Articles by Namita Bhandare
Keep politics out of the fight for women’s safety
The Supreme Court's intervention and comments are seen as a positive step, but more needs to be done to address the malaise of sexual violence.
Published on Aug 04, 2023 09:50 PM IST
Women bear the brunt of civil strife. Stop this
Despite the viral video, it is unclear whether justice will be served, as police complicity and a lack of protection for women are serious concerns.
Published on Jul 21, 2023 10:49 PM IST
To be just, UCC needs openness and honesty
Despite the BJP's push for UCC, for the uniform law to succeed, it must prioritize gender justice and Constitutional equality, rather than majoritarianism.
Published on Jul 07, 2023 09:55 PM IST
Give her a free ticket to equal public access
News of free bus rides in Karnataka, the latest state to join Delhi and Tamil Nadu, coincided with an increased scrutiny of women using public transport.
Published on Jun 23, 2023 09:58 PM IST
What does it take to take down patriarchy?
The question to ask five months after India’s most celebrated wrestlers began their unprecedented protest is: What does it take to ensure justice for women?
Published on Jun 10, 2023 01:37 AM IST
Freewheeling women
Can we reimagine ways in which the humble bicycle can improve mobility for older women?
Updated on May 26, 2023 08:19 PM IST
The wrestlers’ protests can save the akhada
In the patriarchal dustbowl of India, sport has been the key to transforming the lives of girls. Now, a generation of girls stands to lose what their predecessors laid out for them
Updated on May 12, 2023 07:41 PM IST
Who’s afraid of marriage equality?
At the heart of the Supreme Court marriage equality hearings lie a host of patriarchal anxieties over the challenge to the definition of family
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 07:55 PM IST
For gender equality, go beyond symbolic steps
A gender-neutral uniform of pants for all students is welcome. But the message must go beyond symbolism
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 07:25 PM IST
Acing the game
There’s never been a better time for women athletes in India
Updated on Mar 31, 2023 09:52 PM IST
Marriage equality: Be on the right side of history
There’s a unique opportunity for the five-judge bench that will start hearing arguments on same-sex marriage from April 18. What it will decide will send a signal to India and the world
Updated on Mar 17, 2023 07:43 PM IST
Why Seattle’s new law on caste bias is needed
he leadership of a new generation of Dalit women--articulate, clear about strategy and utterly fearless despite death threats and opposition from groups including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu American Foundation
Published on Mar 03, 2023 08:34 PM IST
Why turning 60 is special in many ways
Turning 60 is not like turning 50, when old age still seems a long way off. It’s not like turning 70, where the clock ticking to where we’re all headed must only get louder. It’s that muddled place of no longer middle age, but not quite old age
Updated on Feb 17, 2023 06:42 PM IST
When libraries become a safe place for children
Karnataka had a head-start as one of the earliest states, along with Tamil Nadu and Kerala, to have a public libraries act. In 2019, it decentralised 5,623 rural libraries and handed them over to the panchayats
Updated on Feb 13, 2023 08:39 PM IST
A mother’s courageous fight against the system
Trial by Fire quietly unpeels the dignity and grit of families who should never have had to be so brave, but were
Updated on Jan 20, 2023 07:34 PM IST
Not protection, women need autonomy, equality
A decade after a brutal gang-rape in Delhi led to our toughest laws, the National Crime Records Bureau continues to report an upward trend in crimes against women.
Updated on Jan 06, 2023 08:39 PM IST
Muslim women are smashing stereotypes
The demand for banning polygamy and halala remains. For how much longer will Muslim women be excluded from the gains won by other Indian women?
Updated on Dec 23, 2022 09:46 PM IST
10 years after Delhi rape case, we need a new rights blueprint
In the decade since, data has recorded a rise in numbers not just of rape but also of all crimes against women.
Published on Dec 14, 2022 07:07 PM IST
The insidious prevalence of domestic violence in India
For as long as girls are taught that marriage is their only goal, they must compromise and a bad husband is better than no husband, they will continue to remain in abusive relationships.
Published on Nov 25, 2022 08:41 PM IST
Motherhood and job, not an easy balance
For too long, too many of us have remained silent about just what it takes to be an employed mother, believing the lie that if we lean in enough, it will all magically work out. It won’t
Updated on Nov 11, 2022 08:33 PM IST
Women’s safety: A hollow slogan in the India of today
I can’t help but wonder at the depths we have plumbed in the decade since the brutality of the December 16, 2012 gang-rape led an outraged nation to demand justice, compelling the then Congress-led government to tighten rape laws.
Published on Oct 28, 2022 07:43 PM IST
Do India’s women have the right to choose?
The hijab row is now headed to a larger Supreme Court bench and all eyes will be on the Chief Justice of India. The composition of this bench will be crucial to determine what is at heart a simple question: Do India’s women have the right to choose?
Updated on Oct 14, 2022 07:54 PM IST
Iran to India, let women decide their hijab rules
The choice between the right to education and allowing girls to wear a headscarf with their uniforms is a no-brainer. The girls must be allowed their fundamental right to expression, privacy and autonomy.
Updated on Sep 30, 2022 09:10 PM IST
The precarious lives of India’s interfaith couples
In an era where seven states have “love jihad” laws, marriage seems like an ambitious project. Just this week, a Dalit man and his Muslim girlfriend were killed in Uttar Pradesh
Published on Sep 02, 2022 08:15 PM IST
Are some women in India more unequal than others?
How do you continue to hold out hope with the weight of the State’s boot on your neck? The message is clear: In their quest for justice, women are unequal citizens, some more unequal than others.
Published on Aug 19, 2022 08:11 PM IST
When the sight of a handbag greatly upset the patriarchy
When a handbag made news this past week, it would not be out of place to remember that sexist attitudes have not changed much since the Gandhi-Thatcher era.
Published on Aug 05, 2022 07:20 PM IST
Devise policies to help young girls dream big
It’s been seven years since the PM’s Beti Bachao mission to address the child sex ratio. But, without its corollary, Beti Padhao, reaching its potential, the scheme is incomplete
Updated on Jul 22, 2022 08:10 PM IST
Can Murmu’s election emancipate the tribals?
The election of Murmu cannot be an empty symbolic gesture, mere lip service to inclusion. It must signal a new era where it cannot continue to be business as usual
Updated on Jul 08, 2022 08:53 PM IST
Menopause is real. We need to talk about it
While we’ve been chipping away at the traditional silence around menstruation, its progression to menopause is still deemed too awful to talk about
Updated on Jun 24, 2022 08:21 PM IST
Mithali Raj’s impact went beyond cricket
Raj normalised the idea of girls at play in a deeply patriarchal society where the sight of girls on the field is still rare. Kitted out or not, she told these girls and their parents that it was ok for them to kick a ball or twirl a racket
Updated on Jun 10, 2022 08:45 PM IST