Women's Rage

 Invisible labour, invisible load. 

Women and the mental load, unpaid labour, exhaustion and rage all with the ever present, imminent threat of violence thus constant vigilance.

This post is harder to write. It is so personal, and so ubiquitous. I have been discussing this in some form or the other for over two decades ever since my peers and I entered the workforce. Although there were ever-present calls on our leisure even in girlhood, and need for constant vigilance all our lives the disproportionate unpaid labour, mental load, the mental and physical exhaustion, and accumulated rage became constant on having to work as well as put in hours of unpaid, unacknowledged domestic labour.

Paris Paloma's song "Labour" is more an anthem for us women than a popular, viral backgorund score for reels.

"All day everyday therapist, mother, maid."...Sing it sister!

See also this op-ed from Ashoka University's Sumana Roy in the Delhi edition of The Indian Express: 

The sub-stack "Swarna's mumblecore" has a very insightful piece "Why brown daughters don't burn the house down." It echoes and emphasizes the impotent fury and constraints on us "brown daughters" who don't give in to the feminist rage to burn it all down and re-build a feminist world. It also shows how the domestic labour and invisible load is particularly invisible even to girls and women intergenerationally and within the family.

 

 

While the following image I have shared from a talk by Seema Kulkarni on Reporting on Climate & Gender: A Rural Perspective, shared in my blog post "Women Farmers & the Burden of Unpaid Labour" on 5 April 20206, its a disproportionate statistic that repeats across classes, across salary scales, across urban and rural regions and across borders. Gender is the only constant. 

 

 As reports continue to flood media in all its forms of unchecked and mostly fatal violence and sexual violence against women and girls in public with impunity the rage bubbles forth more often. 

In the translated captions of Chinese vertical form micro dramas, there is a repeated line calling for women to vent their frustrations and rage out load so as to avoid developing "breast cancer" or "lumps in the breast." The link between autoimmune conditions and unexpressed rage and  unprocessed trauma is scientifically documented. Internalization of rage, the stigma associated with women expressing rage and social conditioning of frustrating gender roles as well as the need for constant vigilance overextends our nervous systems, pushes our hormones out of whack and repeatedly manifested silent, suppressed rage as depression, exhaustion and autoimmune conditions in women.

Patriarchy's Biggest Open Secret: Weaponized Incompetence 

 A powerful point is made in the following movie review, when the reviewer talks about the Netflix Crime Comedy's Maa Behan  [Mother Sister] being ahead of its time and bashed by audiences (from 8 mins 43 seconds) in this Tried & Refused Productions video "5 Powerful Bollywood Movies Unfairly Treated by the Audience" That of the toll/tax to patriarchy where competent and extraordinary women compromise and accept the most mediocre of men just for the safety offered from belonging to a man: Someone's mother, sister or wife.

The content from digital creators Rachael Kliendienst's "Women in Charge" series [now (23 July 2026) up to a month in charge] and Tara Joon's "Grandma's Advice" (141 reels) clearly demonstrate through overemphasis on the competence and constraints on women and how far we can go if those constraints were lifted. The obvious and self-evident solutions that get overlooked in the patriarchal system. 

 

Status Update - Day 5: Women in Charge

 

 It's actually a win-win if  Gender Equality the 5th Global Goal (Sustainable Development Goal - SDG 5) is made central to the development roadmaps. For now most action plans that centre the "Women, Peace & Security" agenda is more elaborate plans and policies rather than ground reality. 

Source: Asian College of Journalism - Climate Media Hub: Reporting on Climate and Gender.

Lost opportunity for a better world ... a major  loss when the direct link between the education levels of girls and women and the development potential of a nation is highlighted.  

Dr Kate Adams on Education of Women as development predictor:

Yet there are so many barriers to education, opportunity and financial independence of women. The rage persists.

Necessity the Mother of Invention: Young Indian Innovators

 

We are more than midway through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global call for action led by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that aims to 

"prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, aiming to revive 1 billion hectares of land and protect marine environments."

It's a good time to access our progress and check out the main threats to ecosystems and the innovations and innovators tackling it. 

Overwhelmingly environmental threats include the climate crisis, deforestation, soil degradation, air pollution, water pollution and plastic pollution. In nearly all cases innovators leading the charge have overwhelmingly been young people.

