{"id":980,"date":"2018-08-28T11:01:31","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T11:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/idr-select-on-our-radar-this-august\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T19:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:49:52","slug":"idr-select-on-our-radar-this-august","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/idr-select-on-our-radar-this-august\/","title":{"rendered":"IDR Select: On our radar this August"},"content":{"rendered":"

What we’re reading<\/h3>
1. What feminists can do for boys<\/strong><\/div>

While the article<\/a> is US-centric, it talks about an issue that is increasingly becoming important in India as well–the rise of misogyny and the increased incidence of sexual violence faced by women.<\/p>

One of the reasons highlighted by the author is that while “feminists have always recognised the anguish that boys face in a patriarchal system, we haven’t built the same structures of support for boys that we have for girls.”<\/p>

And because they are desperate for answers, we see these young men gravitating towards any form of community, and right now that space is being occupied by extremist, misogynistic forums.<\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

While we completely agree with the premise of creating support structures for boys, why does it have to fall on those subjected to the hate and violence to do this? The feminist movement built the various support structures for women; but there seems to be no real interest from men in doing so for themselves. Why can’t the responsibility of creating these communities and safe spaces be taken on by them?<\/p>

2. Ants Among Elephants<\/strong><\/div>

\n

\"IDR

Picture courtesy: HarperCollins<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

Sujatha Gidla’s Ants Among Elephants<\/em>, narrates the life of a Dalit family in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The book offers readers a visceral account of what it means to be born into inequality, oppression, and segregation as a Dalit in 20th<\/sup> century India.<\/p>

The story, which spans nearly a century, mainly traces Gidla’s maternal uncle, K G Satyamurthy, or Satyam—a poet and one of the founders of the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh—and her mother, Manjula, an intelligent woman who grapples with caste prejudice and misogyny throughout her life. As Scroll points out<\/a>, both characters “were unconventional and progressive in their own ways; both equally heroic in the struggles they waged.”<\/p>

Here are more reviews by The Hindu<\/a>, the Guardian<\/a> and the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>

<\/h3>

What we’re following<\/h3>
1. Skin Stories<\/strong><\/div>

Point of View<\/a>’s online forum Sexuality and Disability<\/a> was built to normalise the idea that people with disabilities can be (and are) sexual beings as well. Along with addressing any questions a person with disability may have about their body, sex, relationships, or even about having children and parenting, they also have a weekly essay series, Skin Stories<\/a>, where people share their personal experiences at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and disability.<\/p>

\"donate<\/a><\/div>

\n

\"IDR

Picture courtesy: Upasana Agarwal for Skin Stories, Point of View<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>

The essays offer fresh perspectives on love, sex, disability, and gender from more than 40 writers, most of whom live with either disability or chronic illness.<\/p>

2. Love in the garden of consent or Ishq Ke Garden Mein Marzi Hai Minimum<\/em><\/strong><\/div>

This August 14th, Agents of Ishq released a stunning new video on consent—because what better way to bring in Independence Day than with a celebration of choice?<\/p>

The video is a refreshingly playful take on a topic that is usually framed by a lens of violence. Instead of looking at what a lack of consent can do, the actors celebrate pleasure—making decisions tan se, mann se, aur fun se<\/em>—and in doing so, open up the conversation.<\/p>

Watch it<\/a> | Read about it<\/a> | Join the conversation<\/a><\/p>