Unfiltered Women #12: Deva Nanda RH
Rewriting What is Given What is given never stays contained. It spreads, it lingers, it turns into something more. What we give is what will be gained, nothing less, nothing else. I was born and brought up in a village on the outskirts of Trivandrum. Here, patriarchy doesn’t always shout; it sits quietly in every […]
Unfiltered Women #11 : Hashma
Not Given, But Denied When women stand together, what was denied begins to return. I have often found myself questioning widely accepted ideas without pause. One such idea is this: why must women “gain” what has always been their birthright? Why is empowerment framed as something to be given, rather than something that was unjustly […]
Unfiltered Women #10 : Surabhi S
A Century-Old Resilience Equality loses its meaning the moment it is treated like a favor instead of a fact. I grew up watching my mother transform from a pampered, studious girl into a woman shaped by struggle, resilience, and quiet strength. Marriage brought in battles she never signed up for, yet she endured, adapted, and […]
Unfiltered Women #9 : Asiya A.S
Not Everything Passed Down Is Meant to Stay Some legacies are meant to be questioned, not continued. Patriarchy was never an unfamiliar word to me. I grew up in a world where male dominance did not always announce itself loudly, but lived quietly in routines, in silences, in unquestioned rules. As a child, I did […]
Unfiltered Women #8 : Aswathy S
I earned a degree. But was I encouraged to dream beyond the familiar script—find a job, get married, have children, build a house? I built a family life, but did I understand what equality in relationships should look like? I secured a job, but did I have the confidence to raise my voice against injustice or unfairness? I gained social standing, but was I allowed to exist as I am
Unfiltered Women #7 : Krishnendu B.S
After that, I started doing the things I had always wanted to do. Choosing yourself comes with consequences. When you stop living the way others expect, some people may begin to dislike you. It takes time to unlearn the need to always be the “good girl.” But the regret of not living your life is far scarier than disappointing people who try to impose their beliefs on you.
Unfiltered Women #6 : Febna Raheem
Becoming Give truth to yourself, to gain truth. There was a phase in my life when everything familiar seemed to come undone—illness, the loss of cherished work, a move across countries, and the unravelling of a marriage. The ground beneath me was shifting, and I no longer knew who I was within. I shaved my […]
Unfiltered Women #5 : Divya Kamnani
The Quiet Beginnings of Change Growing up, I noticed things I didn’t quite have words for at that time. The pauses before women spoke, the careful choices, the quiet adjustments woven into everyday life. It wasn’t always visible, but it was always there; and I watched. Amidst this, I also noticed something else, women finding […]
Unfiltered Women #4 : Archana Gopinath
My Training as a Good Girl If there were a survival manual for girls growing up in our society, I’m fairly certain I completed the training. And with flying colours. The syllabus was simple. Be polite. Don’t argue. Understand everyone’s moods. Fit in. Keep the peace. And above all, be nice. Like many girls, I […]
Unfiltered Women #3 : Anupama Ramachandran
Finding Our Voice – Surviving and Shaping the World When a woman stops shrinking to fit the world, she begins expanding the world for others. Womanhood, in many ways, is a quiet journey of survival. Not always survival in the dramatic sense, but survival in the everyday moments — the subtle expectations, the invisible boundaries, […]
