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Meenakshi Sundareshwar, a Diwali week release on Netflix has invited a mixed response. It has been criticised widely for its over stretched plot, its terrible Tamil diction and several flaws in its direction. However, despite its stated imperfections, the movie carries a refreshingly progressive tone that makes it a fascinating watch. Even though there are visible signs of modernity in middle class urban society, marriage...

As care givers, it’s natural for women to slip into acts that sustain and provide for her family, friends and colleagues at work. When her husband burns the midnight oil preparing for a critical presentation, the cup of hot chocolate arrives without asking. She drops her work to patiently listen to the unending woes of a colleague struggling with a micromanaging boss. Locating the missing...

The business case for diversity and inclusion was made a long time ago. Almost every research done by the Big 4 consulting companies have made emphatic statements on the positive impact of diverse and inclusive organizations. Leaders across the globe do not pass up an opportunity to amplify the decibel levels on the matter. There is no doubt that organizations that are still pussyfooting on...

What’s wrong with sending kiss emojis to a female colleague in a professional whatsapp group?” “What’s wrong with wearing a vest for a work meeting?” “What’s wrong with asking someone to keep their video on during a meeting?” What’s wrong with calling someone in the night to discuss work?” These have been some questions that have been asked in the training sessions that I have conducted post March 2020. 2020...

Recently I received a message from various sources about a resource group for covid widows. Yes, widows- women who have lost their husbands and not married again. The male equivalent is widower- a man who has lost his wife and not married again. Some women felt that the word widow carried a negative connotation for women. “We can’t call them widows” was a common refrain. While dictionary definitions...

Sometime in 6th century BC, Sumangalamata, the wife of an umbrella maker, mother of Sumangala, left her family to become a Theri,,a Buddhist nun. This is a poem she wrote as she experienced the sweet taste of liberation. A woman well set free! How free I am, How wonderfully free, from kitchen drudgery. Free from the harsh grip of hunger, And from empty cooking pots, Free too of that unscrupulous...

It is Mother’s Day and my social media feeds are full of messages glorifying the great thing called Motherhood. But I am not sure what Happy Mothers Day really means. My mother has been significant influence in my life and has shaped me in so many ways. Being a mother to an amazing daughter has been one of the most wonderful things in my life. Yes,...

"When you come to the office, you should keep your personal matters behind” I remember being told by my manager as a young sales professional almost 2 decades ago. Your manager never asked you about your personal life, as it was unprofessional and intrusive. Running a personal errand or moping about something back home during office hours, was frowned upon. Every hour at work was...

I am learning to cook. I make breakfast every day. I do the dishes. I get the children ready in the morning before I sit in front of my laptop.   No, these are not women describing their daily routine. These are statements made by men during the lockdown period.   My husband, who has not cooked a single meal in the last twenty-five years, stepped into the kitchen and produced...