Aswini Ashok

The Chennai vs Bangalore debate is as old as civilisation. I, for one, believe we should ditch this debate and learn good things from both the sides, like Siddharammaiah, the former CM of Karnataka, who got inspired by “Amma Unavagams” and introduced his flagship project, “Indira Canteens” across Karnataka. Here, I enlist a few (Bengaluru) policies, which shall make Chennai more citizen-friendly. Link to this article featured in  chennai.citizenmatters Citizen–prioritised approach in public transportation: A lot of people would argue Bengaluru has the worst traffic, which is evidently true too. But, what is notable is the citizen-friendly approaches in the existing policies. GPS tracking of buses: With the MyBMTC app, real-time bus tracking has come handy. The app shows the nearest bus stops and the expectancy time for buses arriving at any stop. One can track buses and plan trips using the app. The government had roped in Nihar Thakkar, a teen who first introduced it privately. Though

Anna Vetticad says in her review of Gunjan Saxena, that it is a story of one remarkable woman, but also a story of every remarkable woman that ever lived. This one line summarises everything the movie aims to portray. It is not about patriotism, not about ‘dushman-desh’ or not even about the IAF. It is just about an innocent girl aiming to soar high but put down by the society that leaves no stone unturned to say that she is not worth her dreams. But, who are they to say anyways? The Kargil girl disproves them in style. It is the story of every woman. Misogyny spares no woman. We all sail through it on a daily basis. It may be adrenaline charging to see women giving savage comebacks and dismantling patriarchy through powerful monologues on screen. But, honestly, we never do that on a regular basis. Sometimes yes. But, definitely not always. Most of the time we suck up and carry on with our work, believing our actions would speak up for itself. Gunjan Saxena is that kind. That doesn’t

Two things totally unrelated to each other happening right now have a strange yet compelling connection. One is the Indian army’s call for women officers seeking permanent commission to start sending their applications. Another one is the promotion works of the movie, Gunjan Saxena. If you have ever wondered why this, much celebrated Kargil girl is still not serving the IAF unlike many Kargil heroes still in their uniforms. The answer lies in the first event mentioned. It is because women were not granted permanent positions in Armed forces. Well, times have changed now. The Supreme Court judgement earlier in February this year was celebrated for promising equality in the Indian army. Though it is a welcome move undoubtedly, it is imperative to understand the evolution and reasoning of the demand to understand what costs equality, even in its limited scope. Captain Bhavana Kasturi leading an all-male contingent in R-Day parade 2019 Women in Army:                                        

Shakuntala Devi premiered on Amazon prime, a day after her daughter, Ms. Anupama, officially received the Guinness record certification for her mother's record in 1980. Even this inordinate delay is not as flawed as the daughter's relationship with her mother in my opinion. Women are taken for granted even by their own daughters - And this movie shows how. Anu Menon, the director, said she wanted to showcase mother-daughter relationship which has never received as much attention as mother-son and father-daughter relationships. This answers people’s concern on why they had just went about in a touch-and-go manner about Devi’s genius. If not for the disclaimer that the movie is based on what Anupama shared, the storyline shall be brushed off as yet another insensitivity, to appease the ‘masala’-craving audience. But, this comes straight from the woman who shared that specific bond and post-release, she expressed gladness o

Ever since mankind was born, men were at each other’s throats; invaded territories; indulged in wars that ripped the world into fragments; divided humans based on superficial hierarchies like race, sex, caste, etc.,; did not even spare splitting families over property disputes and others, yet, we never dare to label them as “men being men’s best enemies.” But, one woman talks against a woman, the society goes great lengths to ascertain that women hate each other. As Gloria Steinem says in the recent Disney + Hotstar miniseries, Mrs. America , “They have found the perfect smokescreen to hide their chauvinism-women.” It is true that women need to fight together to uproot patriarchy. But the unfair obligation to always be nice to each other, is yet another unreasonable expectation shoved down our throats. Mrs. America settles this once and for all, of how normal it is for women to dissent. After all, feminism has never been ONE supreme way of achieving equality. There are inroads that

The mathematical projections of MGR University indicate 1.5 lakh covid-19 patients in Chennai by mid-July and a peak in October. Going by the fact that the Varsity’s projections on Chennai have been proved right so far, it is best to brace ourselves to deal with the crisis as it is about to knock every one of our homes. This is my own account observing the crisis from close quarters which might help to understand how the system works.   Getting tested: This is the first of the many hardships, a patient (and their family) faces. There are as many ways to stop you from getting tested. On developing any symptoms, if you approach a private clinic, the doctor will mostly convince it is just viral fever and to follow the medications. But, make sure to get your symptoms handwritten by the doctor on your prescription. Private labs are very specific about this. A valid prescription is mandatory to get an appointment. They charge 4500Rs. But, an additional charge for home sample collection. If y

It may be in the best of interests when the PM asked everyone to stay put in their respective locations when the lockdown was declared. But, things had gone astray ever since. Especially that of the stranded migrant workers. While the rich had the privilege to fly back on the last day, it is always the poor and underprivileged who bears the wrath of any difficult measures being taken in the country. The recent decision by the central govt. advising the state governments to take necessary measures to transit the migrant workers shall be commended only for being better late than never. Labor ministry sources indicate there could be as many as 2 million migrant workers in the country. The government should have been more sensitive in dealing with a crisis of this magnitude. At least 25 people have died walking hundreds of km in the last one month alone. While some were lucky enough to have made it to their villages, the sight of people walking all the way in highways with constantl

When I watch travel vloggers videos on YouTube, there is a stark contrast in the way men and women describe their scary moments. The guys talk about “other” scary things, while women’s scary moments mostly revolve around men. But, hey, let’s face it. Solo trips are not just about scary moments. Indeed the scary parts are almost nothing in the whole big picture. Every moment is a learning when you travel. But, sometimes you learn it in a fun way that lingers in your memories for eternity. I present two such incidents from my travel that taught me to be more hopeful in approaching life. Hippie Island at Hampi: The best things in life are never planned. It is because we have an open mind to embrace any opportunity instead of sticking to a “plan” our ego never let's go off. One such amazing experience was at the Hippie island of Hampi. The second day at Hampi, my plan was to go “planless”. I just wanted to cross the river and see what that side has. And, it turne