Second young feminist meet-up, JNU, New Delhi

11 souls met in JNU, for the second young feminist meeting. The crowd was a mix of old and new faces, a few of us were also there for the first meet in October.

The conversation began with people sharing what feminism meant to them and their experiences of feminist spaces within the city. We spoke about the difficulty in bringing people together to act; to come out in the open and meet one another, as one of us put it, “the city beats you down”. We all know that there are many young feminists within the city, and also people who may not identify with the term, yet think, write and discuss women’s issues with a lot of passion. However much we want to, we rarely get to meet face-to-face. It is in situations like this that a meeting such as this becomes extremely valuable.As we sat in a circle on the dusty grass, we talked about feminism and how it affects us and our relationships; in our workplaces, with friends, and with our partners. Feminism gives us a different view of the world, and becomes a part of our lives. One person spoke of feminism throwing the inequalities and occasional disingenuous workplaces into stark relief. Another talked about his relationship with his partner, and how his being a feminist has caused him to question the demands that he can make on his partner and on his relationship. At what point do our desires and demands become excessive? When do they start to impinge upon the freedom of others?