Rakhee Ghelani

Category: Women

  • Nagaland: The last frontier

    Nagaland: The last frontier

    —

    by

    Two boys no older than ten wander the dusty roadside, semi-automatic rifles slung casually across their backs. Hearing the vehicle, they meander off-road into the thick verdant forest that’s lush but eerily silent.  I ask my driver where all the animals are and he responds drily, “These Nagas eat everything.” Characterised by headhunters and a…

  • Things I’ve Learned From Back Pain

    Things I’ve Learned From Back Pain

    —

    by

    It’s been ages since I blogged and I have my reasons I promise. Most recently I’ve spent the majority of the past couple of months flat on my back…. literally. I thought debilitating back pain was just exaggerated or something old people got. That is until it happened to me and I was flung straight into…

  • My Shoe Addiction

    My Shoe Addiction

    —

    by

    One of the rather decadent pleasures of living in India is that you can find anyone to make almost anything you want. For me this has meant that I now have my favourite dress in 6 different colours, (all for cumulatively less than I paid for the original), and I have some rather special shoes…

  • India Travel Advice Part 2

    India Travel Advice Part 2

    —

    by

    Following on from my last post providing India travel advice for women, I thought it would be worthwhile to provide a few more tips that I’ve found handy while travelling across India. These ones are relevant regardless of gender: Eating in India One of the most common questions I am asked about India is about…

  • India Travel Advice For Women

    India Travel Advice For Women

    —

    by

    As promised in this post, I’m writing a few posts with my advice on travelling to India. The advice is based on my experience, and that of other travellers whom I know and trust. There is a lot of bad and sugar coated advice out there, designed to please tourism boards and PR / Marketing…

  • Why #IndiaNeedsFeminism

    Why #IndiaNeedsFeminism

    —

    by

    This week I participated in a campaign by BuzzFeed where people explained why they felt feminism was relevant to India. Now anyone who’s read my blog for a while knows that I believe feminism has a long way to go here. So when I saw a call-out for people willing to participate in this campaign…

  • Dating the Indian Woman

    Dating the Indian Woman

    —

    by

    A few regular readers have asked me recently why I haven’t written much about dating or Indian men lately. Truth be told, there really isn’t much to tell. I haven’t dated for a long time, and am actually quite happy that way. I do still have some interesting experiences trying to understand men here, but…

  • Would You Marry Your Rapist?

    —

    by

    One of the most disturbing things I have read lately in the Indian papers is about this concept of marrying a survivor of sexual assault to her perpetrator. Yes you read that correctly, a man forces himself on a women and she is then forced to marry him.  WTF? The rationale for this seems to…

  • The Worst Place in the World: Egypt

    The Worst Place in the World: Egypt

    —

    by

    So last week I took myself on a fantastic trip down memory lane back to my favourite travel destination on earth, but next on the list just happens to be the only place in the world I have vowed never to return; Egypt. I had always dreamed of travelling to Egypt, it is after all…

  • Bolivia: Walking on the Moon and Cycling Through Death

    Bolivia: Walking on the Moon and Cycling Through Death

    —

    by

    Bolivia is famous for its cocaine trade and altitude. Whilst this may seem a little daunting for some, I actually found Bolivia quite safe even though I was travelling solo. Mind you this was about 7 years ago, but I never felt scared or threatened.  Quite the contrary, I loved Bolivia for its spectacular landscape…

  • India You Disgust Me!

    —

    by

    Yes, I realise that title is harsh, but this week India really is just making me feel sick. Today I read this article about a woman who is 7 months pregnant, and when her in-laws “accidentally” found out she was carrying a girl (because pre-natal sex determination is illegal in India) they started injecting her with…

  • Indian Culture, Apologies and Blame

    —

    by

    For a long time now I have had this niggling observation about Indian culture, but wasn’t sure if it was just me, isolated incidents or something I was imagining. I now think it is a cultural thing, Indians don’t seem to be able to apologise for anything, but seem to be very quick to blame…

  • The Magic of Rural Rajasthan: Homestay Experience

    The Magic of Rural Rajasthan: Homestay Experience

    —

    by

    When I was invited to visit a homestay in rural Rajasthan I just could not say yes quick enough.  It had been almost a year since I was last in Rajasthan and since my visit to Kutch, I had found myself fantasising about getting back to rural India.  The grime and congestion of Mumbai has…

  • Mumbai Film Festival

    —

    by

    I love a good film festival.  In Melbourne I would always go to the International Film Festival that came to town each year. For someone who is not so creative, I seem to have a lot of friends who are in the arts, and a few of my close ones in Australia are film-makers.  It…

  • Sometimes A Girl Just Need Some Girlfriends

    —

    by

    Last week I made 5 new friends. I can’t remember the last time I made that many new friends in a week.  As I have got older, meeting new people that I click with has become harder, and to be honest it has never worried me,  I much prefer quality over quantity anyway. But when…

  • Decoding the Indian Man Part 2: Infidelity and Apologies

    —

    by

    Is infidelity a part of Indian culture? Is it one that is accepted? Is it something that women just turn a blind eye to because of economic dependence, desperation and / or lack of self-esteem? Are Indian men capable of apologising when they are wrong? These are the questions that have been occupying my mind…

  • Is it time for the Girl in India?: Satya Mev Jayate

    —

    by

    A few weeks ago I wrote about how India had turned me into a feminist after seeing and learning about the treatment of women here.  Many people have spoken to me about this post since in person, via Twitter and on Facebook.  One comment that came up a few times was that my tone was…

  • How India Turned Me Into a Feminist

    —

    by

    I have a confession to make, I am a feminist. Nine months travelling through India has turned me into a feminist and this is me coming out of the closet. I have always considered myself to be egalitarian, striving for equality rather than subjugation of one gender over another. Then I spent 9 months backpacking…

  • Puri, Konark and 64 Yoginis

    —

    by

    Puri is a small seaside town in Odisha that is a popular holiday retreat for local Indian tourists.  A stroll along the beach on a Sunday afternoon had a great carnival feel lots of bathing in the sea (fully clothed of course) and camel rides.  Everyone seemed relaxed and they were certainly enjoying themselves. I…

  • The Differences Between North and South India

    —

    by

    I have only been in South India for a couple of weeks, but I immediately felt that there was a huge cultural shift between North and South. It’s not just the food and climate though that makes South India like a different country to me, it is the people and the environment. I appreciate I…