POLICY CENTRE AND GENDER LAB

 Constitution Order 2019 came at a time when all hopes and ideas of ushering a new era of peace and progress in Kashmir (which is believed to be heaven on earth but is afflicted by terror, turbulence and torment) started to fade away. The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order,2019 took away the special status conferred to J&K by Article 370. Before one dive deep into the impacts and vision of this order, it is crucial to know the backdrops of it. It is a well-known fact that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Only two articles could apply to J&K: Article 1, which defines India, and Article 370 itself, which provided that other provisions of the Indian Constitution can apply to J&K “subject to such exceptions and modifications as the President may by order specify”, and with the concurrence of the state government. The state’s residents lived under a separate set of laws such as those related to citizensh...

 On Dec 12, 2019 the draft of the already contested Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha and what followed this, was to make headlines for the next couple of months- the nationwide anti-CAA protests. Perhaps an important aspect here, is to analyze how it not only stirred mass dissent but also changed its face. Newspapers, TV journalists were struck by one peculiar aspect of these protests, i.e., their collective feminine leadership, challenging the typical ‘feminine’ itself.  The days following Dec 12 saw popular mobilization in Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia and UP’s Aligarh Muslim University. The protests then were in their nascent stage which changed after the police crackdown in Jamia on Dec 14. A group of women on the following day sat on an indefinite strike in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, an area near Jamia college. Since a number of students studying in the University are from the same locality, many see the Shaheen Bagh sit-in as the spillover of outrage over po...

Before I begin, let me narrate an incident to set the context.  A few days ago, I visited a friend of mine -a married friend- who wasn’t even able to take out just ten minutes to come and chat with me as she was busy doing her household chores that she apparently “ loved doing ”. Interestingly, even after ‘donating’ herself, her health as well as her time to her home and her family, all that she gets in return are the gibes of doing "nothing" the entire day. This is very intriguing for a country like India where approximately 160 million women are considered to have ‘household work’ as their main occupation, according to the 2011 Census of India.  Are all these women who work hard day and night, cook for their families, clean their houses, nurture their children etc. then doing nothing?  The answer to this question is known to everyone. The housework done by a woman for her family has never been put under the category of ‘work’, instead it is simply considered to be a “d...

 The onset of menstruation compels millions of adolescent girls around the world to face a miserable cycle of pain, discomfort, shame, anxiety, and isolation. In many developing and under-developing countries, access to sanitary products such as pads, tampons, or cups are limited, and girls often resort to using proxy materials such as mud, leaves, or animal skins to try to absorb the menstrual flow. Appropriate and hygienic infrastructure— waste disposal mechanisms, soap and water for washing, and safe, private, and accessible toilets—is rarely available or sustainable. This unavailability of necessities not just affects girls and women physically but also mentally. Some stop going to school during periods and some stop going to their working places. People who menstruate deserve period dignity because menstruation is natural and products related to menstruation should be treated as a necessity. Scotland's step towards normalizing period In November 2020, Scotland became the first...

 According to the Oxford dictionary, the most widely circulated dictionary in the country, the term “Pornography” is defined as “books- magazines- films, et cetera, that describe or show sexual acts which cause sexual excitement”, and indeed, acts of pornography incite sexual arousal among groups of satisfied consumers/ viewers. The term “pornography” has been derived from the Greek word, porni, which means “whore or prostitute” and graphein, which stands for “to write”, therefore, in colloquial language, this would sum up to “the writing about prostitutes''. The definition for prostitutes will initiate a whole new level of discussion because a “prostitute” is someone who engages in sexual activities in return of payment- a business venture with a producer and a consumer. However, prostitution and the selling of sexually explicit content for sexual arousal have been mocked, heavily neglected, and largely treated as a taboo better not spoken about for centuries. With the advent ...

 The effectiveness of journalism lies in its ability to be on the move. And with the 20th century, traditional journalism melded with the alternatives that the internet provided, to supply quick, around- the- clock news. Hence the introduction of contemporary journalism brought together traditional prints and radio formats with newer online and video platforms. Now news can be accessed online at all times. It is updated by the minute and opens the floor to conversations and exchange of opinions parallel to these updates. Journalists too benefit, as they can easily reach their contacts via professional networking sites and the e-mail service. Further, the near future promises to popularize audio based journalism through podcasts and audio- activated platforms, offering us new ways to access news. The story coverage by journalists today, also gains a global audience; hence individuals are informed about news from all around the world. It provides the opportunity to cover stories that...