Shaifali Agrawal, Author at In Plainspeak

इंटरव्यू – देवदत्त पटनायक

·March 16, 2020
·Shaifali Agrawal

देवदत्त पटनायक आधुनिक समय में, प्रबंधन, प्रशासन प्रक्रिया और नेतृत्व जैसे क्षेत्रों में पौराणिक विचारों की प्रासंगिकता के विषय पर लिखते हैं। डाक्टरी की पढ़ाई और प्रशिक्षण पूरा करने के बाद उन्होने 15 वर्ष तक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल उद्योग और दवा निर्माता कंपनियों के साथ काम किया।

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A still from the film ‘Secret Superstar’, showing a young girl and boy staring at each othjer, both wearing school uniforms

Review: Risk-averse Bollywood Tackles Taboo Issues

·May 1, 2018
·Shaifali Agrawal

Several recent mainstream Hindi films have dealt with issues of sexuality and gender not usually discussed in the intended audience’s drawing rooms.

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Being a friend does not make him better than a stalker: Glorification of men who can’t take no for an answer in Hindi cinema

·February 1, 2018
·Shaifali Agrawal

The very last lines of a film are the voice-over by the hero, "Someday I will convince her to... marry me". This is supposed to be the happy-ending of Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012) in which a few scenes earlier the woman had made it clear that she loves him only "as a friend". This grows…

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Angry Indian Goddesses

Men hijack women’s happiness and sexuality even in their freest moments: Review of five films released in 2015-17

·December 4, 2017
·Shaifali Agrawal

The women in Parched (2015) are sitting and chatting, seemingly free from their daily oppression for once, when a cell phone rings. Rani laughs as she realises that she is sitting on the vibrating phone. Bijli says, “Who needs a man when a mobile can get us off!” A joke about finding sexual freedom has…

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Photo of Devdutt Pattanaik, with Shikhandi on Krishna's chariot in the background.

Photo Credit: Devdutt Pattanaik with Shikhandi on Krishna's chariot in the background

Interview: Devdutt Pattanaik

·November 1, 2017
·Shaifali Agrawal

Devdutt Pattanaik writes on relevance of mythology in modern times, especially in areas of management, governance and leadership. Trained in medicine, he worked for 15 years in the healthcare and pharma industries before he focussed on his passion full time. He is author of 30 books and 600 columns, with bestsellers such as My Gita, Jaya, Sita, Business Sutra and the 7 Secret Series.

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president of the Bharatiya Bar Girls Union (BBGU), Varsha Kale,

Interview: Varsha Kale on the Dance Bar Girls’ Movement in Maharashtra

·May 15, 2017
·Shaifali Agrawal

We interviewed the honorary president of the Bharatiya Bar Girls Union (BBGU), Varsha Kale, on the occasion of dance bars reopening in Maharashtra after being banned for 11 years by the state government.

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Purushu Arie with curly hair, wearing black goggles, and a red and blue sherwan. A red silky handkerchief peeks out of the left-chest pocket.

Interview: Fashion Designer Purushu Arie on How Gender-Neutral Clothing is Changing the Fabric of Our Times

·August 16, 2016
·Shaifali Agrawal

Purushu talks about his new fashion line, about the connection between attire and gender roles, the social statement cisgender people make when they wear gender-neutral clothing, and how the rise in gender-neutral clothing will affect the way we think about masculinity.

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Shubha Tole, Indian neuroscientist, Professor and Principal Investigator at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India, in lab, talking about women in science careers.

Interview: Shubha Tole Talks About Tracks Only Women Scientists Navigate

·July 15, 2016
·Shaifali Agrawal

Shubha talks about social and subconscious biases in society against female scientists, her approach to tackling these challenges, and how she helps her female students maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional life.

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