Posts Tagged ‘Society & Culture’

I read an article in the New York Times entitled "He Cooks. She Stews. It’s Love." that rung very true to me. It's about the recent phenomenon of 'alpha cooks'. I'm always endlessly fascinated with human psychology and the different ways that the genders interact with each other. The article talks about women in the kitchen who have become intimidated to cook by their ... Full story

OK, I don't want to die! Suicide, the intentional or voluntary determination to end one’s life, is especially prevalent in India. Southern India is known to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Thousands of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have committed suicide recently and the government's response was extremely lackadaisical. A recent study by Trivedi, Srivastava and Tandon the Indian ... Full story

There are many instances where India is proud of herself, and the health of its democracy is one of them, especially because all the dignitaries from other countries keep pampering India on this note. India might be a well-functioning democracy in the electoral sense, but I don't see it in any other sphere of Indian public life. Especially when it comes to difference of opinion - ... Full story

The new fever to have gripped India is Arjun Singh's or Congress Party's yet another silly gimmick. Hiking reservations to almost 50% in IIMs, IITs and Central Universities - the cream of the country. There are presently reservations in these institutions, but hiking them to 50% of the total seats will lead to incredible devaluing of the country's top institutes. If students were denied seats on ... Full story

Thanks to the terrorists, saying anti-Muslim statements has become politically correct in many circles. Thanks to Muslim women such as those that get raped by their father-in-law and are then forced to marry them; and those that are betrayed by their husbands on the pronouncement of a word thrice, it is now perfectly safe to call at least a section of Indian Muslims completely crazy! If you ... Full story

There has been a spate of eminent personalities declining their awards in India in recent history. The latest which has instigated this article is the disrespectful gesture by famed writer and social activist Arundhati Roy. Arundhati Roy scurries after headlines and this must have seemed the appropriate moment to strike a national controversy. So when awarded for her collection of speeches in the form of a ... Full story

I have seen and heard of hijras, but I knew nothing about them. The transgendered people have had a long history in India, the country of paradoxes - our orthodoxy and heterodoxy are both vibrant. Sonia Faleiro is a journalist with Tehelka who has accomplished many wonderful works of journalism. Her latest is an interview with a Hijra about their community; the article is quite ... Full story

Who would have expected that even among the Bengalis there are those that do not like all the sounds and flavours of this season - of course the dhaak and gaan of Durga puja! Have you heard this old Bengali joke? ‘When does the beat of the dhaak sound the sweetest?’ ‘When it stops playing.’ That's how the article in The Telegraph starts. It talks ... Full story

Shobha Warrier got truly emotional and wrote up an article in the heat of the moment about the recent trend of kissing in Chennai. Her sharp tongue seems to have tested the tolerance of the pacific, but vocal, Chennai community! Many Chennaiites and Chennai-lovers have ardently protested her writing, which even by my liberal standards, is on the verge of fascism. Coming to the point itself, of kissing in public or public display of affection in Chennai... Full story

Guys - our women have changed! It is a truism that women are always leagues ahead of men in being modern and shedding orthodoxy. This can just be seen from our mother vs. father or grandma vs. grandpa comparisons. But a recent survey in our cities gives results which have even outpaced my predictions! For starters, In big metro areas, 24% say they never want children, and that number reaches 40% in smaller cities. Full story