Her Kajal Won't Smudge

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Sobia Ameen - Men are lucky that all feminists are demanding is equality and equity, given everything we have been through

2024-11-1728:25

In this episode, Shana chats with model and Instagram creator, Sobia Ameen. Sobia shares how she ended up on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar India even though she’s an architect by training. Sobia talks about beauty standards and her activism around topics like menstrual shame and sexual assault, both of which are very personal to her. Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. Follow @sobia93 on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Saakshi Samant, Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Sabika Abbas Naqvi - Every time my pen raises itself to write a verse, I hope it is in favour of the oppressed

2024-11-1029:49

This week, Shana is joined by the Indian Urdu poet and activist Sabika Abbas Naqvi. Sabika paints a picture of her home and neighbourhood in Lucknow, India, and her deep connection to both that is reflected in her work. She talks about reclaiming male-dominated poetry spaces as a woman, how her poetry is a tool of resistance against oppression. Sabika recites her poem, Maadari Zabaane (Mother Tongues) in this episode. You can read the English translation of the poem here. Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. Follow Sabika (@boltiaurat) on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Saakshi Samant, Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Zarrar Kahn - In my film, I wanted to convey the real-life horrors of living as a woman in a patriarchal world

2024-11-0321:31

In this episode of Her Kajal Won’t Smudge, Shana is in conversation with Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn. Zarrar talks to Shana about his award-winning horror film ‘In Flames’ which captures, you guessed it, the horrors of patriarchy as told through the lives of the protagonists, a mother and daughter. In Flames conveys the daily experiences of life in a patriarchal society and even though this film is set in Pakistan, its message is a universal one. Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. Follow @kahn.zarrar on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Saakshi Samant, Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Meesha Shafi - The act of speaking up has liberated me, it's been like shedding dead skin

2024-10-2726:54

On this first episode of season 3 of Her Kajal Won’t Smudge, Shana is joined by the queen of Pakistani pop music – Meesha Shafi. In 2018, Meesha spoke out publicly about the sexual harassment she endured at the hands of a popular actor. Time Magazine described this moment as having sparked Pakistan’s #MeToo movement. In this candid conversation, Meesha shares what it means to live with her decision to speak out and how her music is an expression of her reflective self-journey. The woman we meet is courageous, vulnerable and so completely authentic. Meesha talks about the music videos for her songs Amrit and Hot Mango Chutney Sauce. You can watch them here: 'Amrit' 'Hot Mango Chutney Sauce' Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. Follow @meesha.shafi on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Junior Producer: Saakshi Samant, Quoyina Ghosh Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram, Nihar Temkar Head of Visual Design: Minal Jadeja Visual Designers: Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Sadaf Saaz - “Women have a deep need and desire to be able to express themselves, to be empowered, to live a fulfilled life, reaching their potential”

2024-05-0238:10

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Bangladeshi women’s rights activist and poet, Sadaf Saaz. Sadaf talks about her journey from the UK to Bangladesh and how she found her feminism along the way, the strides made by the Bangladeshi feminist movement, the role of female garment workers in changing attitudes about a woman’s place in society and Sadaf’s poetry, which has been a constant in her life. Sadaf and Shana also discuss an issue close to Sadaf’s heart, the plight of the Birangona, the hundreds of thousands of women who were victims of sexual violence at the hands of the Pakistani army during the 1971 war. While the stories and records of the Birangona have been systematically erased and covered up by both the Bangladeshi and Pakistani governments, it is the feminists on both sides who continue to acknowledge, remember and build bridges. Follow Sadaf on X @SadafSaaz. Follow us on Instagram @herkajalwontsmudge and check out our website www.herkajalwontsmudge.com. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Sarmad Khoosat - “The ideas of misogyny and patriarchy are a mindset, as opposed to a construct restricted to a gender”

2024-04-2536:29

In this episode, Shana speaks with award-winning actor, director and producer, Sarmad Khoosat, the first male guest on Her Kajal Won’t Smudge. In this conversation, Shana and Sarmad talk about Zindagi Tamasha (“Circus of Life”), a movie directed and produced by Sarmad. It was Pakistan’s submission for the 93rd Oscars but it has never had a theatrical release in Pakistan. Sarmad shares his thoughts on the controversy around Zindagi Tamasha, how men and women are both limited by social norms and the public’s heartfelt response to the intolerance Zindagi Tamasha has faced. Plus they discuss the influence Saadat Hasan Manto, the writer, has had on Sarmad’s life. Follow Sarmad on Instagram @sarmadkhoosat. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Kate Manne and Urna Chakrabarty - “Misogyny is the metaphorical police force of patriarchy”

2024-04-1834:27

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Kate Manne (philosopher, associate professor at Cornell University and author of Down Girl and Entitled) and Urna Chakrabarty (graduate student at Cornell University) to ask: why is there so much violence against women in South Asia? This is a question discussed by many academics and multilateral agencies and it is a source of daily concern for desi women who navigate everyday life under threat of violence. Contrary to our preconceived notion that crimes against women are random, Kate and Urna provide a very different perspective. They decode the systemic nature of violence against women and draw out the ‘logic of misogyny’ which perpetuates sexist, gendered roles through the threat of violence and victim-shaming. Follow Kate on X @kate_manne. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar, Nikkethana Kamal Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Surabhi Yadav - “Women At Leisure is a way to keep my mother’s memory alive”

