Ultra Violet features a community of young feminists blogging on the various issues, challenges, and triumphs that affect women in India today. It is an initiative by Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, a women’s rights organization in Bangalore, India, which works in the areas of gender, law and rights.
Women experience their lives from multiple locations and there are many different feminisms. Ultra Violet provides a place to explore and understand the ways in which young women in India are challenging, negotiating and transforming unequal power structures. It is also a space to celebrate women’s histories, wisdom, creativity, laughter and love for life.
About the Name
Violet is the colour of feminism. We wanted to be very clear that this is a feminist blog and not ‘just another space for women’. Feminism is a much misunderstood and maligned word. Over the years, its true meaning — the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of sexual equality — has been distorted and defiled by many. This blog is both a reclaiming of the term and a clarification of what it means to us, today.
Ultra Violet, if one takes the slangy definition of ‘ultra’, means extremely violet. But ultraviolet also refers to what is situated beyond the visible spectrum. This blog is also an attempt to explore such regions of shadowed knowledge and understanding.
Comments Policy
While we welcome and encourage divergent points of view, please refrain from personal attacks and offensive language. Comments are moderated and misogynist, casteist, communal, homophobic or other comments that are anti-life will be deleted.
Disclaimer
The opinions and views expressed here are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of Hengasara Hakkina Sangha or of other contributors.
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Congratulations and welcome to the initiators of what promises to be an exciting new forum! As a once-young feminist I look forward to keeping track of what members of another generation of progressive women is thinking, feeling, doing. I like the name, too. I’m not sure what you had in mind when you picked it (I don’t see that explained anywhere yet — though that could of course be an age thing, both literally and figuratively!) but I’m sure you’ll demonstrate that the days of shrinking violets are over! All the best!
Thank you, Ammu, for those wonderful words of encouragement. They mean a lot coming from you. Also, thanks for the tip — have added a note on the name.
Congratulations and I’m really looking forward to the posts here.
Congratulations for this amazing initiative! As i enter the world of thirties (the new-twenties), its an amazing feeling to see that there is a space which allows me to express what i believe in and propels me to continue believing in myself. As a woman relating to women’s experiences socially, economically, sexually and politically, this is a great site to say it all. May this grow bigger and we have more display of fire from women all across the country. All the best for future.
lovely! i blog on feminist issues myself, and honestly, i didnt see too many other indian femi blogs around
more power to us!
apu
Lovely. will keep coming back here.
Hey hey hey,
Nice work.
Hearty Welcome,
by one who would dream of a magnificent world of mutually caring ones, in which people express and strengthen each other by hearing , making heard and sharing their voices where the concerns of gender matters to the extent of ultimately being able to declare to the whole world that those normative scripts of lives ever lived by men and women have actually been contributing to denial of life.
It’s good to see you here, addressing something so important and so misunderstood. who better than you?!
Glad to have found this page. There can never be enough said/written/known in this context and so I will come back regularly.
I came here through a friend’s recommendation. I will continue to visit as this site resonates with. I will elaborate as I continue to learn more about this website.
beautiful .. excellento.. all the best .. thanks for something that i can refer to all the wonderfl ladies who shaped my life .. so often at thier own cost.
i dont know how i can repay them.. thanks for a lot more that i being a male cannot express as well as females can without words even .. hats off
@The Mad Momma, Anamika, Manju: Welcome! And thanks for stopping by. 🙂 Look forward to having you ladies visit again.
@Spacebar, Apu, Ranjani
Great to have you here. Do keep coming back and please be vociferous in the comments section!
@Polecat, Venugopalan, Vaibhav
Thank you!
This coincides exactly with my idea of feminism!! Thanks Dilnavaz, for directing me here. Will definitley keep up with the posts.
@VB: It’s not just about women… please introduce your male friends to this site too 🙂 And thanks for dropping in. Come again.
@Cee Kay: Anytime, girl. Glad to see you here.
Nice… I’ll be following this blog with great interest (and commenting if I have anything relevant to say). I’ve added you to my bookmarks. All the best!
It’s so encouraging to read this blog- a purposeful one. Being an NRI indian, it’s one blog i’m going to recommend a magazine here to put in their must visit blogs. The magazine targets Indian expats and is read by many indian women.
