What is a book if it doesn’t make you ponder and contemplate after a read? In conversation with authors Richa Kaul Padte and Shobha Rao on their thought provoking books Cyber Sexy and Girls Burn Brighter respectively, Huzan Tata learns about unspoken-of worlds and emancipating tales
OPENING NEW DOORS
RICHA KAUL PADTE, Cyber Sexy
WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS BEHIND WRITING A BOOK ON PORN? Ever since two pornography bans were proposed in India in 2013, I wanted an Indian woman to write a book that talked about what porn and the internet meant for sexuality, and why they weren’t inherently bad for women. I spent at least a year waiting for someone to announce they were writing this book. And when no one did, I got this weird feeling that it might have to be me. What I ultimately tried to do with Cyber Sexy was write the book I wanted to read.
DID YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF APPREHENSIONS, GIVEN THAT TALKING ABOUT SEX OPENLY IS STILL RELATIVELY TABOO IN INDIA?
My thinking around sexuality comes pretty much straight from the women’s movement in India and the UK, which I’ve been a part of for nearly a decade. Talking publicly about sexuality isn’t new for me, the only difference is that now I’m doing it in a more mainstream way. And because I’ve been doing it in spaces that have been so supportive and progressive, I was able to bypass the types of apprehensions that come with being an Indian woman writing about sex.
DO YOU HOPE THE BOOK WILL OPEN UP MORE CHANNELS OF CONVERSATION?
I think that would be absolutely amazing — if it gets people talking! I think it’s really important to have open conversations around sex. Because a big problem with sexuality in India is that it’s treated as something dirty, immoral, and best avoided. Having these conversations is crucial to developing healthy, safe, and pleasurable sexual relationships. And if Cyber Sexy encourages even a handful of people to talk about things they’ve never said out loud, that would be an incredible outcome.
WHAT ARE THE ANECDOTES THAT REALLY STAYED WITH YOU?
Esta historia es de la edición June 2018 de Verve.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 2018 de Verve.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
