When I first moved to America, I was shocked to learn of the high rate of domestic violence here. Surely, American men weren’t like that. Besides, American women were strong – they would never take BS from their husbands, fathers… Read More ›
Vibha Shetiya
The Red Dress by Vibha Shetiya
It was my twelfth birthday and I was in New York vacationing with my parents and brother. New York was a world away from the sleepy town of Luanshya, Zambia where I was from (and which I loved). The noise,… Read More ›
The Definition of Strength, Gaslight Edition by Vibha Shetiya
Recently when I was feeling low and a little devoid of hope, a friend of mine paid me a fabulous compliment: “Things will get better. You’re a very strong person.” I know it was a real compliment and not an… Read More ›
The Cracked Glass by Vibha Shetiya
I haven’t shared this story with too many people, yet it is one that has always remained on the back burner of my mind. I was almost thirteen and as boy-mad as an almost-thirteen-year-old could be. I remember me and… Read More ›
Mindful of the Bond We Share in these Trying Times by Vibha Shetiya
I’m sitting in my parents’ balcony in Pune, India, on a quiet morning. Well, this being a bustling Indian city of six million, it can’t really be quiet. As I sit with cup of tea in hand, I try and… Read More ›
The Chandravati Ramayana: A Story of Two Women by Vibha Shetiya
Although “the” Ramayana is a fluid narrative, scholarship has traditionally recognized the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana as the most authoritative of Ramayanas. But recent studies have brought to light the hundreds of regional stories of Rama and Sita which are more… Read More ›
First Time But *Definitely* Not the Last by Vibha Shetiya
Like many others, I too have been thinking of this election the past month or so. A lot has been said about the repercussions a Trump presidency will have on immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, non-Whites…the list is endless. But… Read More ›
Sex, Death and the Gods (Part II) by Vibha Shetiya
This continues my reflections on the Devidasis in Part 1. The overall picture that emerged from the documentary “Sex, Death and the Gods” was that, in its current form, there were many layers to the Devadasi system. For one, the… Read More ›
Sex, Death and the Gods (Part I) by Vibha Shetiya
I recently re-watched a BBC documentary my students and I had discussed in class last Fall. “Sex, Death and the Gods,” directed by Beeban Kidron, takes a close and rather intimate look at the Devadasi system as currently practiced in… Read More ›
Naked and Unafraid: Mahasveta Devi (1926-2016) by Vibha Shetiya
Mahasveta Devi died last month at the age of 90 in Kolkata, India. A widely acclaimed Bengali writer, she identified as an activist first, clearly evident in her meticulously researched “fiction.” Most of her stories champion the cause of those… Read More ›
I’m Every (Bit A) Woman by Vibha Shetiya
I often recall the time many years ago when a relative sympathized with the fact that my kittie had been spayed. Pigou was one of five girl cats we had and rather than face the difficult task of having to… Read More ›
The Self is Not the Territory by Vibha Shetiya
As a teenager, I grew up wondering where exactly I belonged. Aside from the confusion resulting from straddling two entirely different, perhaps even opposing, cultures, my main concern seemed to center on which country was I from – India or… Read More ›
Two Lives, a Marriage and a Plate of Samosas by Vibha Shetiya
Recently, a commercial made by the clothing line, BIBA, hit the Indian market. Its significance lay in its “Change the Convention, Change is Beautiful” tag. The message was straightforward – we need to change Indian attitudes regarding gender roles. At… Read More ›
Women First, Rivals Later by Vibha Shetiya
Sita, as many know, is the tragic heroine of the Ramayana who gets discarded by her husband Rama because he doubted she had remained chaste while in his arch enemy Ravana’s captivity. Moreover, she is the “ideal Indian woman” in… Read More ›
Fair and (Therefore) Lovely by Vibha Shetiya
According to the Great Indian Cultural Lexicon, being light-skinned or “fair” translates to being “lovely.” A look at commercials that promise a make-over, courtesy of Fair and Lovely skin lightening cream will attest to this. [1] The definition, of course,… Read More ›
I Am Queen by Vibha Shetiya
I started this post just after getting back from an India trip, always very challenging because of memories that haunt me not only through their high negative recall value, but also in that I often find myself reverting to the… Read More ›
Was Mother Kalawati a Feminist? (Part 2) by Vibha Shetiya
Continued from Part 1. After leaving her home and her children in order to take refuge with her guru, in no time, Rukmabai won over hearts. Her guru, Siddharood Swami “with his divine sight” discerned that Rukmabai was no ordinary… Read More ›
Was Mother Kalawati a Feminist? (Part 1) by Vibha Shetiya
I recently assigned my students an article by Kathleen Erndl – “Is Shakti Empowering for Women? Reflections on Feminism and the Hindu Goddess.”[1] I’m sure, like Erndl, many have been fascinated by this question, especially within the Indian context. Does… Read More ›
Epic Drama and Epic Confusion, Courtesy of Bollywood by Vibha Shetiya
I love Bollywood. The colors, the over-the-top drama, the singing and dancing, the suspension of reality for three hours…I see how it can provide a break from the challenges of everyday life for over 700 million Indians living below the… Read More ›
Translating the Self by Vibha Shetiya
One of my favourite tasks is translating works from various Indian languages into English. I developed a love for this while enrolled in a graduate seminar on translation theory. The challenge of it all was mind-boggling – how do I… Read More ›
Sita Sings the Blues. Literally. by Vibha Shetiya
One of the most exciting times of the semester occurs when we watch “Sita Sings the Blues” in class. This film by Nina Paley – one she has made available to the public by withholding copyright – is a wonderful… Read More ›
And Then There Was Sita by Vibha Shetiya
We have been hearing a lot about Kali and Durga lately, manifestations of the great goddess (“Kali Ma,” by Jassy Watson, July 3; “What Would Durga Do?” by Barbara Ardinger, August 2). Nancy Vedder-Shults’ three-part series on Kali (August-October, 2014)… Read More ›
The Guessing Game by Vibha Shetiya
My husband, who is American, first introduced me to the word “negging.” Although I hadn’t come across it before setting foot in America, I soon came to realize it was a concept that knew few cultural bounds. The Urban Dictionary… Read More ›
Four Days of Bliss (or How I used The System to beat The System) by Vibha Shetiya
I’m not particularly fond of my periods – they’re painful, full of cramps. But they are a part of who I am, and I’m not going to apologize for them. We women, especially those of us belonging to the sub-continent,… Read More ›
