From the Founder

Notes from Anshika Kushwaha.

Anshika Kushwaha, founder of Decoding Draupadi, on women, work, money and the brands that talk to them.

21 Apr 2026

Blazer has six letters. So does Chains.

By Muskan Goel The internet picks its new favourite word every few months. Right now, that word is authenticity. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it; every LinkedIn expert, every personal brand coach, every Instagram guru, with a ring light and a linen shirt will tell you with complete sincerity to just be authentic. Show up…

15 Apr 2026

Khan Sir’s Statement Was Wrong. Here Is the Damage It Is Actually Doing.

Beyond the outrage, beyond the obvious. What this moment reveals about what we are quietly teaching an entire generation, and why it is so much harder to undo than a viral clip. Let us get the obvious part out of the way. Yes, the statement was wrong. Yes, reducing women to saaman, objects, goods, things,…

14 Mar 2026

We See You. We’re Just Not Buying It Anymore.

Every March, brands rediscover women. Every March, women roll their eyes. Here’s what the comment sections already know that the marketing industry refuses to learn. There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not from being ignored, but from being noticed in exactly the wrong way. Women know this exhaustion. It shows up every…

5 Mar 2026

This Is What Silent Churn Looks Like I Women In Gyms

Women aren’t opting out of strength training. They’re opting out of the spaces we built for it. And India’s booming fitness industry hasn’t noticed the gap it’s leaving behind. Silent churn rarely announces itself. There are no angry complaints, no viral Twitter threads, no public exits. People simply stop using a product the way it…

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…

15 Feb 2023

Why is laundry a woman’s job?

6 years ago Ariel asked a radical question, Why is laundry a woman’s job? Since then, we have seen five instalments of the absolutely brilliant #ShareTheLoad campaign. And, I’m glad it did.