Published by New America Media A recent study published in the British medical journal Lancet claims that about half-a-million girl babies are aborted in India every year. In this study Canadian and Indian researchers, who collaborated on a national survey … Continue reading
On Mother’s Day this year, I did something unusual: I called my mother to wish her “Happy Mother’s Day.” She was surprised because, until my phone call, she didn’t know about Mother’s Day, and I hadn’t told her because I … Continue reading
I am once again facing the dilemma I encountered when Bill Clinton was running for president. Back then, I couldn’t figure out what to make of Hillary. Now, I can’t figure out what to make of Teresa. Ironically, I was … Continue reading
Recent reports from the International AIDS Confer-ence in Bangkok painted a grim picture of women’s health in India. It appears that we now have an AIDS epidemic of unsurpassed proportions in India, where it is estimated that the highest numbers of HIV-infected … Continue reading
I was at a weekend retreat recently at one of those gatherings where “saying your truth,” “asking for a hundred percent of what you want,” and “letting go of social taboo” is encouraged. I was shocked therefore to encounter on … Continue reading
I was dining with some friends last week when somehow the conversation turned to the subject of goddesses. “We have goddesses in India,” I casually quipped. “So what have your goddesses done for the women of your country in the … Continue reading
The only female voice heard worldwide has been that of Arundhati Roy, who labeled the war the “coalition of the bullied and the bought.” The Iraqi war has been running on testosterone. George W. and his coterie of blue-suited white … Continue reading
How can a continent of dowries and female infanticide produce so many successful female Indian scientists, authors and explorers? PNS contributor Sarita Sarvate writes that, surprisingly, many contemporary Indian women may have more freedom than their counterparts in the United … Continue reading
Traveling from her California home to her native India, an educated woman arrives at her father’s funeral rite and sees how far she has come despite a “dishonorable” past that included a divorce. Her father lived on the margins of … Continue reading
The flood of numbers that passes by our eyes every day often seem to blur more than they reveal. But one recently published statistic for one observer provides a window into a very unsettling reality about the treatment of women … Continue reading