Activism

Interview: Marevic ‘Bing’ Parcon on Activism and the Development Agenda
A black woman writing something on a sheet of paper hung on a wall. Around her are more people with markers, or thumbs with red ink on them waiting for their turn.
Interview: Marevic ‘Bing’ Parcon on Activism and the Development Agenda

Marevic Parcon or Bing, as she is known, is the Asia Programme Officer for the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive…
By Shweta Krishnan
September 15, 2015
Interview: Marevic ‘Bing’ Parcon on Activism and the Development Agenda
Interview: Diversity and Sexuality – Part 2
Interview: Abstract shapes symbolising diversity of voices
Interview: Diversity and Sexuality – Part 2

Here, in Part 2, each interviewee addresses aspects of sexuality and diversity from their own particular space of personal knowledge, as well as work, advocacy, art and activism across diverse fields.

By Shikha Aleya
May 15, 2019
Interview: Diversity and Sexuality – Part 2
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning
A graphic design image of phases of the moon in a semi-circular form against a black backdrop dotted with white specks as stars.
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning

It is true though that ageing has brought home realities about my body that I ignored when I was younger. It has made me mindful of what I value, and what I choose to let go of, without too much of thought or unnecessary angst.
By Shikha Aleya
March 1, 2021
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan
A photograph of disability rights activist Srinidhi Raghavan. She is wearing a blue top with a white pattern, black-rimmed spectacles, and a yellow hair-band.
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan

Disabled people might not have many spaces where they can speak openly about their sexual experiences or even sexual curiosity. There is a heavy monitoring of disabled young people especially, and this can mean that exploration, which is often how many of us discover sexuality, can be limited. Moreover, since the experiences of disabled people are not seen in popular media such as films, we can (and probably do) imagine we will have the same or similar experiences as non-disabled people  – which is often not possible.
By Shikha Aleya
August 2, 2021
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan
Interview – Raj Mariwala
A photograph of MHI director Raj Mariwala; she is playing with a grey-brown dog, squatting in grass.
Interview – Raj Mariwala

Self-care is influenced by the environment we inhabit, the way we relate to others, the way we negotiate with other living beings or structures. Self-care is also interlinked with other types of care – whether that is in community resources, psychosocial support, engagement with medical and health care institutions, and of course in collective agency and solidarity.
By Shikha Aleya
January 3, 2023
Interview – Raj Mariwala
Interview – Raj Mariwala
A photograph of MHI director Raj Mariwala; she is playing with a grey-brown dog, squatting in grass.
Interview – Raj Mariwala

Self-care is influenced by the environment we inhabit, the way we relate to others, the way we negotiate with other living beings or structures. Self-care is also interlinked with other types of care – whether that is in community resources, psychosocial support, engagement with medical and health care institutions, and of course in collective agency and solidarity.
By Shikha Aleya
July 5, 2021
Interview – Raj Mariwala
Interview – Jyotsna Siddharth
A photo of Jyotsna Sidhharth smiling and looking directly at the camera.
Interview – Jyotsna Siddharth

Our bodies are the vessels through which we feel, emote, work or navigate our societies and the world at large. Our bodies are the real, live archive of everything we have experienced and they have borne the consequences of our social conditioning and decisions.
By Shikha Aleya
June 16, 2023
Interview – Jyotsna Siddharth
Interview – Amba Salelkar
A photograph of disability rights advocate and activist Amba Salelkar
Interview – Amba Salelkar

But not every issue of discrimination and conflict can go to a court.Say for example, affording privacy to a young adult with disability to understand their body and sexual responses, or enabling them to access accessible sex toys or assistive devices related to sexual pleasure.
By Shikha Aleya
September 1, 2020
Interview – Amba Salelkar
Interview – Sunil Gupta
Artist Sunil Gupta stands infront of a wall which has two framed photos of his family. He has greying hair and is wearing a patterned woolen sweater.
Interview – Sunil Gupta

Sunil Gupta is an artist, activist, and a curator, based in London UK. In this interview, he talks to Manak…
By Manak Matiyani
July 1, 2014
Interview – Sunil Gupta
In conversation with Sheema Kermani
Photo of performance artist and theatre personality Maya Krishna Rao. She is wearing black and her left hand raised in a dramatic pose. She has long white hair and there is a red bindi on her forehead.
In conversation with Sheema Kermani

Sheema Kermani is a cultural activist, theatre practitioner, theatre director and a known Pakistani exponent of Indian classical dance. She had studied Bharatanatyam…
By TARSHI
July 1, 2014
In conversation with Sheema Kermani
In Appreciation of Singlehood
A photograph of a woman facing a water body lined with blades of grass. The sky is tinged with orange and blue.
In Appreciation of Singlehood

Growing up, for me, has been about accepting that the loneliness and sadness woven into the fabric of my being do not go away with entering conventional arrangements like monogamous relationships or marriage.
By Siddhi Pandey
February 1, 2021
In Appreciation of Singlehood
How young Kashmiris are finding love in the time of conflict and curfew
A young (Kashmiri) couple sitting on a bench facing backwards, looking at the garden.
How young Kashmiris are finding love in the time of conflict and curfew

The internet is playing a major role in activism in the Valley, and love and relationships too Onaiza Drabu Since…
By Curated Content
June 15, 2017
How young Kashmiris are finding love in the time of conflict and curfew
Finding Your Feet – Journeys within Dance Movement Therapy
A group of women circling each other and dancing while waving colourful streamers.
Finding Your Feet – Journeys within Dance Movement Therapy

This is a good enough place to begin. From inside your own skin. Before we could speak, we moved. We…
By Arpita Bohra
July 1, 2014
Finding Your Feet – Journeys within Dance Movement Therapy
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality
A small bird fluttering around a branch with orange berries, picking at one
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality

In this issue of In Plainspeak our contributors reflect on and reveal the myriad facets of being single – is it a choice? A condition? A state of being? Lonely? Joyful? Not one or the other, but a glorious mix?
By TARSHI
February 15, 2021
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality
Editorial: Sexuality and Self-care
A photograph of a rocky landscape with a tabby cat sitting atop a grey rock, lined with green-brown grass, licking itself.
Editorial: Sexuality and Self-care

Continuing with our theme of self-care being about sustaining ourselves, our work, our movements, keeping the fires lit, and relating with love to ourselves, in our mid-month issue we bring you more articles looking at self-care from different perspectives – individual, queer, activist, collective, organisational, not necessarily separated, or in this order, of course.
By TARSHI
July 19, 2021
Editorial: Sexuality and Self-care
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