Payal Talreja

Businesswoman, curator of handlooms, poet, writer, and erstwhile doctor. Payal Talreja practices everything except her involuntary ‘profession’. She claims that words chose her and are now her weapon of choice because an activist born will stay silent for no man. A wanderer, a voyager, she’s happy to slum it or luxuriate in any life experience. She crafts poems and fiercely feminist essays and will assume her ‘Chandi’ avatar to ‘write’ any wrong.

March 8, 2025
Payal Talreja
Gender

The Bitch, the Witch or That Woman on a Shaky Pedestal?

Millions of women are ostracised for what is normal, and in fact, a magical and powerful bodily function that enables the miracle of life. It is our fear of...

June 10, 2024
Payal Talreja
Gender

Boys will (Not) be Boys: Towards a more Human Society

We talk all the time about what we would teach our daughters, but we equally need to engage in reorienting that which is taught to our sons, not just...

April 29, 2023
Payal Talreja
Advocacy, Children's Right, Gender, Health, Special Needs

Girls and Autism: Missed Diagnosis and Mis-diagnosis

Boys are four times as likely to receive early diagnosis and intervention for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) than girls. There was a time when it was believed that ASD...

December 31, 2017
Payal Talreja
Cover Story, Dissent, Films, Gender, Mass Media, Sports

Celebrating Women: The Year That Was!

Firebrand feminist, Payal, our columnist, says that from within the murk and gloom of crime against women, there were many who rose from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix....

October 24, 2017
Payal Talreja
Gender

Sexism and Literature

Payal relooks at classics and popular comics to find how sexist in content these are, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths. Recently, I decided to recycle through...

October 10, 2017
Payal Talreja
Gender, Religion

The Importance of Being Married: Karva Chauth and Attendant Hoopla

Payal takes a hard look at Karva Chauth fasting. She brilliantly critiques the tradition, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths. Yesterday was the popular day of fasting...

October 3, 2017
Payal Talreja
Gender, Relationship & Lifestyle

Simran and Other Bollywood Babes: Coming of age

Even though a slim minority, we are ready to own up to our hidden reality, rather than be the ‘good’ daughter/sister/wife that lives her lives for others rather than...

September 12, 2017
Payal Talreja
Dissent, Gender, People, Place

Reclaiming Pink: The Story of Sampat Pal and her Gulabi Gang

Payel profiles Sampat Pal Devi and the lathi wielding Gulabi Gang that stood up against violence and other wrongs perpetrated by husbands, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different...

September 6, 2017
Payal Talreja
Gender, Human Rights

Why should Criminalisation of Marital Rape Destabilise Marriage?

Payal takes a hard look at the issue of marital rape, its criminalisation and the argument that it would destabilise the institution of marriage. India should learn from other...

August 28, 2017
Payal Talreja
Crime, Politics, Religion

Hokey Godmen and the Mask of Celibacy

Self-styled guru and father-figure Huzoor Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ji, is the latest Godman, who simply put could not control his urges and felt that his status in...

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