Women, stop bullying your own kind

I have been wanting to write on this particular topic for a very long time. Having been exposed to this kind of bullying at a very tender age, I know how badly it can affect the overall emotional state of a woman. Female bullies are of the worst kind and I am sure most of us, if not all,…

The journey from courtesan to call girl

Considered as the world’s oldest profession. Prostitutes existed since the beginning of civilization. According to some historians, the existence of prostitution was first recorded as early as in the Babylonian times. In ancient India, their services were not limited to providing entertainment and physical pleasure to kings, nobles or common man, but they were also…

Grief- a mixed bag of emotions

She was standing exactly at the point where the road takes a turn towards right. I could see her bewildered expression from afar. It seemed as if she was waiting for me. “What happened ma’am, are you alright?” I asked, looking concerned. “A little girl fell off from that balcony there, she is dead now,” she said pointing towards the 4th…

Chocolaty affair: no-fuss, no-bake, no-eggs

Please don’t skip this page thinking “oh, just another food blog”. Trust me, it is not, for the three recipes I am about to share are foolproof and there is no way you can go wrong with them (provided you follow exactly what I say 😉 ). They are super easy and can be whipped up in a…

Today’s Draupadi(s)

She was the pioneer of feminism in India. The trailblazer to question the prevailing rules of a patriarchal society. She was married to five men, yet loved by none. She was the quintessential tragedy queen who was held responsible for the devastating war that consumed an entire kingdom. However, this story is more than 2000 years old and I have no intention of…

Women in Mughal harems

Contrary to popular belief, not all women from the Mughal dynasty have led their lives behind the comfortable shadows of their male counterparts. In fact there were some remarkable women who unabashedly defied societal norms and contributed largely in strengthening the illustrious empire we read about today. Two such names I recently came across while reading Indu Sundaresan’s historical novel series ‘Taj Mahal…

An appeal to the girl who feels a little too much

Girl, don’t let that sensitive soul in you die. Unshackle that beautiful heart of yours and let those tears flow. Don’t shy away from emotions, because, unlike what others want you to believe, having them is a sign of strength. Without the warm sensitive souls like you, we would be left with a cold dispassionate world, inhabited by emotionless, impassive creatures who bottle up every feeling until they burst…

Romancing Paris of yore

Much has been talked about this beautiful city- its tree-lined boulevards, forever busy sidewalk cafes and the linear, perfectly symmetrical Neo-Classical style buildings have been revered and celebrated in every kind of art and literary form possible time and again. Therefore I don’t intend to bore you with any more ornamental description of this French capital. However, the Paris that I want…