The island nation of Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. The root cause of the country’s economic problem is its inability to pay back its debt, which runs to trillions of dollars because its foreign reserves are at an all-time low. But what exactly does this mean? Who does it affect the most? And how are those most affected reimagining their lives right now? In order to get answers to these questions and a better understanding of the ground...

On March 15, the Karnataka high court held that the hijab – or the headscarf worn by many Muslim women and girls – was not essential to Islam, and so educational institutions had the right to ask their students to not wear the hijab and only stick to the uniforms prescribed. In this episode of the Gender Question, we speak to two Muslim women, one of whom wears the hijab and one who doesn’t, to comprehend the issue at hand.

In this episode, Dhamini Ratnam is being joined by a trans man - Rohan and deconstructs his past experiences, how the "Maya Nagari" Mumbai gets very conservative to provide shelter to both the lovers as he comes from the City of Joy hoping something better happens to him. He also speaks about how this "Abnormal Love" as termed by the society has affected his mental sanity. Despite all this, his courage his love, and hopefulness has so much to offer to us. Tune in to get motivated!

One such question pertains to ‘same-sex marriages’. India does not recognise same-sex marriages. None of the marital laws expressly recognise same-sex marriages. One of the petitioners are Joydeep Sengupta, an OCI, and Russell Blaine Stephens, a US citizen. Sengupta and Stephens been in a loving relationship for nearly 20 years and even got married in New York on August 6, 2012 which is recognised in the US, France, and Canada. Tune in as our host speaks with Mario Dpenha, an Indian citizen...

After 20 years, the Taliban have swept to victory in Afghanistan. Since then the questions were being asked about how this group will govern the country, and what their rule would mean for women, human rights, and political freedoms. In this episode, our host had a conversation with Malina Sulaiman, a graffiti artist, painter and metal worker from Afghanistan who had to leave the Taliban earlier due to the threats. Tune in the episode to know about her inspiring journey full of courage and...

A year on, as Covid 19 continues to spread widely in the second wave, we speak to social workers tasked by the government to track the pandemic. The all-women workforce called ASHA workers, battle people's resistance and low pay and put their lives at risk every day.

In this episode, host Dhamini Ratnam talks about how a high court judge made an effort to learn about queer lives. What he learnt, speaking to a counsellor and members of the LGBTQIA community turned his perception, and led to a very progressive judgement.

The defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani has been one of the most high-profile Me Too cases in court. What was the case about? And what does it hold out for women's testimonies?

Women’s participation and role in the agriculture sector is one that has historically been overlooked. With issues ranging from lack of recognition to absence of land rights, the agricultural sector has given rise to decades of struggle for women. After the announcement of the new laws, women farmers fear that the farm laws will further deepen gender inequality in the sector. Tune in to know more.

Work, unemployment and economic recovery are gender issues. And there’s data to prove it. The new season of Gender Question kicks off by talking to women about their experience of working in the pandemic and how tough it’s been to get back on their feet. We also speak to academicians who explain why women have it harder than men when it comes to work. If it’s economic recovery that we’re aiming for, then we need to go deep into the gender question to resolve it.

A Delhi-based legal journalist and researcher, Karan Tripathi filed a petition in the Delhi High Court last month, seeking the inclusion of data on the number of transgender prisoners in the upcoming Prison Statistics of India report, brought out regularly by the NCRB. In response, the central body under the aegis of the ministry of home affairs, said it would start doing that with immediate effect. In this episode, Dhamini speaks to Karan to understand why he filed the petition, and what he...

A report released by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) found that prisons across the country lacked policies and awareness about the needs of transgender inmates, leading to denial of their rights. Tune in to this episode as @dhamini discuss the state of transgender prisoners.

In this episode, Dhamini is in conversation with Enakshi Ganguly who is an Indian children's rights activist about the recent Chitrkoot case. Enakshi shares many incidents like this, which brings up a very important question 'Is a law enough to deal with child abuse? '

In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini will talk about the new Vice President-elect of the United States of America - Kamala Harris who gave a speech for the ages on Saturday, after it was confirmed that Joe Biden will become the next President of USA. Tune in to know more.

In this episode, we’ll listen to Arvind Narrain, an advocate and one of the founding members of the Alternative Law Forum talk about the struggle against 377, the same-sex marriage petitions and the other issues that confront marginalised gender and sexual identities.

In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini exchanged words with Parmesh Shahani the author of Queeristan. They thoroughly discussed the Queer Movement, the story behind chronicling it and the changes witnessed in past few decades. Tune in to witness the changing world.

In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini speaks to renowned feminist economist and academician Devaki Jain about her latest released memoir: The Brass Notebook, a riveting account of her own life story and her lifelong efforts for Indian women into recognizing their rights in society, in asserting a visible presence and discarding their earlier imposed invisibility.  

Back in 2014, an 18 year old girl was ready to leave for Commonwealth Games , but her Hyperandrogenism medical report were still awaited. Soon the reports arrived and the young Sprinter Dutee Chand was dropped from the team. In this episode, Dhamini will be speaking with Dr. Payoshni Mitra, an athlete's rights activist on her experience with Dutee Chand. 

On September 8, 29-year-old South African track field athlete Caster Semenya lost an appeal in a case that pertains to one of the most significant issues of our times today: the right to self-identify one’s gender and the slippery slope called science that one faces each time one tries. In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini speaks to Caster's lawyer Gregory Nott.

In this episode of Gender Question, Damini speaks to Saurabh Kirpal about his book, Sex and the Supreme Court. The book is a set of essays that deal with the idea of choice, dignity, autonomy, and freedom, intersecting with sex, sexual identity, and gender. Tune in for more..

As September 6 marks the second anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality, it is a good moment to reflect on all that has been achieved outside the courtroom. In this episode of Gender Question, Damini speaks to Parmesh Shahani who recently came out with a book, Queeristan: LGBT Inclusion in the workplace. It not only speaks about his personal journey in corporate India but also comes across as a handbook for corporates who are keen to learn about LGBT inclusion. Tune in for more.

In this episode of Gender Question, Damini tackles the ongoing question of introducing the women's task force and engages with the topic of marriage trends among women. She elaborates and links the age of marriage to health outcomes. Tune in for more.

In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini elaborates on the history of gender & sexuality education, and the importance of awareness among the adolescent. The conversation also delves into the place of gender and sexuality education in the NEP 2020. Tune in and find out.

In this episode of Gender Question, Dhamini speaks to Rituparna Borah, the co-founder of Nazariya, a queer, feminist resource group, and Manak Matiyani the executive director of "the YP foundation". Listen in as they discuss gender, sexuality, and identity with respect to sexuality education.