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Me Too and More

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A special character, a “#” followed by two innocuous words “me” and “too” has come together and formed a hurricane of epic proportions. After blowing away heavyweight celebrities in Hollywood, it recently made landfall in Bollywood and the onslaught of this “#MeToo” storm rages so ferociously, that even seasoned media-savvy celebrities are finding it difficult to get out of its way. Meanwhile, it has brought down some famed reputations in Indian filmdom and sports area too. More such revelations keep coming in every day. When I first came across #MeToo, I wondered why at all, a #MeToo movement was necessary? If someone is wronged then to get the justice he or she has to approach the authorities and get justice. Unfortunately, the issue is not as simple when one analyses it against the backdrop of typical patriarchal standards and benchmarks. When I looked up a dictionary, I found that the word “molest” originated between the years 1325-75. So I guess molestation and sexual m
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Female Genital Mutilation- The Ultimate Indignity

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The first time I came across the subject of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), was when I heard Khadija Gbla, a lady from Sierra Leone, deliver a very hard-hitting talk on Ted Talk show. The talk was titled “My mother’s strange definition of empowerment”. Khadija’s narration of her firsthand experience of FGM made me cringe but what left me thoroughly bemused was the fact that this practice was believed to be a step towards “empowerment”. By her own admission, Khadija’s mother admits that she had put young Khadija through FGM. She iterates, “ Yes, I did. I did it for your own good. It was in your best interest. Your grandmother did it to me, and I did it to you. It's made you a woman. You're empowered, Khadija .” So what is FGM? FGM involves cutting or removing a part or all of female’s external genitalia.   It is practiced on children either at a very young age or just at the cusp of puberty. The World Health Organization classifies
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Valentine's Day - Is it about Love?

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Is Valentine Day more about money than emotion? The question will perhaps offend those who swear by their unstinting love, and for whom money and love are non-relatable objects. However, a lot of people have to count the money for their love rather than count only on their love. A few weeks back, I came across an article that spoke about the economics of romance and how youngsters on the look out for love were being priced out of the dating market. Love and romance are commodities, which have to be bought and the stakes are indeed high. It is not a place for mortals with shallow pockets; they could end up sucking their thumb, literally. It might seem harsh and everyone might not agree with me, but modern day romance and dating are about everything besides love; maybe not in entirety but certainly in the majority. Valentine’s day nowadays is about providers and receivers. Large and small enterprises grab this opportunity to act as providers and end up making bi
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Countering Domestic Violence – Vision for a Better World

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N idhi is a working lady belonging to a middle-class family. Her husband physically assaults her every day and she has to cover herself completely before she leaves home. The signs of assault have scarred not only her body but her mind too. Pushpa is all of 12 years and stays with her father and step-mother. Each day she is thrashed for not doing the daily household chores. One fine day she runs away from home to escape this ordeal. These are few of the different forms of violence that women suffer during their lifetime. Genesis of Violence on Women The majority of the women in this world are subjected to violence in some form or other. Violence per se is an effective weapon for subjugation, more so when the man perpetrates such violence on a woman. Not all forms of violence are physical, though. Mental and economic torture is also potent forms of violence that are often unleashed on women. The reasons for unleashing such violence on women can range from the t
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