The I Column
And He Said, ‘I Love You, Masti’
One morning at the programme, I found he was ignoring me. I was also busy with my assigned work so I was not able to follow up with him until the break. During the break, he came and sat next to me, came closer and suddenly kissed me on the cheek.
By Smriti Dhingra
June 5, 2016
An Unsteadiness of Self: Marriage and Immigration in Authoritarian Times
When recently reading about the spouses of H1-B ‘skilled guest worker’ visa holders, certain themes resonate with me. These women discuss how it was not just their CVs that suffered from the forced career break – until 2015, spouses on restrictive H-4 paperwork were forbidden from pursuing employment in the U.S. – but that their core sense of self took a hit.
By Kristin Francoeur
An open letter to a former friend
(Tread gently. This article contains material on sexual assault) Dear A, I don’t know why I’m writing this. Maybe it…
By K F
June 15, 2020
An (A)sexual Awakening
I had my sexual awakening in college. Or rather, the realisation that I would never have a ‘sexual awakening’ hit…
By Kavya Kartik
February 1, 2016
Am I ‘The Man’ On The Court?
I find that sports spaces demand that all athletes, irrespective of their gender, ‘play like men’. I was recently coaching…
By Supriya Subramani
September 1, 2014
Ah, the Seductive Lure of Instagram! #OutfitOfTheDay
Personally, I don’t know if it’s because of how Instagram has evolved, or the people using it, or, well, me. Among its most wonderful sights – jaw-dropping beautiful travel destinations; delicious-looking home-cooked South Indian food neatly arranged on a stainless steel plate; doodles and handicraft – what I love about the platform is watching people, mostly women, dressed up.
By Vani Viswanathan
August 16, 2016
Ah, the Seductive Lure of Instagram! #OutfitOfTheDay
Personally, I don’t know if it’s because of how Instagram has evolved, or the people using it, or, well, me. Among its most wonderful sights – jaw-dropping beautiful travel destinations; delicious-looking home-cooked South Indian food neatly arranged on a stainless steel plate; doodles and handicraft – what I love about the platform is watching people, mostly women, dressed up.
By Vani Viswanathan
January 2, 2019
Acting Like Myself
In this month’s issue of Play and Sexuality, Wesley D’Souza recounts the time his school put up a production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, his preparations for its audition, and how the process was intertwined with an exploration and acceptance of his sexuality.
By Wesley D'Souza
December 15, 2021
Acting Like Myself
Wesley D’Souza recounts the time his school put up a production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, his preparations for its audition, and how the process was intertwined with an exploration and acceptance of his sexuality.
By Wesley D'Souza
January 3, 2023
Acne and Attraction: An Unspoken Affair
The last few years have been a struggle in accepting myself with the possibility of always having acne and believing that I am still beautiful, even on the “outside”. This journey of believing that I can be worthy of love, attraction, expression and desire regardless of my looks continues to be liberating and empowering.
By Lamia Bagasrawala
October 1, 2018
Acceptance, Agency, and A Womens’ Hostel
In a way, Mrs Chatterjee’s worst fears had been confirmed. The hostel was indeed dangerous – not because of “raging hormones”, but because wewere constantly initiating discussions and circumstances which challenged the patriarchal status quo.
By Anonymous
March 5, 2018
Acceptance, Agency, and a Women’s Hostel
Home, to me, was never a static entity, but my time in a girl’s hostel feels like the embodiment of everything my ideal “home” is – empowering, liberating, and full of women who love each other unabashedly.
By Anonymous
January 2, 2020
A ‘girly’ feminist
Desiring motherhood meant veering into a more ‘girly’ territory, a notion that I had simultaneously been fighting and trying to embrace since childhood. I had understood that to be a feminist I had to be independent, be wary of men, dislike families and relationships.
By Anubha Sarkar
December 1, 2020
A Vicious Cycle – Forced to Stand Still and Then Feel Bad About It
On a larger scale, my non-normative sexuality is confined to tiny spaces, influenced by fear of impending violence, rejection and revulsion, even when one is privileged enough to live in a metropolitan city.
By Mahika Banerji
A Lingering Tingle
I started learning Bharatanatyam in 1988, when I was six years old. Looking back, it feels like beginning to learn…
By Aniruddan Vasudevan
January 1, 2015