Increasingly deprived of access to welfare schemes, women deleted from the voter list during the SIR exercise are negotiating questions of citizenship and belonging in BJP-led West Bengal
Increasingly deprived of access to welfare schemes, women deleted from the voter list during the SIR exercise are negotiating questions of citizenship and belonging in BJP-led West Bengal
In this instalment of BehanBox Talkies, scholar Sundari Anitha says entering a relationship is itself an act of resistance for women and admitting that it has turned abusive therefore becomes difficult
An excerpt from development economist Reetika Khera’s book, ‘Freebies or Rights: Understanding Social Policy in India’
Lakshmi Kaurav from Madhya Pradesh logs for a month her triple shift of care labour
Illness, lost productivity, survival costs, and lack of government or platform protections mean workers end up absorbing economic costs
This week in BehanVox: confessions of a BLO from Bengal, Gloria Steinem’s legacy, and more
The quarter acre farm Fulo owns yields rich harvests of maize and rice. But she had started small — with a goat, a sewing machine and a kirana shop, all bought with loans from a state livelihood scheme
A BLO from West Bengal talks about the confusion around the ever-changing rules of the SIR process, the relentless work pressure and voter anxiety that shaped their work for six long months
This week in BehanVox: the eroding right to food, biased chatbots, and more
We spoke to researchers and practitioners across Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan to understand the promises and fallacies of linguistic diversity in AI, and the way ahead
The proposed amendment to the National Food Security Act 2013 is curtailing the rights of the most vulnerable to foodgrains
This week in BehanVox: 1970s cabaret songs, data centre resistance in Andhra Pradesh, and more
This month in Postcards: Ballykupe’s Tibetan food, Canadian summers, and more
In this instalment of BehanBox Talkies, two Dalit women from Andhra Pradesh speak about their fight for their rights even as multinational tech-giants power a global AI boom
An excerpt from a new book on female playback singers in Bombay cinema, and how Asha Bhosle’s malleable voice whispered and breathed life into these
SIR has become an existential test where clerical errors from two decades ago and technological failures may put both your right to vote and citizenship under threat, says an SIR helpline volunteer
This week in BehanVox: myths about ideal victims, Parliament watch, and more
Despite chronic stress, fatigue and loss of livelihood women have no choice but live up to the expectations of caring for family members with mental health issues
A women-led farmer producer company in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Dharashiv district reveals both the promise and the contradictions of India’s ambitious attempt to turn poor rural women into agri entrepreneurs
Data centres have existed since the 1990s so what is it about the new hyperscalers that is generating so many anxieties around livelihood, land rights and sustainability? We bring you an explainer
This week in BehanVox: return of the farmers, loneliness of a caregiver, and more
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: sum of resentment
A chronicle of a 32-year-old woman’s caregiving, burnout, and search for community after her mother’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease
In Vishakhapatnam, at the harbour, in the market and on streets, women fishers are visible in large numbers but the state simply does not count them as part of the industry
This month in Postcards: Somnath Hore’s art, sattu parathas, a Marxist cat, and more
An excerpt from ‘The Sunday Book Bazaar: Delhi’s Book Street and the Making of a Reading Public’, which offers a tribute to one of Delhi’s most permanently impermanent structures: the weekly chaotic book bazaar in Daryaganj
India’s flagship maternity programme now banks on a robust digital chain, efficient apps and stable internet – none of which can be assumed in many Adivasi areas in Andhra Pradesh
This week in BehanVox: Amaravati’s shiny hollow promise, heat journal from Delhi, and more
A homemaker contends with the exhaustion heat brings, the money it drains, the tempers it sharpens, and the limits it places on the body
Amaravati, being built as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, sits on rich agricultural lands that famously employed workers across the region. Now, farm workers, especially women have few work options unless they can travel long distances
In this instalment of BehanBox Talkies, Shankar Singh talks about the history, process and the importance of cultural symbols and performances in social movements in India
