This year, we have been featuring the best writers from our writer community for their committed contribution to FII, making it what it is today. FII would not exist if not for the passionate and loyal feminist writer community that we have steadily been building over the last three years.
This November, we feature Tanika Godbole. She has a knack of writing incisive commentary on burning topics in the news, and her articles have receive some of the highest attention on our platform! Some outstanding pieces shes’s written have been based on the controversial film Padmavati, Aishwarya Rai and domestic violence and Hugh Hefner.
So without further ado, let’s meet the writer herself!
FII: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Tanika Godbole: I am a journalist by training, and have recently made the switch from media to the development sector. I currently work as a communications advisor for an NGO.
FII: How did you become a part of the FII writer family?
TG: I had written a story about abortion rights, but was unsuccessful in getting it published in any major media outlet. That’s when a friend recommended that I should contribute to FII.
FII: How and when did you become a feminist? Which issues within feminism are close to your heart?
TG: I’m still learning about feminism. It was a gradual process, I had to educate and question the patriarchal beliefs that I was surrounded by, and hardly ever noticed before. I also learnt to recognize the privilege that I myself came from.
FII: What is your favourite piece on this site that you have written, and your favourite piece on this site that you have read? Why did they strike you?
TG: My favourite piece was ‘So, Just How Progressive Is AIB?‘ because I felt that I had touched upon an issue that no one had written about before. Also, AIB replied so positively to it! My favourite piece would be the Op-Ed ‘An open letter to the Founder of IITIIMshaadi.com‘. I happened to read it when I was thinking about how repulsive some of the matrimony website ads are, and the writing style was very witty.
FII: What do you like to do when not writing about gender and social justice?
TG: I love making comics. They’re also mostly about gender and social justice, but some are about TV shows, movies, and my random non-sensical jokes.
FII: What do you like about FII and our work? What more would you like to see from us?
TG: I admire how FII is so caste sensitive, even in stories that don’t directly deal with caste as an issue. I’m not interested in sports, but I love how you cover achievements of Indian women in sports. I would definitely love to read more in-depth coverage from FII.
FII thanks Tanika for lending her enthusiasm and insight to our magazine and infusing it with her sharp, incisive commentary.You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To become a part of our writer community, click here.
