'If enough people defy the law and insist on flouting fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution in the name of religion and custom, does that endow a bigoted, unjust demand with merit?', asks Shuma Raha.
The government of UP has made it a habit of sorts to move against -- or better still, lock up -- mediapersons who give cause for displeasure, says Shuma Raha.
'Being shut indoors with an abusive partner has made life a lot worse for women, and domestic violence helplines have reported a significant rise in distress calls at this time,' observes Shuma Raha.
Many associations of urban dwellers across the country are assuming powers they do not possess and behaving like tinpot dictators, says Shuma Raha.
'These are sexual harassment allegations. You are a woman minister in charge. Will there be a probe on the allegations?'
'The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice'
'Sometimes we remember our plans and preoccupations from early March.' 'They seem laughably unreal now,' says Shuma Raha.
Harvey Weinstein's indictment is important because it sends out the message that a sexual predator can be brought to justice even if the crime occurred years ago, when the victim did not have the courage or the agency to speak out, notes Shuma Raha.
'The vitriol against Deepika Padukone, who is a hugely popular star, will fade over time. But let's not forget what caused it,' says Shuma Raha.
'Tipu Sultan may have had his flaws, but that does not mean he can be axed from textbooks.' 'Besides, if it is Tipu today, who will it be tomorrow?' asks Shuma Raha.
The masses of digital data that you generate throughout your life -- your pictures, posts, tweets, blogs -- can remain intact in the folds of the Internet, points out Shuma Raha.
'It is natural for parents to want to keep their children safe.' 'But there's a difference between putting up firewalls to protect them and snooping on them 24X7,' says Shuma Raha.
When he thinks no one is looking, the misogyny of a sham feminist man can be as red in tooth and claw as that of the neanderthal neighbour who beats up his wife. Only, it seems doubly unsettling because it comes from someone we trusted, says Shuma Raha.
'You have to be insensitive and callous to want to shoot the spectacle of persons dying, presumably for the pleasure of posting the picture or video on WhatsApp,' says Shuma Raha.
'His humble words are no substitute for a clear vision for the future of the country. But humility has its own power, its own impact.' 'And it's probably more than that of a monogrammed suit,' says Shuma Raha.
'Faith, and the notion that it has been 'outraged', is used to justify the most outrageous, illiberal and regressive acts,' notes Shuma Raha.
'It is time again for Durga Puja.' 'Time again to be struck by India's astonishing cultural irony, one where the female form is worshipped as divinity while millions of real women are forced to lead restricted lives,' notes Shuma Raha.
Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, which was struck down by the Supreme Court, managed to be anti-women even while it appeared to be throwing a protective arm around them, says Shuma Raha.
'Governments forget that no matter how cunning they are, eventually they cannot ride on anarchy,' says Shuma Raha.
'The cow can always be the CAUSE.' 'Cause for murder. Cause for setting India's people against each other.' 'Not recognising the fact that this can tip the country into an unending spiral of civil strife and set the much-vaunted 'India story' back by years is the ultimate stupidity of all,' says Shuma Raha.
'Despite the pornographic quality of its name, Lust Stories is something of an event in Indian popular culture,' says Shuma Raha.
'It is as if once a woman conceives, she immediately relinquishes the right to take decisions regarding her body; her entire identity must now be subsumed into her role as an engine of reproduction and society must do all it can to keep her strapped to that role,' says Shuma Raha.
Making employers provide creche facilities would be a powerful incentive for women to stay on in the workforce rather than drop out owing to the pressure of child care, says Shuma Raha.
Donald Trump's new CIA pick hasn't been greeted with the avalanche of media gush that inevitably follows a woman who becomes the first among her gender to get a top job.
Television channels were ready to plumb below rock bottom in their frenzied prospecting for TRP gold, says Shuma Raha.
'Ms Williams has had multiple on-court implosions in the past and got penalised for them, too.' 'She cried sexism this time perhaps because she knew the atmosphere was ripe for it,' notes Shuma Raha.
The Blue Whale challenge didn't spring out of nowhere. It belongs to the well-established tradition of the glamourisation of self-harm on the internet.
'Emojis were conceived to add a dash of pizzazz to our text lives.' 'That's what they do still.' 'Hoping that they will usher social change is optimism on steroids,' says Shuma Raha.
It was the year 'anti-national' became the 'it' gaali, and our humble haldi-doodh became the toast of the West's wellness brigade as 'Tumeric Latte.' It was the year 'cash' became unholy and 'fake news' became real. Shuma Raha looks back.
Star Trek is middle-aged and a bit tired but it's definitely here to stay, feels Shuma Raha.
Skin colour looms grimly over adoptions, keeping babies and would-be parents away from each other.
The term binge-watching was the runner up in Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2013. Indians may have come late to the party a little later, but we're making up for lost time, says Shuma Raha.
'Politicians have always dealt in lies and propaganda.'
'But the scale of the propaganda and the impunity with which it is being unleashed now is stunning,'
'The maverick, alpha male, super suave spy, who kills as efficiently as he charms the pants off women, doing the mother of all gender-benders and trading his tux for high heels?'
For a person who hasn't overdosed on a TV series for decades -- not since the delightful Friends, and much further back, the homily-laden Hum Log or the excellent Buniyaad or Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi -- Game of Thrones has been a game changer for me, writes Shuma Raha.
In its first comments on the sexual harassment allegations against Akbar, the BJP said the minister has given his version on the row and that it is not about whether the party agrees or disagrees with him.
Akbar's lawyer said that he had resigned from the post of minister of state for external affairs due to these allegations and this showed the extent of damage caused to his reputation.
On Wednesday, Minister of State (External Affairs) M J Akbar resigned from his post after facing a flurry of allegations of sexual harassment by women journalists. As the women journalists 'feel vindicated' following his resignation, here's a list of the women who came forward and shared their ordeal.
Shuma Raha finds out how writers are using social media to produce bestsellers.
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