Shruti Sharada

We talk to Shruti Sharada about what is a safe space and how can we create a safe space for ourselves and for our kids at home! Incredibly insightful and helpful conversation!

Reading The World That Belongs To Us – An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia proved to me that being queer is a very personal and complex experience that defies labels.

'At The Intersection' is a multi-edition series of talks, discussions, safe space conversations, and live streams that will discuss topics that come under the umbrella of 'Intersectionality'.

In the first phase of this series, we will be addressing 'The Body and Intersectional Representation', with specific points being made on shaming, stigma, access, identity, exclusion, erasure, transition, and more when it comes to our bodies.

On July 4, 2020, we zoomed into Ableism and Body Representation, focusing on lived experiences, popular culture, social media engagement and allyship.

In the Insta Live version of At The Intersection, two womxn got together to speak on work, mental health, and queer realities during the pandemic.

Surabhi Srivastava and Shruti Sharada had a fantastic conversation on Reproductive Justice and the practical realities of realising a 'Feminist Podcast' during At The Intersection's 4th edition.

Podcasting is fun, but also a lot of work. Feminist Podcasting also means a lot of research and conscious representation based on intersectional ideas.

I woke up today to a sublimely beautiful morning.

A cool breeze is wafting in from the outside. The trees have been growing fast, determinedly covering our view of the buildings beyond with a green curtain. A light drizzle keeps up a pit-pat beat as the drops touch the leaves. Most people around seem to be still asleep. It is quiet, the time before voices wake up and start filling the air with tensions. It is the kind of light, stress-free morning that I cherish deeply.

At a virtual event organised recently by Bengaluru-based White Swan Foundation, I shared a few of my experiences and perspectives on violence against women, especially at home. I was joined on the panel by fellow World Pulse sister, Kirthi Jayakumar.

Conversations on abuse often focus on escape and legality, but the issue of sustained violence is a deeply nuanced one. You are speaking about a human being, not a 'case', not a 'statistic'.

I am not the most original thinker to state that This Quarantine (TM) has been a weird beast to be forced to befriend. Fully aware of my immense social privileges, including the privilege of being able to protect my life, I risk stating that this has been a phase of great mental churning.

Thank you, Women's Web for the #PrideMonth shout-out today.

When I wrote the piece last December about my 'coming out' to my wonderful Mom, I didn't expect it to resonate so much. I did hope for it to be my declaration to the world of my truth, and it achieved that end beautifully.

I hope that more and more of us engage in conversations about the #LGBTQIA+ communities and #queer realities this month. I also hope that we continue to raise voices for what's right, fair, and just.

https://www.womensweb.in/2019/12/being-queer-and-coming-out-to-mom-has-been-quite-an-emotional-journey-dec19wk1s

Oh you thought the kitchen counter was cleaned by a fairy last night! You’re wrong. And here are NINE other things we do but no one really notices.

I spoke a bit about my life and about starting and building @thefeministreadinglist, touching upon subjects like:

1. Creating and curating #intersectional spaces online which encourage reading and engagement

2. Being feminist - journey and challenges

3. Bringing in a diverse online audience, and amplification of voices

Exhaustion is a silent spectre all around us. Capitalist ideas of productivity have made us indifferent to its signs. Our ideas of work have come to celebrate non-stop output, no matter what the costs. The focus is on being 'superwomen' and 'superworkers'.

R. Kalyanamma, a pioneer journalist and activist from Karnataka, wrote in an era where women’s voices were never given the centre stage, policed, and often, silenced. Despite the pervasive patriarchal norms, R. Kalyanamma not just defied societal expectations, but through her work, set a new standard for women working outside of their homes and for journalism itself.

We are in the midst of a 21-day lockdown in India, announced in response to the frightening spread of COVID-19 infections in the country. This means that we, at least a lot of us, are exercising social distancing, and physical distancing when stepping out to quickly pick up essentials.

I read 'We Are Each of Us Refugees' by Tehran-born poet, Kamand Kojouri. And, I spoke about any great movement being an amalgamation of multiple tracks of rebellion, voices, actions, and commitments.
In a revolution and a democracy, all of us have a role to play and we have to make sure that all groups of people find representation - Dalit womxn and persons, #LGBTQIA+ folx, womxn from all groups of social realities and professions, womxn from all age groups, communities that are understood to be 'minorities', and more.
We are the revolution! Not a token, not an afterthought!