Sonali Kokra, Author at Arré

Goodbye Toni Morrision, A Champion of Decency and My Imaginary Friend

To read Toni Morrison was to be intimate with her politics; and to be intimate with her politics is to challenge, sometimes even annihilate patterns of thought. I haven’t always agreed with her, but she’s forced me to think, think, think. To cultivate convictions and be political.

Sonali Kokra March 30, 2016

Love and Sex

A Case for Marriage in an Age that Celebrates Being Single

Every time I think marriage is not for me, I see my parents, and the weirdly hypnotic co-dependence that I would have sneered at a decade ago, but have come to appreciate in the last few years. I’ve seen a facet to the infuriating, irrational togetherness that is marriage that escaped me while I was revelling in the invincibility of my youth.

Sonali Kokra March 28, 2016

Bollywood

How Low is the Bar Set That Ranveer Singh Gets Labelled Husband of the Century?

It’s been only two weeks but we’ve already declared Ranveer Singh the husband of the year/decade/century/millennium. Why exactly? For helping his wife navigate the pallu of her sari at their wedding reception? Or blowing kisses to her in public?

Sonali Kokra March 27, 2016

Bollywood

The Most Disappointing Part of The Fakir of Venice is… Farhan Akhtar’s Attitude

Farhan Akhtar, who was supposed to make his debut with The Fakir Of Venice, decided not to promote the film at all. Apparently, he believes that it would “cheat the audience” to see him as he was “12 years ago”. As someone who has watched almost Akhtar since his debut in Rock On!!, I can say this much with certainty — he is just as good/bad/average he was 10 years ago.

Sonali Kokra March 25, 2016

Gender

Where Are Our Female Sherlock Holmes & Dr House? Why It’s So Difficult to Write Disagreeable Women Characters

Male characters in books and pop culture can be disgusting assholes and own that personality, but women characters – barring a few outliers – are mostly pretty, passive, and perfect. Where are the women that behave like jerks simply because they can? Where are our female Sherlock Holmes and Mr Darcy?

Sonali Kokra March 20, 2016

Gender

Why Do Women Suck at Negotiating Salaries?

Why do so many women settle for lowball salary offers, far under the value that our experience merits? For all our idealism and outspoken feminism, when it is time to bat for ourselves in the most elementary of ways, why do we consistently fail ourselves?

Sonali Kokra March 19, 2016

Bollywood

Apna Time Aayega: What Privileged India Needs to Learn from Gully Boy’s Shabdon Ka Jwala

Gully Boy’s characters — not just Murad, but all the angry, hopeful, listless, fighting, restless people that crowd his world — refuse to be silenced or ignored. They don’t speak “our” language, but by God, they’ll have their say.

Sonali Kokra March 18, 2016

POV

Behind Every Successful Woman Is a Work Mom and a Work Wife

We women spend a lot of time fretting over how to navigate professional worlds controlled by men. But we rarely get to thank the women who, despite everything that stands in our way and theirs, make life a little less difficult. I’m talking about the work moms and work wives of our lives.

Sonali Kokra March 18, 2016

POV

Dear Bosses, Stop Telling Your Employees to Be a Big Happy Family at Work

The office is just that – a place where you show up to deliver the work you agreed to when you signed the dotted line, and leave the minute you meet your deadlines. With happiness and without guilt. Why are bosses then, so obsessed with conjuring up a family within the workplace? I have one slightly neurotic, dysfunctional family at home, I don’t need another one at work, thank you very much.

Sonali Kokra March 17, 2016

POV

Homosexuality is Not a Crime. Time to Ask, “But What about Our Soldiers at the Border”?

The jawan’s plight is of great relevance to every problem plaguing the country from black money to AFSPA – every problem, except those that directly affect the life of the jawan. Serving in the forces requires the strength to forego many of the freedoms that the rest of us enjoy. But how is it acceptable to snatch away a person’s freedom to love?

Sonali Kokra March 15, 2016