We would go to rural setups and perform street plays and in one of these, I played the role of a victim of dowry. For me these incidents were just news stories and things I read on page 5 of the newspaper but for the people who were watching, it was their life.And that's when I started realizing that I can't be in my bubble of equality. Yes, you keep thinking that this discrimination is a thing that's happening to them. It's only when you grow up that you realize how the patriarchy exists in every little thing around you, there's sexism in every little thing.
We should not be asked the question, 'Are you still going to work, now that you're a mother?'
Including men in the conversation is absolutely essential and I feel that's where we're lacking the most in the women's movement presently. The conversation, teaching our boys, has to start at a very young age, but the problem is that the adults surrounding these kids - teachers, parents everyone - are so deeply conditioned by patriarchy. It's an uphill task, but we have to start somewhere.
I want to buy a kitchen set for my son... Why do I have to go to the girl's section to get that?
The negative connotations around the term 'feminism' is bound to happen because it's something that is threatening patriarchy, so it will be resisted.
Empowering is a present continuous tense. You can never use it in the past tense. Can I say that I'm an empowered woman? No. I'm in the process of empowering myself more.
I feel there is no point of criticising just for the sake of criticising.