2024-04-1133:08

In this episode, Shana talks to Surabhi Yadav, the creator of Women At Leisure, an Instagram account filled with 7 years of pictures and videos of women simply at leisure - having a cup of chai, climbing a tree, playing football. For Surabhi, time is a feminist issue, which lays bare the many oppressions of caste, class and the invisibility of women’s work. They also discuss the backstory about how Women at Leisure came to be. After Surabhi’s mother, Basanti, passed away, Surabhi set out to keep her memory alive by asking aunts and her mother’s friends to share her stories. The person they described in story after story was a funny prankster, adjectives that did not come to mind when Surabhi thought of her mother. Who was her mother, when she was not busy managing a large family? This inspired Surabhi to create Women at Leisure as a kind of ongoing conversation with her mother. This conversation led Shana to also share why she created Her Kajal Won’t Smudge. The similarities in Surabhi and Shana’s journeys are a reflection of just how life brings two people together in ways that can be so unexpected and yet so in harmony. Follow Women At Leisure @women_at_leisure on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Mira Malhotra - “If ads can sell you stuff by being witty and engaging, I can do the same with graphic design and feminist ideas”

2024-04-0426:27

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer, Mira Malhotra. Mira runs Studio Kohl, a design studio with a very recognisable visual style and a roster of clients that are big name brands, corporations and charities. What makes Mira such a compelling and unique designer is that her feminism is ever present in all she does. Shana asks Mira about the origins of her feminism and how it came to be such a natural extension of her life and work, personal and professional. Follow Mira @kokumkohla and Studio Kohl @studiokohlindia on Instagram. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Amber Arifeen - “As an artist, I have the capacity to express things that most women can’t, issues that resonate with most desi women”

2024-03-2843:24

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with visual and performance artist, Amber Arifeen. Amber’s art looks at life through women’s eyes, giving insight into how women navigate the world. Take, for example, women and physical safety. Even if it might differ in degree depending on where women live, all women, around the world, can relate to this concept. Amber’s art shows just how this fear of violence against women restricts our freedom and full enjoyment of public spaces, including nature. The wonder of Amber’s art is that by making visible women’s invisible life experiences, Amber creates space for dialogue with society at large. Follow Amber on Instagram @amber_arifeen CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar, Nikkethana Kamal Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Krantinaari of Wild Wild Women - “We don’t connect to the hip-hop that men create, so we make our own”

2024-03-2128:01

In this episode, Shana talks to Krantinaari, a hip-hop artist, activist and a founding member of India’s first female hip-hop collective, Wild Wild Women. She talks about finding her own language of feminism, being a female rapper in an industry dominated by men and how Wild Wild Women came together to create music that they and other women can relate to. Follow @krantinaari and @wildwildwomen on Instagram Krantinaari raps acapella from her self-titled single ‘Krantinaari’ in this episode. Here is a translation of the lyrics: In the traditional rule of the father and son The woman is hiding her pain, she’s suppressed her scream The thorns on the way that pricked her Those became the sign of progress when she got educated But now that we see she’s not even safe in the house of the rich In such situations she’s holding on strong Even when their mindset is old, rusty and useless Come on, broaden your mind and evolve Dangerous situations occur with 3 out of 5, by their own relatives Stuck within four walls, she sacrifices her happiness She is courageous and not your slave She will smile forgetting all her pain How long will you search for God with your eyes closed If you’ve forgotten your morals, you’re going to be punished She won’t just work hard from 9 to 5, day and night With her heart and calm mind The revolutionary woman is here to bring justice The revolutionary woman is nature’s blessing Revolutionary Woman! CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Aurat March - “We needed the Aurat March, we needed a collective feminist platform to voice our issues on the streets”

2024-03-1444:41

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with two co-organisers of Pakistan’s women’s march, the Aurat March, who share their candid, very personal, journeys to feminism. They also talk about how the Aurat March came about, what role Aurat March plays in Pakistani society and those incredible, revolutionary, posters and slogans that have fired up the conversation about a woman’s place in Pakistani society. Follow Aurat March on Instagram @auratmarch The artist whose work is featured in the cover art is Saamiya Arif. CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Swineryy - “There is no place for me in the world I’ve built, it’s just the joke”

2024-03-0729:35

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with comedian and social media star, Swineryy, who went viral in 2018 when she posted a video of an animoji pig asking “why am I haraam?” (translation: why am I a sin/forbidden?). We learn about why she is anonymous, how she created her iconic characters Blue Maulvi Saab, Leena Aunty and, of course, the Haraam Pig, what it’s like seeing her characters become symbols of resistance on posters carried in Pakistan’s Aurat March (Women’s March), and why she wants her comedy to be “genderless”. Follow Swineryy on Instagram @swineryy CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer: Ruchi Sawardekar, Nikkethana Kamal Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni, Lakshman Parsuram Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Mariam Shafqat Goraya : “And my protest is obviously against misogyny. But [then] my personal anger is also about women who uphold these roles.”

