Review: I’m Just A Person by Tig Notaro

One slow weekend day, I was watching Hannah Gadsby interviews on YouTube, as one does. Okay, it wasn't a weekend, but a weekday. And okay, it wasn't slow - I was actively procrastinating work by watching these videos. As one does. I rewatched one of my favourite interviews of Hannah's - her first one with...

Review: Anxious People and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

For most people, A Man Called Ove is the book that introduces them to the creative genius that is Fredrik Backman. For me, however, this introduction was the book Anxious People, which I read (but did not write about) last year. Anxious People is a book that can very well be judged by its cover....

Please stop wishing me a Happy Women’s Day

Issued in self-interest. Hello ji, I am stepping out of hibernation for a minute to make this announcement: Please stop wishing me a Happy Women’s Day. Is it just me or was Women’s Day on steroids this year? As I am on this self-imposed sabbatical from Womaning, I did not really make any extra attempts...

We interrupt our regular programming for these messages.

Hello ji, This week’s main piece “Love is Love” was the 65th edition of Womaning in India. Which means that I have been writing - without taking a break - for the last 65 weeks in a row. It is one of the few things I am really genuinely proud of having accomplished in the...

Love is love.

The Month of Love: Part 4/4 Parental Guidance: I have heard from some parents that their children love reading Womaning. As much as that makes my heart somersault with joy, I should warn parents that the posts of February 2022 deal with the subjects of love and sex and have strong language. So parents, please...

The dating lives of women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond

The Month of Love: Part 3/4 Parental Guidance: I have heard from some parents that their children love reading Womaning. As much as that makes my heart somersault with joy, I should warn parents that the posts of February 2022 deal with the subjects of love and sex and have strong language. So parents, please...

Happy Valentine’s Day, ladies, gents, and catfish of the interwebs.

The Month of Love: Part 2/4 Hello ji, Happy Valentine’s Day, online love birds and fellow dinosaurs alike! We were discussing online dating last week, but the stories and layers that this area revealed proved to be too much for me to fit into one piece. Let us dive straight into Part 2 of the...

Swiping for love: Online dating as a woman

The Month of Love: Part 1/4 Hello ji, Coffee meets Bagel. Bumble. Hinge. Happn. Grindr. Feeld. Badoo. Woo. If you thought a cat just ran across my keyboard, you are not alone. It was only in the last 10 days that I heard many of these ‘words’ for the first time myself. And I am...

An award and a break

I need to lie down. Hello ji, It has been a long week. The next piece I am working on deals with an issue that I do not have a lot of personal experience with. Which means, double the research, and ten times the scoping for stories. I spent a lot of time this week...

Do women have the freedom of speech and expression online?

Article 19(1a) of the Constitution of India guarantees it to all citizens. But most Indian families interpret it differently. Hello ji, One of the big lessons I have learned from writing this newsletter has been about privilege: The most insidious thing about privilege is that it blinds the person who enjoys it. This is true of...