We have been featuring the best writers from our writers’ 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 writers’ community that we have steadily been building over the last three years.This October, we feature Ratula Bandyopadhyay.
From talking about the under-representation of women in our favourite Harry Potter series to writing about the the added burden on women with the NRC, Ratula’s exceptional flair of writing has covered a host of topics, keeping us hooked to her articles. Some of her other popular articles are The JEE Wave And The Consequences Of Devaluing Humanities, John Clayton Mayer: A Feminist Revisits Her Far-From-Childhood Crush and many others.
FII: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Ratula Bandyopadhyay: I went to Presidency University, Kolkata to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. After completion of that course, I have decided to enter the realm of the corporate, and have been working towards getting into a decent MBA college ever since.
FII: How did you become a part of the FII writer family?
Ratula Bandyopadhyay: I became part of this really warm and intelligent community after I had conquered some issues surrounding my mental health. I’d chanced upon FII in 2018, and had always harbored dreams to contribute. However, I was terrified of putting myself out there and asserting an opinion. Times changed, and with the help of one person and a whole lot of keeping busy, I gathered the courage to finally shoot the FII editors’ desk a mail in early 2019.
FII: How and when did you become a feminist? Which issues within feminism are close to your heart?
RB: I became a feminist when I gained cognitive ability. It wasn’t even in an unformed state – I had the privilege of being born to a very liberal mother and father who showed me that the world was bad for women, and that had to be fought. I gained some of the weapons on my own, but I credit them with raising me as my self, and with the opinions I hold. I would say the prevention of sexually motivated acid attacks is a practice I’d love to see feminism eliminate. We also need more people identifying as practicing feminists.
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?
RB: My favorite piece by my own self is “Harry Potter And The Problem Of Under-Representation Of Women“. I’m an unabashed Potterhead and would like to continue for life. My favorite piece by a different author is “Reflections On Being A Fat Woman: My Body As The Site Of Moral Panic” by Rushati Mukherjee. The piece commanded within me an intensity of feeling. I’m a person who has trouble emoting to most things she encounters, but this piece stripped my brain of any emotional fog it might have been nurturing, and made me see another’s pain on a visceral level.
FII: What do you like to do when not writing about gender and social justice?
RB: I like reading. I read voraciously, covering breadths of volumes without intentions to filter by category. I write too, things that emerge mostly of inadequate quality when compared to any inspirations I might have had. I listen to music, and try to emulate Harry Styles’ general personality.
FII: What do you like about FII and our work? What more would you like to see from us?
RB: I admire FII for starting the ball rolling about feminist conversations in India, and the courage it must take to sustain them in the oppressive climes of today. I would like to see some promotional effort put in, propelling this platform to newer heights of exposure, and courting new viewpoints.
FII thanks Ratula for her timely and valuable contributions. We are incredibly grateful to have her as a part of our writers’ community and appreciate her for her deeply informative writing. You can follow her on LinkedIn.
