Disclaimer: This is not a feminist manifesto, recitals of struggles and complaints, our “version” of story or a matrimony portal. Just making sure you are not on the wrong (web)page. :p
So, as you might all know, (some of you out of experience and some out of the memes that circulate)
the girl boy ratio in an IIT on an average is, unfortunately, still 1:10. The reasons for this are deep rooted in our society and bound by shackles of our education system, so I would rather not go there. But, I would go to this skewed ratio, and the persistent skewness it brings along.
I have never found the memes regarding girls in engineering funny.
I have never understood the stereotypes that are associated with a girl if she can talk Python and Java. I have never felt more judged when I am told
“How difficult can it be, there are ten boys for you to choose from”. Excuse me, I didn’t know I was shopping for furniture.
I have met some of the most remarkable, brilliant, resilient and beautiful women here, while studying in an IIT with them. As I talked to more and more of them, I realised how each one of us bring uniqueness to the melange, but also how similar we are on the grounds that unify us. While we have been privileged, to be surrounded by progressive people who respect our personalities and give us a fair platform to compete, I realise not all girls out there are as privileged as us. We still fight that underlying current of gender stereotypes, which mistake me not, strikes us only once in a while, but it does strike us.
This one here, it’s just a light hearted account to capture our essence and stories. The theories we have, our loses (
you lose all your fashion sense when the species around you wears the same t-shirt for over a week), our struggles (
proxying in an 8AM class which has only one girl and that is you), our talents (
we know when you have bathed in water and when in deodrant), our dreams and aspirations (
well, I am gonna do it, stop me if you can).
The thing I learned from taking these interviews is it's easy to get people talk about giving their opinions on a product you built or you would have them to use. It takes a lot to get them to open them about themselves, about their lives. To kindle he conversations, I gave them a few words as sparks and full liberty to light it up. Though leading, these words were not binding.
This project, which started just as a class assignment, became so close to my heart in no time. You can find bits and pieces of me when you click on every thumbnail. For every person I interviewed, they presented to me a kaleidoscope of their life to me. It was shimmering and colorful. I hope to make this an ongoing project in my free time. Here is just a sneak peak for you.
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Chhavi :)