Feministaah

Watching a new production of the Mohan Rakesh classic  Aadhe Adhure , one is struck by the timelessness of the play. Considered among the most important modern Indian plays, it was written fifty years ago, when a character like Savitri was unthinkable—an unconventional woman, who spoke her mind. It is startling how the play remains as pertinent today as it was then; maybe just a little less shocking.  In the interim half century, a lot has changed for Indian women, but for many nothing has changed. Even today, a wife and mother is supposed to be satisfied with her lot, because that about as much as society demands of her. Even women who have successful careers are expected to look after the home and be happy that they are “allowed” by their husbands and in-laws to work outside the home.  But for a woman who needs to work for financial reasons, life can be a double burden of earning to feed the family, and doing the household chores too. When Rakesh wrote  ...

As more and more women are excelling in sports, the phenomenon needs to be examined more closely. Films like  Chak De India, Mary Kom, Dangal, Saala Khadoos,  and forthcoming biopics of Sania Nehwal, PV Sindhu and probably Sania Mirz, Mitali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, plus a fictional film about a group of homemakers staring a football team, all point to a trend of sportswomen or female sportspersons—whatever sounds better—getting their share of stardom. For many years, just PT Usha and the glamorous wives and girlfriends of sportsmen (given the collective label of WAGs by the British tabloids) were in the public eye. Now Indian women are fighting to excel at sports, in spite very little encouragement, and abysmal facilities. But as women playing various sports and winning medals are splashed in the media, making decent money and getting endorsement deals, parents who earlier thought sports were an ‘unfeminine’ waste of time (who will marry a girl who parades around in shorts...