Husband Archives

“Saheb Kahaan Hai?”: The One Question that Makes Every Married Woman Instantly Invisible

Ask any married Indian woman, and they’ll tell you about how easily the world renders them invisible. It’s as if the minute you take your husband’s surname, you cease to exist. From then on, you’re just a floating genie, who has only one master: “Saheb”. But instead of fighting it, I'm going to make my invisibility my superpower.

Ashwina Garg July 22, 2016

Pop Culture

What Makes Mrs Maisel Marvellous is Her Pursuit of Perfection

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, which drops its second season today, is one of the most anticipated TV events of the year. The show subverts the conventional trope of “the perfect female lead” by having a heroine whose perfectionism isn’t a temporary product of her circumstances.

Kahini Iyer July 18, 2016

Gender

How to Slowly Give Up on Vrats: A Married Indian Woman’s Cheat Sheet

“Why do you fast if it makes you so cranky,” my daughter asked. Really, why are women expected to fast, especially for the well-being of the patidev, who anyway fritters away this hard-won long life by watching cricket matches and silly political debates on television?

Ashwina Garg July 11, 2016

POV

How My Arranged Marriage Evolved During the Lockdown

My husband and I had an arranged marriage nine years ago. I often wondered if we really knew each other. But the nationwide lockdown, in spite of all the anxieties that it brought with it, has helped us take a breather and reconnect in a way that feels absurd, yet delightful.

Anu Prabhakar July 4, 2016

Gender

The Silent Survivors of “Legitimate” Rape

Some women have been raped with unmentionable objects; some have been stripped naked. All victims of marital rape, their only refuge is a room at Mumbai’s KB Bhabha Hospital.

Kripa Krishnan July 1, 2016

Sports

How I Turned My Gujarati Husband Madly Bengali About Football

My Gujarati husband knew as little about football as I knew about a “pure veg” meal. I taught him the basics, and to my surprise, my husband went much beyond the brief. Now as I cheer for Germany, he prays for Portugal, and our son is called Ochoa after the Mexican goalkeeper.

Runa Mukherjee June 27, 2016

Love and Sex

Battleground Bed: The Seat of Power in Every Relationship

In a domestic arrangement, the bed is always the scene of a battle – the winner is the one who gets control. After a fight, who lands the bed and who gets to sleep on the couch?

Aakansha Bisht June 26, 2016

Love and Sex

Can You Find Love in a Rebound Relationship?

A “rebound” doesn’t always mean a friend with benefits or facilitator of closure. Sometimes, they are a person you might have, under kinder circumstances, fallen hopelessly in love with.

Heartbreak Rehab June 25, 2016

Fashion

“Hair is Everything”: When Your Husband Has a Better Mop Than You

In our society, lustrous, supple strands still remain a source of pride for women. It even prompted the brilliant Maya Angelou to assert that “A woman’s hair is her glory.” But when what was once your crowning glory ends up getting relegated to the shadow of your husband’s, I must confess it does take some getting used to.

Faye Remedios June 8, 2016

Pop Culture

How Zoya Akhtar’s Made in Heaven Shatters the Myth of the Bollywood Vivah

For a long time, Bollywood has convinced us that the shortcut to a happily-ever-after is marriage. But Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Made in Heaven intends to tear a hole in the utter romanticisation of this custom. It shows us a side of marriage – an examination of why people choose to be in it – that has rarely been depicted on celluloid.

Manik Sharma June 3, 2016