Antardrishti

  Clothes veil the body. They are part of a cultural politics by which nations are actively produced. [1] They are a form of social control, a mechanism of inclusion and exclusion, mirroring social hierarchies and moral boundaries. [2]   British imperial presence in India had introduced not only new forms of government, language, education and social etiquette, but also a new set of criteria of civilisation with a new set of clothes to go with it. It was only in the early Twentienth Century India that the nationalist movement begun to perceive cloth and clothing as central symbols in the struggle to define a national identity. Women, as such, emerged as important bearers of this identity.   While the dress of British women who came to live in India were conformed to sartorial conventions of a memsahib, draped clothes (Sari, in this case) were of prime importance in the Indian nationalist discourse. However, many women from elite families began adopting the stitch...

As the International Webinar on The Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21 st Century : Philosophies, Political ideas and Socio-Spiritual Dimensions came to an end on the 5 th and the last day of the Lecture Series on 7 th October, 2020 organised by The Department of History, Kirori Mal College and Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), the participants shared their knowledge and understanding which was enhanced by the prior lectures. On 7 th October, the platform of the Webinar was thrown open to all the participants for learning through the discourse of debate and discussion. Due to the constraints of the online platform and managing between two different time zones, the organizing committee could not give chance for a discussion that usually follows after a lecture. However, the organizing committee was aware that no clarity could be gained in the field of social sciences without allowing the scholars to discuss and debate and thus on the last day Gandhi Gatha was organized w...

Everybody asks how is Barani, nobody asks how are you? So, how are you? Were you okay? Was it all okay and insane this entire lockdown period? Is it just the GDP or your mood too, which went down? Did you feel that nothing is right? Did you miss somebody? Did you cry all alone? Was it really so hard to express? Did you fight? Did you scream? Was it really so hard to get up from the bed?  Did you just lie on the bed whole day long? Did you tell everybody you have nothing to wear and nothing to read thus, its not your fault that you don't feel good and lie on bed the entire day? Is it really about the clothes and the books? Come on! you wear the same two-three t-shirts and you hardly study!  Do you miss college? I do. Do you miss meeting you friends? You really miss that cute sense of freedom where you could do anything without explaining your parents, don't you? Do you feel burdened with thoughts?  Do you end up overthinking all the time? Did you fight with your parents? D...

While 12 th March, 2020’s order to extend the mid-sem break till 31 st March, 2020 was embraced by many, there was also a group of people who were hoping and praying that the University of Delhi will not agree to the Delhi Government’s order and colleges will remain open. Unfortunately, that was not the case. For many, the Lockdown begun with trying out new things, exploring personal interests, trying hands on things they like: cooking, painting, gardening, making dalgona Coffee, etc. while for many the Lockdown imposed unwanted duties and burden. For them cooking, gardening was not a choice, rather the mere duties which were imposed on them only because of their gender. Pandemic and Patriarchy. They go hand-in-hand. Patriarchy is a system that favours male, patriarchal lines over female and gender non-conforming groups. This piece is very close to my heart, as being a woman; I have been exposed to folds of patriarchy in this pandemic. I am certainly aware that there have been ...