In a recent Facebook post, she expressed her concern over IIT-Bombay’s rather sexist condition about performances by female artists at their annual festival, Mood Indigo.

Apparently, according to festival rules, organisers do not allow a woman artiste to perform without a male artist on stage. It is also supposedly a non-negotiable condition. Addressing this unfair and sexist attitude, she wrote a letter to Mood Indigo. 

Excerpts:

Dear Mood Indigo,

“What cultural festival has for decades showcased only men headliners on their stage, be it music, literature, politics, comedy or ANY other domain? Yours – Mood I.”

‘Most’ college campuses in India, esp. the premiere institutes of course follow suit & ‘copy-paste’ this disgusting blueprint of yours. Don’t believe me? Please do check out the archives of the line ups you have showcased year after year & start by scrolling down your own current FB festival page today.The only few humans of my gender who have landed up ‘performing’ in this ‘cultural’ festival are either ‘not paid’ or could only under the umbrella of another man or in a ‘troupe’ of some kind. That you don’t even see the blatant sexism that your institute & festival is propagating is sickening. 

The only few human’s of my gender who have landed up ‘performing’ in this ‘cultural’ festival are either ‘not paid’ or could , only under the umbrella of another man or in a ‘troupe’ of some kind.

“That you don’t even see the blatant sexism that your institute & festival is propagating is sickening.”

For three years in a row I’ve been getting calls from your Mood-I committee members for a concert in your festival but the invite always comes with a caveat. A BIG caveat. A non negotiable caveat. A ‘MAN’ needs to be clubbed in on the marquee to validate my stage, a paid stage in particular. A SOLO FEMALE headliner? Want to be paid a price? Just not possible. The ‘men’ have homes to support, we women just ‘work’ for ‘fun’!

Why even write this letter then? Well, it is gut wrenching & it takes effort & all the love in my heart for my country to do so. That the premiere educational institutes of the country are blindly propagating such values while the government is putting a spotlight on the plight of the ‘Beti’s’ in the country in their public campaigns in 2016 is ironical. You ought to be leading the way in my not so humble opinion not just counting on the government for everything. You have no business being in the business of education using this country’s tax-payers money when you do not pursue its constitutional ideals. That your students are supposedly the top ‘intellect’ of our country & are being groomed to be in the top echelons of our country’s future scares me.

I thank them every moment.

You can read the full post here.