March 30, 2017

First published March 29, 2017

Questioning Traditional Hierarchies

Many women don’t like being identified as feminists as they see feminists as man-haters who despise all things feminine. I think the problem is with the nomenclature – feminism.

I feel traditional gender roles and power equations have to change to the times. The traditional notion of men being superior than women needs to make way to a new world order where both men and women need to be treated with respect. That is feminism – questioning traditional hierarchies.

But any shift in a power equation can happen only through gentle negotiations and not forced through. Policies made must be tempered with education and counselling. Else, we end up creating a lobby that rejects the whole idea, and actively resists any change.


Recent Books

Recent Posts

  • Are vegetarians kinder people?

    Are vegetarians kinder people?

    Vegetarianism has become associated with Jains, Brahmins, Baniyas, Lingayats and with the idea of purity, even though Kashmiri, Maithili, Bengali and Odia Brahmins are meat-eaters. Meat eating became associated with communities considered “untouchable” and “impure”: Tribals, Dalits, Chandalas, Ati Shudras. Over time, diet has become a caste marker. …

  • How Mangal Kavyas reinvented Hinduism in Bengal

    How Mangal Kavyas reinvented Hinduism in Bengal

    Stories shape culture. The Mangal Kavyas is one such example. They are folk narratives that emerged in Bengal between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. …

  • Astra Shastra: Weapons of the Hindu Gods

    Astra Shastra: Weapons of the Hindu Gods

    Well-known mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik introduces young readers to the wonderful weapons of Hindu gods with his unique art and easy-to-read text…