Most of whom are of an older generation, and are shrinking violets…and are now raising daughters who are forced to be the same.
Living here away from our motherland, keeps us in a time warp. Most of these mothers still script their daughters into being submissive, citing that thats the way it is done back home.
I know of many a confused female teenager , who is has no idea of her individuality or feminism. They return to India to study, marry and feel out of sync with other girls their age who have grown up in India.
I wish this blog and joint effort all the best!
@John Jacob: Thank you. We look forward to interacting with you.
@Dezann: Having witnessed that kind of retro mindset myself, I agree this space is much-needed by at least some Indians abroad. Do stop by again. 🙂
A good space to see people who may have divergent views on feminism itself. It is one of the most misunderstood words and you are right, hope feminism can get the universal appeal that it so requires for it to blossom into a social reality!
hope to read & think & understand a looooooooooot more!
Here is some serious info for you to watch out.
India’s most anti-feminist organisation has its roots in Bangalore. Its goals are to defame feminism in India, through various propaganda methods including trolling. It is growing fast all over India.
It has more than 2500 members in Internet. It has branches in 20 cities in India and foreign countries. It has grown more than 10 times in last 2 years.
The most disturbing news is that the members of this organisation are in communication with anti-feminists in US. Do not under estimate this as they have got many educated women supporting them in spreading anti-feminism.
They have at least 100 websites and blogs.
SIFF
They even have a wikipedia entry.
SIFF in Wiki.
Its time for all feminists to unite and discuss about this serious threat.
It was great to have found you on the web girls. I often write posts raising human rights issues, women’s rights and personal liberties of course are a vital part of it.
I am only writing this message to say kudos! and power to you! BUT ALSO, please, See the page of this girl, who is originally from US and is planning a book on the horrific practice of foeticide in India. Honestly, feminism should be concern no. 2. Concern no. 1 should be the criminal and diabolical practice that kills the girl when she is not even born! Here is the website addy:
http://barbararaisbeck.wordpress.com/
Sincerely,
Ember.
Kudos to UV team!
I came to know abt this thru today’s TOI paper.Its a very good platform to raise the right kind of voice against all atrocities on women. I would recommend it to my male colleagues too as they are the audience for advocacy of women’s rights .
All the Best to UV team!
I have chanced upon this site while searching information on hijras on which I insist to write. This has really given me space and freedom to write on this topic. T he comments are also thought provoking. I will visit and revisit this site.
Hey. It was great to discover this blog. I was googling for some material on dalit women writers and chanced on to your blog.
As a feminist in my early forties, I have often wondered what young indian women feel about feminism these days. So it was great ot find out a community out there. Will keep coming back regularly to keep up with you all.
All the best.
geeta
I landed on this blog from a trail path of Doghi to the LCMD review post. I have been trying to form my views on feminism, and while I know so very little of it yet ..
I probably understand the need for awareness, women are being but fair in asking to be given a choice in things (Everyone likes to have choices after all).
I do hope though that Feminism will be outdated one day soon, and certainly out of fashion sooner.
Regards,
Amar
Asymmetry generally tends to be more useful, while symmetry is definitely more beautiful.
Great blog. Wonderful effort.
It troubles me to have learnt that you don’t have a single male contributor.
Dear friends
a few days ago I’ve read the article about Jalle Siddamma.
It was written by Usha at september 2 2007.
I would like very much to get intouch with her doughter Jade Maadi.
Here in Israel I work with pregnent women and I think that mrs. Maddi can enreach us with her knolege.
so please let me know how to contact Usha or mrs. Maddi.
Thnx. Tsippy Monat. Israel/+972-542070382
Tsippy@monat.co.il
I feel the women are seeds for the maintanance of religion,caste,race,family,etc…,so their freedom is not allowed by these morale police.I feel that unless the women come out of these boundaries,they will be seeds! seeds!! seeds!!!.
I am glad to discover you. The link from the Indian Home Maker brought me here. This is a subject close to my heart.
congratulations, I am a journalist, would love to write for UV…. and be a part of it…
Good job !!! Hats off to u!!
Website: themangalore.com
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