Likhati » Women http://www.likhati.com Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:41:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.likhati.com http://www.likhati.com/wp-content/cbnet-favicon/182.JPG Likhati British woman tells of humiliation by Indian court http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/21/british-woman-tells-of-humiliation-by-indian-court/ http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/21/british-woman-tells-of-humiliation-by-indian-court/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:18:19 +0000 u http://punarjanman.wordpress.com/?p=2760 A British woman who came to India to work for a charity developing women’s rights has told how she was humiliated in court and broke down after accusing a plumber of trying to rape her.

Kaya Eldridge, a graduate of the London School of Economics, has made a formal complaint to the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court after a defence lawyer asked her a series of “irrelevant questions designed to question my character”. In front of a packed court of jeering men, the 23-year-old was asked whether she drank alcohol, socialised with men and even how often she took a shower. All the while, the man she had accused of assaulting her sat just feet away.

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]]> http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/21/british-woman-tells-of-humiliation-by-indian-court/feed/ 0 What Do Women Want? http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/16/what-do-women-want/ http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/16/what-do-women-want/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:20:58 +0000 u http://punarjanman.wordpress.com/?p=2742 Some time ago, a reader had sent in thislink to a New York Times article on sexual desire in women-I’m very late posting the link.
Here it is: What Do Women Want?
As expected, it’s complicated, but very interesting.

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]]> http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/16/what-do-women-want/feed/ 3 ‘Men will be ustads & pandits. Bais will be bais.’ http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/26/%e2%80%98men-will-be-ustads-pandits-bais-will-be-bais-%e2%80%99/ http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/26/%e2%80%98men-will-be-ustads-pandits-bais-will-be-bais-%e2%80%99/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:17:45 +0000 u http://punarjanman.wordpress.com/?p=2577 Been meaning to post a tribute to Gangubai Hangal, another great doyenne of Indian classical music, this time Hindustani music, who passed away at the age of 96, within days of DKP. Also of a deep and “manly” voice. But will link to another post instead, which contains extracts from her autobiography, which speak, in her own words, of her enormous struggle:

‘Men will be ustads & pandits. Bais will be bais.’

Image credit: The Hindu

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]]> http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/26/%e2%80%98men-will-be-ustads-pandits-bais-will-be-bais-%e2%80%99/feed/ 2 DK Pattammal passes away http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/16/dk-pattammal-passes-away/ http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/16/dk-pattammal-passes-away/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:02:15 +0000 u http://punarjanman.wordpress.com/?p=2551 The sad news today is that the last surviving member of the “female trinity” of Carnatic music, DK Pattammal passed away. The other two Grande Dames were MS Subbulakshmi and ML Vasanthakumari. To this “trinity” one must also add a fourth, T. Brinda. The contribution of these four women, storming male bastions (sometimes without appearing to do so) and carving a very important place for women singers can never be underestimated.

When I was just starting to get seriously interested in Carnatic music, I read about DKP in Indira Menon’s The Madras Quartet. It made a huge impact on my 20 year old mind.

DKP would not call herself a feminist perhaps, but I don’t think one would be wrong in considering her a feminist icon. Women were supposed to be incapable of pallavi singing, i.e. they were deemed incapable of performing “weighty”* and complex music set to intricate beats. DKP helped to shatter this illusion. We shall always be grateful.

DK Pattammal helped prove that women could sing Ragam Tanam Pallavis, and sing them brilliantly. There are a couple available online here.

As Vidya says in her comment below:

Pattammal was the first Brahmin woman to perform on stage. Today this might seem an oddity.So she did for music in a sense what Rukmini Arundale did for dance. But in the milieu of those times there was a clear bifurcation along caste lines when it came to gender and performance and aspersions were cast upon women from non-Isai Vellala communities.

She had a low, sometimes gravelly voice (though not always), that may not immediately appeal, but draws you in over time. That low, old, tender voice and beautiful wrinkled face moved many when she sang Jana Gana Mana at a ripe old age, with her famous grand-daughter, Nithyashree Mahadevan, for AR Rahman.

Goodbye DKP Amma and thank-you.

* I have some quibbles with the classification of “weighty” and “light” music-see also Vidya’s views here: She sings.. Like a man (updated to add: realised the link wasn’t working-fixed that now)

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]]> http://www.likhati.com/2009/07/16/dk-pattammal-passes-away/feed/ 18 Thread ceremonies for women http://www.likhati.com/2009/06/03/thread-ceremonies-for-women/ http://www.likhati.com/2009/06/03/thread-ceremonies-for-women/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:40:46 +0000 u http://punarjanman.wordpress.com/?p=2330 Vidya’s post triggered by reading about a girl in Thane who had a thread ceremony, discusses some texts that sanctioned this practice for women, but cautions against viewing the past with rose tinted spectacles when it comes to women and their access to scriptural knowledge.

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