Tell us about yourself
I work in Edutech, but I essentially see myself as a writer. My days are divided between being high on life and being utterly disappointed with where the world is going. One thing which I never tire of witnessing is how education and exposure change people’s lives.
How would you explain feminism to a 10-year-old?
Ideally speaking, in a textbook. During a history class. The way slavery was explained to me.
Which female icon has inspired you the most and why?
I was realistic enough not to compare myself to famous people because I knew life had served me different cards. I sought icons amongst the people I knew – my cousins, aunts, sisters-in-law. I’ll refrain from revealing personal details about them, but I know people who’ve fought odds and persevered and made good lives for themselves.
What kind of impact do you think the #MeToo campaign created? and What are your thoughts and feelings about such movements?
One of my favorite bloggers, Mark Manson, wrote about how when in the movie Titanic, those two guys saw the iceberg and the entire crew put everything they had to put the ship in reverse motion, they couldn’t do it in time coz things take time. Especially something as huge as moving a ship like Titanic. Humans have great psychological inertia, and it takes a ton of time for habits to change. We all love instant gratification, but it’s important to realize that it’s going to take some time for the society to change. This doesn’t mean we stop putting everything we have in these movements. Au contraire, we need to be a bit patient and keep trying to make a difference. These movements are important, and while the effect might seem negligible as compared to the amount of actual problem, we are making a difference.
I remember the day when I came across the #MeToo movement and my first thought was, “Hey, life has been good to me! #NOTMeToo.” But later that night, I remembered something that I had carefully buried in my subconscious. I believe that has been the biggest impact of this movement. Repressed memories surfaced and made a lot of us feel shitty and alone and weak and wronged, and while I found comfort for a bit when I found out that I was not alone in this, it quickly changed to anger at the fact that so many of us have experienced this shit.
Having gotten the benefit of elite education, how do you plan to pass it on to other disadvantaged women?
In the current times, knowledge is freely available. What people lack is good mentorship and exposure. Those things make for complete education. I have just started out on my journey, so it doesn’t feel like I have enough of those things to pass on to others. Hence, I don’t actively try to distribute any gyaan, but I make sure I help whoever approaches me.
Heer Shingala
January 03, 2018
January 15, 2018
February 02, 2018
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