Cages: of Gender & Patriarchy

Bhavya Malhotra's Cages: of Gender & Patriarchy

Contemporary Poetry that raises issues of gender, discrimination and sexuality. Indian mentality Stands at two opposite poles when it comes to talking about issues of Gender, Sexuality, Patriarchy and Feminism. The book consists of 7 poems that target the aforementioned themes and look at the issues from the contemporary lens of a 20 year old girl residing in the Urban Indian Landscape. The poems have tried to target myths and explore ideas that an average woman wants everyone to know; without her feeling that she's in a cage when she can't express these notions freely. For instance, the myth of sex not being enjoyed by women, internalised misogyny that make women a target for themselves, unequal treatment by both men and women, heteronormativity, body shaming and so on, so forth. The closing poem Sanskaar (Virtues) is named so because it is believed that the meaning of word Sanksaar cannot really be translated into any other language. </br></br> It tries to question the hypocrisy that exists in the Indian landscape, and from the poetess's point of view, entails a moral superiority which tries to demean anyone who doesn't live upto that moral standard.