Rani Shivani

Windows rolled down, masks rolled up; we were taking an Uber from Aerocity to Hauz Khas. Our driver wasn’t someone you would ordinarily see around the streets of Delhi. Her name is Shivani and she was a force to be reckoned with.

She told us, her lifelong dream was to become a taxi driver. Just like the rest of us who are continually left shocked and disgusted with the violent crimes that take place against women across the country, she has experienced and witnessed women getting harassed by male taxi drivers all her life.

Breaking boundaries that were drawn up for her by perpetuating unequal social structures and power relations, Shivani decided to take things in her own hands. After eloping, she was discouraged to pursue her dream of becoming a female chauffeur. One day, without ‘permission’, she decided to go and fill up a form at Azad Foundation which was offering a ‘Women on Wheels‘ program that included english lessons, first aid training, and of course, driving. Many years later, she now owns her own taxi, runs her entire household, and is financially independent.

Dotingly, she told us about her two children, a five year old and a seven year old. She wakes up every morning, cooks all three meals for her entire family, gets her kids ready for school, and then leaves for work at 8.30AM. Her day ends at 11.30pm. Exchanging stories with us, she mentioned how her days are filled with interesting people and anecdotes. She also told us, that as far as she can help it, she NEVER cancels a female customer’s ride on Uber, no matter how late or how far.

Shivani - a driver par excellence, a humorous & warm-hearted mother, and an ambitious hustler.

This is just one example of what we want the new India to look like. But there is much more to be done - especially for women chauffeurs. An entire supportive infrastructure needs to be made available – safe and hygienic washrooms, safe and well-lit roads, creches that operate through the day, working women hostels and shelter homes for women.

Chor Bazaar

Surrounded by patterns and abundance of colour, second hand treasures and beautiful discoveries can trigger a feeling of nostalgia - like finding something you thought you had lost, but now can buy back from this bazaar.

Every nook makes you want to tilt your head to see what else is around the corner and go further in to quench that FOMO.

Sharing some photos that give a glimpse of this treasure bazaar! If you happen to have some time in Bombay, this is a must visit.

Female Frontline Fighters

I have been told many genres of inspirational stories - stories of valour during the Independence Movement, fairytales with perfect endings, civilians rescuing drowning children, etc. If you are lucky, you sometimes find yourself in a place where you see these stories turning to reality in front of you. This is what my mother and I witnessed in Shillim on May 31, 2019.

Driving up the hill on a cool summer morning in Shillim, we stopped our car to ask an elderly woman carrying a heavy potla, if we could drop her on our way. From the corner of her eye, my mother spotted a small pre-primary Pratham school near the homes in the village right next to us. We could see from a distance, a few dozen women dressed in bright pink sarees all gathered together on a Friday morning. We were intrigued.

We found out that they were Anganwadi workers. Anganwadis translates to mean “courtyard shelter “. This scheme was started by the Indian government in 1975 and now The Ministry of Women and Child Development has laid down guidelines for the responsibilities of Anganwadi workers, “These guidelines include showing community support, conducting regular quick surveys of all families, organizing pre-school activities, providing health and nutrition education to families, motivating families to adopt family planning, educating teenage girls and parents by organizing social awareness programs, and identifying disabilities in children”.

The Central Government has now recently launched the online mobile phone app to streamline and easily document the various findings by the Anganwadi workers across the country.

In Shillim, Maharashtra, it was the first time these 25 women from 25 different surrounding villages were meeting to participate in the monthly online training session to learn how to use this app for their everyday work as Anganwadi workers. They explained that the dashboard on the app allows the workers to go paperless and share progress reports, best practices, simple system for growth monitoring and request for immediate help where needed. Prior to this, the women had to do 800 surveys on average every year and write, document and preserve these papers which made it time consuming and extremely difficult to maintain.

When we walked into the school, we saw women who were in their late 60s, holding a smart phone for the first time in their life, young newly-wed wives driving in on motorbikes, and mothers who have never in their life experienced the joy of having an income to their own name. This is the new India, and these women are our secret weapon.



marigold & turmeric - II

PART II

Second, was the Shahi Snaan.

Indeed, there is the sense of camaraderie that comes when strangers get together to share a common stage. We found ourselves adrift in a surreal world where different realities overlapped. For, we had checked into a tent at the Parmarth Ashram, overlooking the beach and the ghat, buzzing with activity: a Sadhu in his orange robes sat cross-legged on the opposite misty bank, deep in meditation; men and women in dripping shorts and saris took purifying dips in the freezing jade-green waters of the Ganga; pilgrims floated offerings of flowers, burnt camphor and incense sticks; sadhus with flowing locks and hooded eyelids pulled on chillums; a young disciple washed the feet of his stooped, grey-whiskered guru; others scooped up the Ganga water in containers to take back home… Despite the presence of security men in camouflage uniforms, sporting mean-looking guns supervising the proceedings, we were caught in the swell of unadulterated devotion being poured into the surging river as it swept by.

marigold & turmeric - I

PART I

It is unfair and impossible to summarize my experience at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Come January 2019, the world’s largest religious gathering, the Ardh Kumbh Mela took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad. The Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019, commenced from January 15 and and ended today, March 4. This year I decided to attend.

As long as I can remember, my family has always participated in the Kumbh Mela. This year, it was held at the Triveni Sangam, the meeting points of three rivers – the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Sarasvati in Prayagraj. There are one-too many exceptional spiritual experiences from my visit but I will highlight three in the blog posts below. I have tried to capture my experience through photographs and videos.

First, the Naga Sadhus. Imagine, these Naga sadhus have coils of matted hair and have their naked bodies smeared with holy ash. They usually carry a trident that are crowned with human skulls. While they look fierce, these sadhus are the most non-violent group of people, who have renounced all materialistic goods and become one with nature living a life of oblivion and avoiding human contact. Given this, they do not appear in public with the exception of the Kumbh Mela. I spent an afternoon in their Akhada (their designated home space for a temporary time period) - sat with them, ate prasaad, and listened to their music for hours at a stretch. They were fierce, powerful, wise, and intimidating yet simultaneously heartfelt, caring, and protective. An experience that will forever be etched in my spirit.