Lately, India has been in the news globally for the stories of violence against women. A rape is reported almost every twenty minutes, a case of domestic violence every ten minutes and harassment on the streets is highly prevalent. Women are often passed lewd comments at. Ironically, it’s the women who are blamed.
They’re questioned about why they’re out till late, why are they hanging out with men, why are they drinking and much more. They’re always asked to be a little careful since they are women.
Recently, actress Kalki Koechlin had an interaction with Mallika Taneja, a theatre artist who is using her own body to protest against gender inequality, sexual harassment and assault in India.
⚡️ “Kalki Koechlin meets the woman using her body to fight for gender equality” #MyIndianLifehttps://t.co/TcvITN19eJ
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) August 28, 2018
Her play Thoda Dhyaan Se depicts the clash between traditional beliefs and women’s aspirations for freedom. It’s about one women’s fight against gender inequality.
She opens her act by standing stark naked on the stage under the glare of bright lights. This is her way of making a point about gender inequality and harassment against women in India. As the monologue progresses, she keeps dressing her up with multiple layers of clothing. She even ends up wearing a helmet indicating that women must be careful.
She started her act five years ago and used to wear her underwear. When the play was invited to Zurich, she was questioned about why does she wear the underwear too? That’s when she knew that she has to be completely naked for the act so that it goes from nothing to everything instead of something to everything.
Image source: Twitter
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