Essays

Essays on women, work and culture.

Pieces from the Decoding Draupadi team on films, ads, media and the everyday lives of women in India.

26 Jun 2024

Thriving as A Single Woman in your 30s and Beyond

What becomes of a woman when she stops looking at romantic partnerships as the ultimate trophy or motive for being alive?

21 Jun 2024

Tales of Womanhood: A north-eastern perspective

This isn’t just my story; it’s my mother’s and all the girls of the North East region of India. Although we proudly identify as Indian citizens, our experiences are different in that we often face racism and discrimination. The environment in the North East, especially in my hometown Sikkim, is quite different compared to the mainland.

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…

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…

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…

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…

29 Mar 2023

#WomenInEnergy – Decoding Luminous’ Women’s Day Ad

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

16 Feb 2023

Women are not asked to leave their jobs anymore, just to “tone it down”.

Workplaces are still adjusting to the needs of women. They’re still learning. While they do so, we’re making noise about problems that need immediate attention. And, this is one of them.

15 Feb 2023

Unwrapping the Gender Gap in STEM

This series decodes the reasons and probable solutions to the gnawing gender gap that exists in STEM today.

7 Feb 2023

Are you a whore or a saint? Freud has the answer.

I sat down with my friend Freud to decode which box I fit into. I think it’s a fun exercise and you should do it too.