Threats to ecosystems are directly and indirectly risks to human security and innovations - be they recognized, award winning and community level life-changing - have come from young people who have seen a problem and found solutions for it. 

The search engine Ecosia's planting of over 250 million trees in key ecosystems thus restoring vital natural resources has been a major win fr Ecosystem Restoration.

Young Innovators nationally and internationally, individually and through innovative community intervention have played a vital role in improving ecosystems as well as lives and livelihoods. 

The focus of this post will be young Indian Innovators whose innovations have led to climate action (SDG 13), environmental cleanup as well as improved lives.

Source: Ideal City 2026: Nature Research Intelligence/Springer Nature

SDG 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Young Indian Innovators boosting SDGs

Three 16-year-olds Indians from Delhi-NCR, Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal, and Avyana Mehta, won the $100,000 Grand Prize of Earth Prize 2026 after becoming Regional Winners from India with their innovation Plas-Stick. Seeing the problem of microplastic pollution in water resources everywhere they came up with a low-cost innovation to ensure clean water for all, especially in rural India where access to safe drinking water and affordable tech to clean were both challenges. Their innovative use of ubiquitous tamarind seed powder to bind and remove microplastics rightfully earned then the Earth Prize 2026.     

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Mahek Parvez then a student pupil leader of a leading school in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India), Chettinad Vidyashram as a teenager designed a "refrigerator" that functioned without electricity or a coolant. This innovation that won the Lexus Design Award India improved lives and livelihoods as well as cutting down food wastage (SDG 12, SDG 2) and carbon footprint (SDG 13) of food produce. 

 

The "SunHarvested CoolRooms" which triples shelf-life of fruits and vegetables was a response to the young lady witnessing the problem of spoiling produce and the challenges of access to electricity and affordable cooling solutions and solved the problem by applying basic physics innovatively. 

This led Mehak to a Research internship at IIT-Madras' Prof. KS Reddy Sustainable Cooling Heat Transfer & Thermal Properties lab (2023-2024), the Lexus Eco Award and graduate studies in the United States. 

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Iron Max, the solar-powered ironing cart designed by then 14 year old Vinisha Umashankar from Thiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu, India got her nominated for the inaugural Earthshot Prize of 2021 in the "Clean Our Air" category.

Seeing local dobhis (laundry persons) handle coal under the scorching sun - polluting the air and adding to greenhouse gases led to Vinisha, the Earthshot Prize's youngest ever nominee to design Iron Max - the Solar Ironing Cart even before she was a teenager after months of researching and innovating a solution. 

 

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These innovations all improved ecosystems as well as lives and livelihoods. 

SDG10 - Reduced Inequalities 

Nearly 15 years ago, then 12 year old Shalini Kumari from Patna, Bihar saw her her grandfather using a walker because of limited mobility struggle with steps and designed the adjustable walker that can be used to climb steps as well as walk on flat surfaces. By improving the access of people with limited mobility, Shalini's retractable walker improved mobility and lives of people with limited mobility. To date it remains a cost-effective and life-changing innovation in the lives of many. Improved mobility in many ways is empowerment. 

Just a student of Class 8, her life-changing innovation won her the Ignite Award 2011. 

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More recently WALK by Lifespark Technologies - a smart gait support system for Parkinson's Patients was also an innovative solution Amey Desai designed in response to his grandfather's struggles with Parkinsons Disease that has gone on to empower and improve the life, gait and safety of many suffering from the sudden fall/freeze inducing neurological condition as well as similar conditions. 

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Avishyant Panda, IAS, of the 2017 batch through his innovative community-level intervention across Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra ("Lungs of Maharashtra") has reduced inequalities and built a climate-resilient, water-secure community. His efforts at watershed management, tree-planting and water bodies restoration boosts multiple SDGs: SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities through community empowerment, SDG6 - Access to Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 11 - Sustainable Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 14 - Life Below Water, SDG 15 - Life on Land.

Tackling the Monsoon Mayhem

 July brings monsoon to a large part of India and heavy rains in many parts of the world. While a welcome break from extreme heat and heatwaves, monsoon brings its own kind of mayhem. 

