Vipanchi

These so-called 'protectors of culture' never bother, nor even notice that wearing a pant and shirt was never "our tradition". When confronted, they say, its about convenience, no question of convenience/choice to the 'other gender' though! It is time again to debate on the 'safety of women' in our society. With  # METOO campaign kicking off in India, an opportunity to revamp our workspaces and the social sphere has come. An overhaul of how we perceive gender is the need of the hour. Not so long ago, it was okay to tease someone as being a 'Gay', it was okay to gossip about the perceived gay/lesbian couple in our classrooms/ workspaces. It was okay to taunt a boy to 'wear bangles' if he is not very bold or active. A girl is called 'boyish' if she is bold. We have mastered the art of assigning gender roles. Our social spaces continuously assign, manipulate gender roles in our minds so much so that we stopped noticing someth...

"Gandhi was a tough man. He would let every thought flow through him but never let them wreck his own convictions" I grew up learning Mahatma Gandhi as 'The Father of The Nation'. I remember giving alms to old people and kids dressed up in the dhoti with a glaring silver paint on them almost looking like the ubiquitous statues of Gandhi in India. Yeah, I have seen him on currency notes and heard at least a road named after him in many towns. As I explored a bit deeper, I was awestruck by the stature of Mahatma world over. The British who must be his prime contenders have constructed his statue in the parliament square. They see him as the symbol of peace and non-violence. Then I asked myself,   How much do I know about Mahatma? Is he relevant to modern India? Modern India can be comprehended into an English speaking , Market-driven, society laying fast track trains, living in bustling cities sending humans to the outer space on one side,...

Every morning as I open the newspaper there is at least an article on a girl, molested in one or the other part of India. sometimes in a city, some other in a village. Sometimes an infant, sometimes a septuagenarian. No state is an exception, some states lead anyway. Temples and schools, houses and workplaces all are same for the 2nd gender! This is a very pathetic state for us as a society. Agreement of this is unequivocal. Then, why are we as a society unable to solve the problem? This is the question I try to answer here. I will address this by dissecting the issue, part by part. Stringent punishment - a deterrent: Many people have this view,  " punish the rapist cruelly so that boys will fear to rape a girl".   Most of them rally on the streets to get this done. They are those who really empathize with the victim. But as research shows, punishment is not a deterrent to crime. However, the lack of punishment is more adverse. So the criminal justice sy...

India is the world's largest democracy. We are among those few newly independent nations where democracy survived all odds. People cherish this. But there are people who say, democracy is leading us to nowhere. So, what are the reasons for this? Lets see, why democracy failed India. Immature electorate: People are poor and illiterate. They vote for leaders who give them money, liquor, and in some cases TV sets! So there is a fundamental flaw in electing the leader itself. We can't expect such leaders to be genuinely concerned about the well being of people. Corrupted politicians:  Most of the politicians have a powerful background. They use wealth and muzzle power to come to power. Further, promote their interest by holding power. Common man is helpless in this situation. Then democracy is nothing better than an oligarchy/dictatorship. Poor state of development: India is a poor state in many aspects. Poverty: India's poverty rate is 21.9% according to 2011 census....

Indian independence movement is one of the earliest peaceful movements against the British rule. It opened doors for Non-violent protests against oppressors across the world. Gandhiji is credited for this idea. Indian freedom struggle is mainly classified into three phases: Moderate phase - prayer, petition, protest. Extremist phase - violent revolt. Gandhian phase - Peaceful non-co-operation. What made Gandhian phase unique? The moderate leaders of freedom struggle, though mostly viewed as unsuccessful, were responsible for forming the counter arguments to " white man's burden" theory  of  the British. They prepared ground, propounded theories for intellectual understanding of the British exploitation of India. The extremists, mostly young leaders, believed in complete freedom, resorted to violent means to overthrow the British . However, there was no significant harm done to the British. It is at this juncture that Gandhian philosophy came handy.  Ga...

According to the provisional data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 11,370  farmers committed suicide in 2016 . At least one farmer commits suicide every  hour in India. So let me breakdown the reasons that drive farmers to commit suicides. Why people commit suicide? According to mental health daily, people commit suicide when they view  their current situation as being completely hopeless and feel as if they have no way to change things for the better . Common causes of suicide include : Depression Drug abuse Financial problems Relationship issues In the case of Indian farmers, depression, due to financial problems is the telling cause. Why Indian farmers are depressed? 50-60% of population depend on agriculture as a means of livelihood. Most of them are small and marginal farmers, meaning, they hold a meager 1-2 hectares of land. Almost entire agriculture on India is rain fed. However, monsoons are not consistent.Climate chang...

"It felt butterflies in my stomach when you approached me. I was lost in happiness. Looking at you makes my cheeks blush. I don't know why I like you. You proposed me !!!! I was excited. I was happy. It was like a dream come true to me. You were as good as I thought. In fact, a little more than that. We started hanging out together. You started caring for me and I liked it. I crack jokes, you laugh. I forget everything and keep looking at you. I go mad at the way it sounds when you laugh. I started losing myself in your thoughts. Day in and day out, you are the one in my mind. I remember you and our future in whatever act I do.  I love you." Wrote Adhya in her diary. She closed it with a smile on her beautiful face. Put it in her cupboard. Quickly went to her mom as she noticed mom struggling to open a pickle bottle in the kitchen. After helping mom with her kitchen work she returned to her room. She is longing to talk to her boy. But certain compulsions made her no...