This week in BehanVox: Erin Brockovich vs data centres, VB-GRAM G Act comes into force, and more
The amended transgender law endangers the already fragile support and care networks available to the community
This week in BehanVox: a Census worker’s testimony from Maharashtra, protests against GRAMG, and more
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: anonymity and reader trust
A Census enumerator from Maharashtra tells us about the unyielding work load, safety concerns, and community anxieties shaping up their work
This week in BehanVox: momos and memory, social media age bans in the UK, and more
Sundaravva Patil shares the challenges of working in rural Karnataka, activism over the years, and how community relationships keep her going
An excerpt from Anshu Chhetri’s essay on how food can help us understand cultures and communities
This week in BehanVox: app-based domestic workers, SC’s ruling on homemakers, and more
The promise of formality, dignity, and efficiency offered by on-demand apps for domestic workers mask the fact that they only reorganise old labour circuits and exacerbate its inequalities and exploitation
Armed with nothing more than government issue caps to protect them in record heatwave conditions, frontline health workers in Mumbai are struggling with the additional load of Census work
Self help groups in Chamba forged an FPO and found ways to rejuvenate dying mountain springs, diversify farming practices and explore alternate sources of livelihood
Women said they are not counselled about their reproductive rights or alternative contraceptive methods, which contravenes government policy on rights and choice-based family planning
This week in BehanVox: an investigation on casteism in ASHA work, Pope’s encyclical on AI, and more
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: anecdotes at scale
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: anecdotes at scale
SC ASHAs from rural Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh reveal how dominant caste networks obstruct the appointment of ASHA workers from marginalised communities, denying them opportunities to earn and lead
Punam Amol Ahire in Mumbai talks about tracking illnesses, pregnancies, and diseases while managing domestic work and dealing with bureaucratic hurdles
A community healthcare programme cannot be immune to the injustices of a casteist society. Amid lack of institutional support and refusal to make it a part of union struggles, Dalit ASHA workers recount experiences of discrimination on the field
This week in BehanVox: pay hike for Kerala ASHA workers, heat wave grips the country, and more
This month in Postcards: the sweet Mallika, books and bees, charnel houses, and more
The long-delayed exercise is not inclusive, transparent, or accountable. The government has undermined the promise and possibilities of a Census, says the scholar
This week in BehanVox: the idea of citizenship online, Assam’s push for the Uniform Civil Code, and more
In BehanBox Talkies, we explore ideas through the lens of scholars. In this instalment, Devina Sarwatay talks about Indian tradwives, pastel patriarchy, and the saffronisation that threatens digital citizenship
This week in BehanVox: a democratic experiment, radical feminist ideas in Telugu magazines, and more
They argued against unpaid carework, rules of wifely conduct, and the tyranny of faith
The jan sunwai, an experiment in participatory democracy, was premised on the idea that ordinary citizens, especially the rural poor, can and must hold the state accountable
This week in BehanVox: killer heatwaves across the country, an ASHA worker talks about caste discrimination, and more
Women form the backbone of Indian agriculture, yet remain unrecognised as farmers. Without land titles, they are excluded from vital schemes and support, exposing a deep gap between policy and reality
Dharmishtha Chauhan from Gujarat opens up about the casteism embedded in her work, the mental toll of harassment and discrimination, and why ASHA workers must be aware of their constitutional rights
Women lose out on wages and political identity as they navigate a Kafkaesque, patriarchal SIR process in West Bengal
Despite visible gains in representation, women in West Bengal’s Assembly remain sidelined from real power—underrepresented in key committees, excluded from leadership roles, and further marginalised by caste and community divides.
This week in BehanVox: protests and detentions of Noida workers, Vijay’s stardom in Tamil Nadu, and more
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: inside our Feminist Election Newsroom
The KMUT scheme reaches 1.31 crore women with a monthly cash transfer as a partial recompense for unpaid carework. How does it transform their lives?
