About Shreya Arukil, CEO,
Co-Founder, Senior Writer/Editor
Hi, I am Shreya Arukil.
I am fifteen years old. I’m not perfect, and I have done my fair share of spontaneous things (which include cutting my eyebrows for no absolute reason). I do not have a 100% success rate; I have failed more times than I can count on my hands.
And yet, I am unapologetically myself. This is me. However flawed or perfect you think I am, this is it. And I am okay with it.
But there was a point when I wasn’t…..
I’ll be honest with you..
…patriarchy never touched me in a way that was horrendous or traumatic (for those of you to whom it did: just know that I respect your courage to overcome it). But, it taught me to talk a certain way, to act a certain way, and not just to be myself, to be.
I have memories of men glaring at me for proving them wrong in a discussion. I have memories of women telling me to eat neater, to talk nicer when they never did so with my male equivalents (or maybe they just didn’t consider us equal?).
And there are some things that I don’t have memories of: some of the patriarchy I learned by watching.
I believe that it is the reality that most people are patriarchal by default; that we have to make a conscious effort to become feminists. I wasn’t an exception to the rule.
I remember when I was in fifth grade, I said something about how I thought that a particular girl was too loud and annoying. As a couple of weeks passed, I realized that there were many boys whom I knew who were extremely loud, and I never found them annoying.
I never said it out loud, but even then, I realized that I succumbed to the patriarchy. It wasn’t because I genuinely believed in it, it was just that I never questioned it.
I took my first conscious step towards becoming a feminist that day.
During the process of
becoming a feminist, I
learned that power is
held by many things
other than patriarchy.
I believe that great power lies in perspective…
Many things that you do stem from the way you view the world, and what you believe is right. A lot of times, aspects that even we think are flawed clutter the lens that gives us the pathway to our opinions. When we realize this, it is easier for us to take the initiative to become better human beings.
I believe that greater power lies in expression...
When you express your thoughts and feelings, not only do you inspire other people; you also learn more about your perspective, about yourself.
The greatest power lies in the feeling of being empowered…
There isn’t any explanation for this one.
Too often, we find that people misuse these powers.
Too often, we find that some people are deprived of these powers.
Most often, we find that people don’t know the value
of these powers.
In this community, I’ll be eager to share my stories and perspective, and I would love to hear your perspective too. I will ALWAYS be eager to hear new perspectives and opinions, even if they contradict mine.