International Women's Day: Woman speak up about living in a man's world

Ivana Belakova

It all began at a photo shoot Yeashu Yuvraj had arranged with 20-year-old student Phrod­ie Ka­yina in November. But the musician and photographer was trying a different approach this time, by getting his subjects to talk about their lives while he clicked their pictures. That's when Kayina spoke about the racist comments she had to cope with every day.

"When I asked her what she wants to do about it, she said, 'What can an individual do?' That made me ashamed of being an Indian and want to help na­rrate stories of these women. How do you de­al with taboos and quick judgm­e­nts if you are a woman?" he says.

Yeashu Yuvraj

And so, wecandoanything­y­­oudo was born. The project, which started on Instagram, is a year-long campaign where Yuvraj, his wife Shivangini, and Saumya Shukla share photographs clicked by Yuvraj along wi­th captions detailing the subj­e­ct's stories of triumph over sexual harassment, racist slurs, anxiety, depression and sexism.

Mumbai-based musician Kamakshi Khanna opens up about battling anxie­ty, while digital marketer Tanya Seth narrates the travails of being a queer woman in India. "What's worrisome is the mindset that Indian women are growing up with; 95 per cent of them had to be convinced their stories deserved to be told,"
Yuvraj concludes.

Visit wecandoanythingyoudo

Ivana Belakova, Slovakia
Being a tattoo artist in a village in Slovakia meant I was a detrimental influence to the community, especially being a homosexual female. It was hard to be artistic when everyone considered me a menace to society. I was forced to leave. I travelled in search of a place where I felt I belonged.

Phrodie Kayina, Manipur
I could feel their stares on the streets, the judgment when I stuttered while speaking the local language... Hate emanating from their gaze when people like me simply gathered for dinner... I began to measu­re myself according to what my eyes and ears were being fed as to what a "real" woman should look like.

Kamakshi Khanna, Mumbai
I was an extremely shy, scared and walled up kid and the struggle to break those walls down and overcome my social anxiety is a battle that I fight till today. It has been a journey of growth.

Chie Nishikori, Japan
When I came to India from Japan six years ago, locals called me 'chinky'. Not knowing it's a racial slur, I would find it cute.

Manisha Khungar, Delhi
I am a single mom of two teenage girls, a fitness and swimming coach. I had to take a tough call to leave my marriage. And take co­mplete responsibility of how my girls would be raised.

Mumbai woes
On the page's IGTV, Mumbai girl Shruti Chopra talks about pe­ople staring wh­en she wa­lks with the help of cr­utches. "I understand the curiosity. Lo­oking once is cool. Con­t­i­nuous staring isn't," she sa­ys. She points out an issue she has with Mumbai cafes - they don't inform you if they are disabled-friendly.

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