Blog

Stories, told straight.

Conversations with women building careers on their own terms, podcast episodes, and notes from the founder.

DD Blog · 29 May 2024

On Laapataa Ladies, and the stages of women reclaiming their identities

Stage 1: Conversations that plant the seed There is a scene somewhere close to the interval, where Yashodha asks her mother-in-law, “Kya aap aur main saheli ho sakte hain?”. She is prompted to think about this for the first time after seeing the interaction between Jaya and Poonam, giggling away like friends – a relationship…

DD Blog · 12 May 2024

Sisoti: Decoding Draupadi’s First Open Mic

Sisoti. The film Kutch Express begins with a group of women giggling in the deserted streets of Kutch. They’ve fed sleeping pills to their husbands and mothers-in-law for the night. It’s that one night of the month where they come together; to be themselves. To laugh. Chat freely. And be themselves. They call it Sisoti…

DD Blog · 19 Feb 2024

On Pauses and People – Building Decoding Draupadi in Public – Feb 11 to 18.

Last week, I was on a 4-day break from work. Both C4E and Decoding Draupadi. And that means, no movement on large things. When I’ve taken such breaks in the past, I usually come back to an unorganised inbox, some missed messages, and a LOT of confusion. This time, I decided to do better. I…

DD Blog · 12 Dec 2023

A collection of stories by women that inspire.

The lives we lead today are often influenced by the women we grew up around. From our aunts’ bold cadence to our mothers’ quiet strength, they shape our perception of what’s possible. These women become the embodiment of courage and possibility. At first, we witness representation in the anecdotes shared by our aunts and mothers,…

DD Blog · 11 Sept 2023

Why did we see the need for a WA community of female freelancers?

To shatter the glass ceiling we often talk about, we need to first identify it. When we attempted to do that at Decoding Draupadi, we observed that one of the reasons women find it tough to progress is the lack of choice. For a moment, if we were to acknowledge some very evident truths like…

DD Blog · 5 Sept 2023

Hi, we are Decoding Draupadi!

If you made it here, I’m guessing it is because you are a friend, or someone who was intrigued by the name Decoding Draupadi. Regardless, thank you! And hello. Consider this (long-ish) blog post a note about who we are, where we want to be (our masterplan, if I may), and how we plan on…

Media and Representation · 23 Jun 2023

Cinderella vs Moana: Disney Over The Years

Growing up, I watched a lot of movies. Movies make or break our minds. Influence us in ways we cannot imagine. Thus, it is important that we watch empowering and inspiring movies. Here is my story of how two different movies shaped and influenced my mind. We all know the story of Cinderella. But just…

DD Blog · 8 Jun 2023

Learning Languages made fun with Anuradha Agarwal

“One thing I always felt good about is that we built an absolutely beautiful culture at MultiBhashi.” Anuradha Agarwal We are collaborating with The Podium, a podcast network, to bring you stories of female entrepreneurs from their show, Founder Thesis. Part 3 – Anuradha Agarwal, MultiBhashi Anuradha Agarwal is the Founder of MultiBhashi, a language-learning…

DD Blog · 6 Jun 2023

Sairee Chahal on building Sheroes – a women-only social network

“Jobs in India haven’t grown. The footprint of women in the workplace has actually shrunk… As the jobs don’t grow, women are not going to get replacement jobs. Those are held by men and will continue to be held by men.” Sairee Chahal A women’s only platform for networking in the early 2010s seemed superficial…

Marriage Certificate Requirements · 5 May 2023

Internet dating Someone Coming from a Different Nation

Whether it’s your partner’s local language or perhaps their tradition, dating somebody from another type of country expands your horizons in many ways. Researching the language and customs your lover grew up with makes for interesting chatter, and even the tiniest things such as social eating habits can be points of talk that enable you…

Marketing · 29 Mar 2023

#WomenInEnergy – Decoding Luminous’ Women’s Day Ad

Decoding Luminous’ Women’s Day Ad – Default Gender and Women In Energy

DD Blog · 24 Feb 2023

Dear Disney, here is why representation matters: On seeing the first Disney princess with glasses

I will open this post with a story I have never told the Internet before. The story of how I got my glasses. “Eat your greens or you’ll ruin your eyes. Fir chashma pehen-na padega.” My first memory of this comment is from first grade. It didn’t really work the way my folks thought it…