.

Indians are raised with some ideas ingrained in them, which although seem very trivial, the given free-rein to some cancerous ideologies, poses very much as a catalyst in moulding the sexist psyche. In fact, sexism is so internalised and ubiquitous that we mostly overlook it or give in to it. Everyday sexism begins from classroom seating arrangements to billboards and TV ads. We’re inherently a society that is taught not to question anything, from traditions and practices to career choices. And that has made it enormously hard for us to question the existing patriarchal norms. Sexism is so deeply associated with so many spheres of our lives and the society that most of the sexist notions go, if not unnoticed, ignored.

Time and again, we have spoken, read and discussed a zillion times about menstruation. Right from knowing about the menstrual cycle to menstruation hygiene tips, we have discussed it all. Moreover, we have also learnt about the using of the new revolutionary menstruation sanitary pads and how the women from our rural areas still use cloth during their periods.

Women Planet got a very special opportunity to heart to heart interview the graceful and beautiful woman who introduced “Belly Dance”, Meher Mallik. She talks about her journey, the barriers she faced and also how important it is to do what you love and what your heart says.

Everyone wants their children to be all-rounders, gifted orators, sensitive and intelligent human beings and do or become everything that can be possibly achieved! And to be fair to parents, the assumption is that a lot of sacrifices have been made, support given and/or facilities provided to make sure the expectations are fulfilled.

In India, women are considered as magicians but without a WAND! They should be perfect in every sense! Smart enough to be married off to a Man! Good looking to match an average looking Spouse! Educated and Working to be able to teach the Future kids and also earn money for the family. A good Cook to be able to feed the family and an expert in housekeeping! Pardon me if I have missed out on some of the other responsibilities a woman is entrusted on with.

The horrifying truth that our society is showing us each day, is something I had never imagined. Unnao, Kathua, Surat, Karimgunj, name any place, Rape and Dowry are the two truths that women and little girls have to deal with today.

Yes, we live in a gender biased country where people hail about gender equality in open letters, facebook statuses, articles and what not! But deep within, no one really cares about gender discrimination! No one really gives a damn about the discrimination done to you at work, because they have to continue getting their hefty pay slips each month. Well, that’s what I learnt from my bitter experience at work!