And considering India is a water-stressed country that has overdrawn its groundwater as well as having large parts of the country in drought and drought-like conditions saving water is always a priority. This is the situation in most regions of the world. Even in flood-prone weather communities and governments need to remember to 'Catch the Rain'.

Catch the Rain Pledge of Government of India 

The Government of India during the period of March 22 to November 30 has called for efforts to enhance rainwater harvesting and 'Catch the Rain'. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan's Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) campaign calls for 

• Water Conservation at the household level
• Rainwater Harvesting from the household and community levels all the way to the state and national levels
• Mapping and Geo-tagging Existing Water Bodies Across the Nation
• Reviving and Restoring water bodies and wetlands
• Afforestation (Especially in watershed regions)
• Water Security and Conservation Education
• Jal Shakti Kendras - district level centers for water management information

EcoBloc & Rainwater Harvesting

The above The Better India reel shows the "smart drain" EcoBloc made using recycled plastic that harvests storm water. A solution by Chennai's R.R. Sivaram implemented in thousands of locations across Tamil Nadu and India harvesting millions of liters of rainwater from surface runoff.  - a win-win for SDG 12 and SDG 6 - responsible consumption and production of plastics and water - ensuring clean water and sanitation in drier non-monsoon periods. 

Sponge City Model

The Sponge City model of flood mitigation and rain and storm water harvesting is mentioned in the last post of May 2026 (28 May 2026), "Ecomodernism in the lead up to Environment Day."

Sponge cities are prime example of nature-based solution. Tested by Chinese Landscape Architect Kongjian Yu (who passed  away in September 2025) in 30 cities in China with plans for over 500 more. It includes harnessing

• porous pavements, 
• green rooftops, 
• rain gardens
•  wetlands 

to manage water, support biodiversity and improve air quality.

Reviving Water bodies and Wetlands

A major reason for both Heat Island Effect and increased instances of floods in urban areas is the encroachment and mismanagement of water bodies and wetlands. Thus whether in Summer or in Monsoon weather-proofing requires healthy wetlands and water bodies. The bonus of healthy water bodies and wetlands is the boost to biodiversity - a boost to Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15). 

Enhancing Watershed Areas

Water security is holistic and involves securing water resources, forests, wetlands, soil and biodiversity from overexploitation. Watershed management is vital to water security. Especially ensuring natural resources in rain-fed and rain-collecting areas that replenish both surface and ground freshwater resources is vital to ensure human security and sustainable development - especially SDG 6 and SDGs 13, 14 & 15. 

A Climate Resilient & Water Secure Future 

While being inundated by news of floods, landslides and infrastructure destroyed by heavy rains, cloudbursts and thunderstorms one is always reminded of the power and fury of nature and the man-made disasters we create by destroying natural protection against such monsoon mayhem. 

Revived and restored floodplains, wetlands that function fully as the sponges to storm water that they are and, forests and grasslands that anchor soil and prevent landslides are vital to survive the monsoon. Most especially in the watershed regions but also in urban areas where man-made flooding has become the norm rather than the exception from Millennium City (Gurugram) to Maximum City (Mumbai) to our Software and Startup Hub (Bengaluru). 

Reviving Shola grasslands in Nilgiris and the Western Ghats, protecting and restoring rainforests and forests in hill and mountain regions as well as checking unsustainable urbanization in sensitive ecosystems by fostering Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) instead would ensure a climate resilient and water secure future for us all.

Big Apple First

The news of a planned Urban Forest in New York is a step in the right direction. In a city with such a high real estate value per square feet the declaration to prioritize greening to make the Big Apple climate resilient is a signal to the rest of the world. If New York and its NYC Urban Forest Plan can afford t make space for 30% tree canopy by 2040 then any other urban center can do it too. 

In the midst of news about the heatwaves in Europe I read about what a privilege it is to be able to see three trees out of your home, school and workplace. A globally recognized pillar of urban planning and healthy living: the 3-30-300 rule put forth by forestry expert Cecil Konijinendjik. The core of which includes

• 3 trees in view 
• 30% Canopy Cover 
• 300 meters to a Park 

This metric is failed by most global urban centers according to a Nature journal research. 

I realize how privileged my life is that my part of the world checks off this 3-30-300 metric.  Perhaps if more places met this criteria there would be less news of monsoon mayhem, wildfires or heatwaves.