2023-11-2634:31

Today, Shana is in conversation with satirist Mariam Shafqat Goraya. Through her character Naik Parveen, Mariam takes aim at women who are the “foot soldiers of patriarchy”. Mariam’s satire takes the sexist and misogynistic rhetoric that gets mentioned in private conversation, the stuff people don’t expect will get repeated, and she says it outloud through the characters she creates and, in the process, she uncomfortably forces us out of our complacency. Follow Mariam Shafqat Goraya on Instagram @naikparveensyndrome and Facebook Naik Parveen Syndrome CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Priyanka Paul: “I have so many marginalizations, that I’ve lost track”

2023-11-1932:27

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Priyanka Paul, an illustrator, graphic designer, poet, and storyteller, who is also a Gucci Chime for Change ambassador and TED Talk speaker. Priyanka shares her lived experience as a queer, dark-skinned Christian woman from an oppressed caste, her encounters with online trolling and how she turns her anger into impactful art, carving out a space for those who stand apart and don't subscribe to society's beauty ideals. Follow Priyanka Paul on Instagram @artwhoring and Twitter @artwhoring CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Sheema Kermani : "I will keep dancing no matter what. Who has the right to tell me not to dance?”

2023-11-1229:36

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Sheema Kermani. You may know Sheema as the dancer in the hit Coke Studios video of Pasoori but, for Sheema, dance is more than an artform. For her, it is also an act of defiance. A classically trained Bharatnatyam dancer, Sheema took on the Pakistani military dictator Zia-ul-Haq when he abolished public dancing. Since then, Sheema has steadfastly defended the rights of minorities and women. In this interview, Sheema talks about her activism, the early days of Aurat March and how she came to perform the feminist anthem “A Rapist in Your Path” in Urdu - a performance that connected Pakistan to the Fourth Wave of Feminism, which has ebbed and flowed around the globe. Follow Sheema Kermani on Instagram @sheemakermani and Twitter @tehrikeniswan CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Leeza Mangaldas : "Women's pleasure has been systematically ignored for so long"

2023-11-0536:56

Leeza Mangaldas is a sex educator with 2 million YouTube subscribers and Instagram followers. GQ has named Leeza one of the most influential young Indians. She is also the author of The Sex Book. In this episode, Leeza talks to Shana about why the Glossary of her book has words like “patriarchy” and “casteism” and “internalised oppression”. They also discuss orgasms and female sexuality, the social norm of female virginity and purity and why it is time we get past guilt and shame-ridden frameworks that don’t serve women… or men. Follow Leeza Mangaldas on Instagram @leezamangaldas and Twitter @leezamangaldas CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Sabah Bano Malik: “ You basically stop women from being their own people so that they can be married off to someone and they decide what she'd become”

2023-10-2942:24

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with Sabah Bano Malik, a radio jockey and a founding member of a Pakistani comedians' collective called Aurat Nak. Shana asks Sabah what has surprised her and what she struggles with as a Pakistani American who moved to Pakistan as an adult. Sabah talks about her online presence, comedy as a way to reflect on society, body-shaming, toxic rishta culture, the anger she feels when women are brutally murdered and the sisterhood she has found in Aurat March and with the many women who are resisting patriarchy in Pakistan. Follow Sabah Bano Malik on Instagram @sabahbanomalik and Twitter @sabahbanomalik CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Radhika Vaz: “Let’s take marriage and get rid of it”

2023-10-2235:54

In this episode, Shana is in conversation with comedian, actor and writer Radhika Vaz. We learn about Radhika’s journey to comedy and why she mines the desi female experience as a source for her material. Radhika is one half of the team behind Shugs and Fats, a Youtube series about two curious Muslim women who are navigating life in liberal Brooklyn. We talk about script-writing episodes in which women are doing the street catcalling and the shroud of shame is lifted on the dirty period. Oh, and we also imagine a world in which women just stopped getting married. Follow Radhika Vaz on Instagram @radhikavaz Twitter @radvaz and Facebook Radhika Vaz CREDITS: Host and Creative Director: Shana This is a Maed in India production Head of Production: Mae Mariyam Thomas Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome Producer : Nikkethana Kamal, Sonali Gupta Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni Visual Design & Social Media: Minal Jadeja, Akshat Agarwal, Shaumik Kanvinde

Trailer

2023-10-1002:27

Women from South Asia (and the global diaspora) are challenging patriarchal social norms and expectations by taking to the streets and using the bullhorn of social media to be heard. Join Shana, our host, as she talks to social media influencers, street protestors, artists and film-makers who are making change happen. With millions of followers and supporters and numbers that keep growing, Her Kajal Won’t Smudge asks: are we witnessing a desi women’s liberation movement? Has its time finally come?

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