Columns

Does #MeToo have room for stories other than those of privileged, cisgender(1) women? Shals Mahajan addresses the importance of validating the experiences of the LGBTIKHQA+(2) and other marginalised communities, taking us through the interstitial spaces in India’s patriarchal structure to understand how we can make the movement more inclusive
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Mumbai-based lawyer Rutuja Shinde was one of the first to offer free legal representation to women who suffered sexual harassment in the workplace. She writes about India’s existing laws regarding such cases, their loopholes, and the action needed to take the #MeToo movement offline
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We revisit a 2013 photo series Items, which explored the notion of women’s bodies and their relationship to the gaze, agency and consent. Photographer Aishwarya Arumbakkam and the five stereotype-challenging individuals documented by her speak exclusively to Verve about how the #MeToo movement is a continuation of the conversation that they tackled with these images…
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In the aftermath of what has been a defining revolution, what does it mean to be an Indian woman? As the dust begins to settle, and we contemplate the beginning of this new era, Verve presents some additional intellectual stimulation. The team at the Delhi-based, independent, feminist publishing house, Zubaan, curates a reading list to help us see beyond the social peripheries that limit our perspective
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As the movement progresses, Verve takes stock of the many questions relating to gender, social power dynamics and sexual autonomy, and the debate around them. In this issue, we have put together a section dedicated to the significant and timely #MeToo India, with insightful perspectives from an inspiring group of contributors.
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Losing your way while on vacation can lead to some happy surprises — the kind that end up as the highlight of your journey. Usually afraid of venturing off the beaten path, Huzan Tata changes her outlook after an experience during a solo trip
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A summer sojourn in Switzerland ends up being a transformative journey.... Author Janice Pariat writes a captivating short story exclusively for Verve
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Facing bullying, confusion and loneliness as a young gay man in India had become a routine occurrence for him. But Vivek Tejuja found comfort in the pages of books — many of which formed the foundation of his relationships. He looks back at the literature that gave him the courage to embrace his identity
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As desi communities grow larger across the world, NRIs are drawing wedding inspiration from their ethnic heritage as well as their home countries. In this context, Verve looks at how the British Tamils are adapting to the cultural bifurcation
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What’s it like to have cross-cultural, cross-continental nuptials that include a whole lot of fun and confusion? Verve gets a peek into journalist — and author Tishani Doshi’s husband — Carlo Pizzati’s humorous memoir, Mappillai — An Italian Son-In-Law In India, that tells it like it is...
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Present-day India is more Westernised and secluded. Madhu Jain dwells on the significance of cultivating relationships with the people we have to engage with in our daily lives
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In modern relationships, we often need to reconcile our attitudes towards our monikers, before we figure out our feelings towards each other, finds Megha Shah
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