This week in BehanVox: the delimitation push, love in the time of caste, and more
This month in Postcards: Asha Bhonsle serenades, Hans Zimmer soars, and more
The bills are a “smoke screen” that give the government discretionary powers to change the nature of our electoral democracy, says Maansi Verma, founder of Maadhyam
‘Mhow’ by Kailash Wankhede talks of the radical possibilities of solidarity and consciousness in intercaste unions
The SIR exercise left queer voters with two options – revisit the natal homes they fled early to find relevant documents or give up on their right to vote
The SIR, which relies on the presentation of documents and legacy linkage, has disproportionately excluded women from Muslim, SC and ST communities, reveals new gender-disaggregated data
This week in BehanVox: feminist analysis of Keralam and Assam’s manifestos, women’s reservation bill re-enters the Parliament, and more
Women, whose homes and businesses were decimated by a landslide two years ago, are running a vociferous campaign to have their debts waived
A kitchen carries labour, repetition, time, and care but it can also carry thought. Public culture shouldn’t find it this hard to let a woman sound completely at home in her own mind
This week in BehanVox: an interview with Kenyan data workers, SIR-led gender skew, and more. Plus: come join our FEN!
Activists Joan Kinyua and Michael Geoffrey Asia about mental health and PTSD, unionising challenges in Kenya, and the racial logic that sustains the modern tech economy
This week in BehanVox: resistance against the new Trans Bill, notes from an ASHA worker in Kashmir, and more
Shaheena Bano talks about navigating political uncertainties, curbs on mobility, public apathy, and a health department that does not dignify her work
In Bhimavaram, a massive hub for shrimp exports, the continuing uncertainty over US trade tariffs has left a devastating impact on the lives of women workers
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter that brings you top stories, gender news from the world, and our team’s reading recommendations. Hello Behans! The conflict in West Asia […]
This month in Postcards: from Delhi to Chennai, women leaders talk about solidarity, friendship, and struggles that deserve to be documented
I would not have come out had I not had my hand held metaphorically by the dozens of trans people. This community, its very existence and the embrace of its solidarity now stands threatened.
‘Capital expenditure’, ‘development’, ‘welfare delivery’ but not ‘care work’ or ‘domestic workers’. Care remains a hidden infrastructure in the Budget, receiving platitudes and not long-term reforms, experts say
This week in BehanVox: inside the chikankaari industry, asylum for Iranian women’s football, and more
Chikankaari has provided income to millions of women, but it systematically avoids changing the things that actually constitute empowerment: control over production and bargaining power
For women, tonsure is often a declaration of protest, autonomy and resistance to patriarchal beauty norms
This week in BehanVox: notes from a Bahujan social worker, a woman leader’s history from the 1940s, and more
In the 1940s, the left led a historic armed agrarian struggle against the tyranny of the oppressive feudal structures in the Nizam dominions in Telangana. Mallu […]
Social work in India is commonly associated with altruism, moral duty and ‘social upliftment’ but it often masks the unequal power structures within which it is practised.
This week in BehanVox: the Kerala Story 2 controversy, gig workers’ childcare needs, and more. Plus: we’re hiring!
In Postscript, we reflect on the editorial choices we make and abandon. Plus all things behind the scenes. This week: how we see ‘data’ and ‘evidence’
In BehanBox Talkies, we explore ideas through the lens of scholars. In this instalment, researchers Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami talk about the AI Impact Summit, the Big Tech monopoly, and what regulations overlook
This week in BehanBox: budget concerns among SC and ST communities, a casteist boycott in Odisha, and more
This month in Postcards: Music that lives within us, hope in saturated tones, lessons from the intertidal and more.
Even as SC/ST allocations nominally rise in the Union Budget 2026-27, most funds remain non-targeted, underutilised, and inaccessible to the communities they claim to support
The imperilled Act made it easier for ordinary people to make claims on the State, to negotiate with local power structures, form friendships and networks on worksites
This week in BehanVox: the care work behind AI machines, Lakhpati didi promises, and more
Desire must always have a room to bloom, says this stirring Valentine’s day read, an excerpt from the book ‘Love, Sex and India: The Agents of Ishq Anthology’
Overall allocations towards women and girls and their utilisations do not seem to show any qualitative change
In colonial data factories, the knowledge of women and young people is being systematically devalued and aspirations never allowed to scale
This week in BehanVox: the Epstein list grows, life after bail for Bhima Koregaon accused, and more
Cuts to the MGNREGA funds impact the most vulnerable – rural women in the informal work sector from mostly poor states
