#phuphee

[priyasebastianillustrations]

Illustrations for a monthly column by Saba Mahjoor in The Hindu newspaper. These are stories about how women navigate their lives through patriarchal systems in a village in Kashmir.

[suchananewsblog]

Column | Chicken broth and some pluck

For as long as I had known Phuphee, nothing got under her skin as much as the fact that she had been unable to continue her education after sixth grade — but when her grandfather died there was simply no money. This explained why she came down on me like a ton of bricks whenever she felt I was complacent about my education. She would scold me severely and say, “Do you want a man to explain things…

[suchananewsblog]

A peer, a pot and a ‘prescription’  

Problems needn’t always be tackled with force; a little common sense can go a long way . .

[suchananewsblog]

Column | How to ‘stir’ a marriage

Column | How to ‘stir’ a marriage

Years ago, I read in a lady’s magazine, on the front cover of which was splashed a beautiful woman with lacquered nail varnish on her hands, showing off a freshly-baked cake, ‘Clever ladies take stock at forty.’ Inside, it was explained by a gentleman who described himself as an expert in femininity, that a woman should upon reaching the age of 40, take stock of her life. She should sit down,…