Manasi Gopalakrishnan

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy’s iconic novel on his famous female protagonist begins with the now popular quote: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Much of it is true for women – happy women are happy because they like who they are, regardless of being single, married or in a relationship. Unhappy women may be unhappy with their lonely lives as a singleton in Berlin, a partner in a troubled relationship in Bonn, a daughter in a big family with a million physical restrictions in a small town in India, a teenager suffering physical violence in Pakistan, a woman in Kashmir waiting for the curfew to get over so she can buy groceries. As cliché-ed as it may sound, suffering women across the world have a thousand problems they could list, which is precisely why we choose to address these issues specifically in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan at womentalkonline.
South Asia is at a turning point. Modern-day life and rapid industrialization is taking its toll on old cultural practices and on the role of men and women. The challenge for women is enormous: they are more educated than ever before, they have aspirations, they want a life and a career. At the same time, religious and cultural restrictions are causing tension and forcing women to redefine their lives. In all these countries, women have to overcome limitations that have been set by their religions, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism or Christianity. For most women, the conflict is not necessary. For them, the ideal situation would be one where they could take their traditions along with them and still rise above the suppression they face.
With Womentalkonline we are trying to establish a new kind of a website which offers women a view into these conflicting themes and also offer a forum for discussion. We report on the latest news in women’s affairs, health, careers, lifestyle and also on how men perceive the women they work or interact with on a daily basis. We hope to initiate a lively discussion on women in South Asia and look forward to your suggestions on our first edition.