Feminism isn’t just a word for me. It’s a thing with which I have been rediscovering my identity since childhood. Being feminist and growing up in a country like India is not simple stuff. You have to survive each and every day where sexist, orthodox, and bigoted people surround you.

We can all agree that it has happened with every one of us. Well, I’m talking about the super stereotypes like ‘girls should play with a doll and not with cars, boys don’t cry like girls’, etc. But hey, when it’s India, of course, it’s all related with “religion,” even the stereotypes.

So there are some stereotypes in India that fill me up with disgust: women can’t worship God during their mensuration, they can’t go to temples. Here in India, there are so many big problems and issues, but we are still fighting on ‘should women get an entry into the temple or not?’

So yes, India needs feminism because it is filled with patriarchy. It needs feminism to stop rape, and finally, India needs feminism to stop those pathetic stereotypes.