'It's Not For The Faint-Hearted': Madhubanti Bagchi On Music Career

Oppression Disguised as Concern: Speaker Highlights Systematic Control and Violence Against WomenAn unidentified speaker hosted an interactive discussion focusing on systemic control, oppression, and physical as well as financial violence faced by women in India. The speaker highlighted three main forms of violence: direct physical violence, financial strain caused by safety expenses, and lost educational or job opportunities. According to figures shared in the transcript, nearly 4.5 lakh female fetuses are aborted each year, while 80% of women face harassment and 29% endure physical violence. Attendees, including students from Maharashtra, shared personal accounts of sexual harassment in public spaces, society's tendency to blame victims, and the lack of public intervention during distressing incidents. The discussion emphasized how fear and safety risks continually force women to alter their daily routines, abandon higher education, or leave employment opportunities.Anupriya Patel: 'Political Parties Are Reluctant To A Great Extent To Give Tickets To Women'At the India Today Women's Summit 2026, Union Minister of State and Apna Dal (Soneylal) President Anupriya Patel addressed key socio-political issues, including female labor force participation, student concerns regarding paper leaks, and women's political representation in India. Highlighting that women hold 13.6 percent of Lok Sabha seats compared to the global average of 27.4 percent, Patel discussed structural barriers in politics, such as party reluctance to nominate female candidates without political backgrounds. She addressed male parliamentarians' anxieties regarding constituency seat loss under the Women's Reservation Bill and advocated for expanding total parliamentary seats to accommodate seat reservations and growing electorate sizes. Patel detailed government initiatives aimed at economic empowerment, including Jan Dhan, Lakhpati Didi, and Mudra loans, framing the strategy as a shift toward women-led development. Additionally, she outlined her party's internal 33 percent quota for women candidates, addressed the moral responsibility of governments to resolve student paper leak grievances, and shared insights on her personal political journey.Rahul Gandhi Quotes Manusmriti On Women, Speaks To Female Law & Media Graduates On PatriarchyIn a special report, the speaker highlights lines from the Manusmriti asserting that women are subjected to fathers, husbands, and sons, describing such concepts as shameful and arguing that women must be independent and belong only to themselves. The interaction features Advocate Rama Prasad Zhavre, a law graduate, who shares her experience of facing workplace stereotypes, bias in case allocation favoring men, and suggestions that spending on higher legal education is wasteful due to family obligations. Another participant, Gyaneshwari, a Jamia Millia Islamia media graduate from Pune, discusses family pressure regarding property relinquishment after her father's death, along with societal expectations favoring homemakers over women pursuing demanding careers in journalism. The conversation addresses systemic male dominance, patriarchal control across institutions, and the ongoing struggle of educated women seeking equal rights, independence, and dignity in India.Rahul Gandhi Says Women Are India's Biggest Asset, Calls Manusmriti Quote 'A Shame'In a special address, Rahul Gandhi highlights the 70 crore women of India as the nation's greatest asset and biggest strength, praising their sensitive, gentle, compassionate, and forward-looking nature. He criticizes society for confining women's identities strictly to being a daughter, wife, or mother in relation to men, arguing that women excel across various professional fields and sports. Directing attention to historical text, Rahul Gandhi quotes the Manusmriti's assertion that a woman must never be independent and belongs to her father, husband, or sons. Calling these words a 'shame,' he emphasizes that women belong solely to themselves, rejecting the notion of ownership by male relatives while calling for true female independence.