We publish longform narratives, art, poetry and fiction. #NowPlaying Agency or Age? In-depth stories on agency, age, choice and consent.
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ALT "On a December morning in 1998, when I came home for the holidays from boarding school, my mother told me there would be a small ceremony." An illustration of two women wearing purple clothes and long braids sitting against each other.
ALT It's a wrap! With 11 authors and 9 stories, we explored the long-standing question: Agency or Age? now live on Deep Dives
ALT Ask: Who brought 'Age of Consent' into courts of law for the very first time? What is it like navigating life in UP as a 22 year old queer woman? Is 'Age' a really a biologically determinable fact of everyday life?
ALT Discover: Challenges faced by young interfaith couples, Two sides of a sports story, Dream diaries of Teenage Girls
ALT Remember: Tamil songs for the best love advice, The story of a young wife back from the dead, ceremonies, rage and redemption
ALT Illustration of two girls sitting and talking to each other with the title "Life Begins On Thursday by Meenakshi Shedde and Debasmita Dasgupta"
ALT “See?” Dan said, turning to me. “I told you no one cared.” “That’s not true.” I replied, “I did.”
ALT I met my husband, Dan, and we decided to plan our wedding without help from our families. I was terrified that on my wedding day, I’d become small and invisible again.
ALT Indian cultures aren't the only ones with ceremonious coming-of-age traditions...
ALT Sunrise Ceremony (location pin) Arizona To mark their first menstruation, girls prevent touching their skin or washing themselves and follow certain other rules to "obtain femine power".
ALT Bullet Ant Initiation (location pin) Brazilian Amazon To initiate 13 year old boys into manhood, they are made to wear gloves filled with angry ants and endure the sharp biting for 10 minutes.
ALT The Land Divers (location pin) Vanuatu Islands As early as ages 7-8, boys jump off of a tall tower with a non-elastic vine tied to their ankles. The taller the tower, the manlier they are considered.
ALT "All I knew was that the ceremony meant to celebrate that I’d become a woman...But I was twelve years old and angry and ashamed. I didn’t feel like celebrating anything"
ALT “Some critics accuse male lyricists for overtly sexualising the romantic songs. But I only felt glad that they did. These songs helped articulate desires. Female lyricists offered a new perspective in understanding not only female desire but also male vulnerability" A still from the Tamil movie Alaipayuthey: a woman and a man are embracing each other and looking blissfully in opposite directions. The man is caressing the woman's saree.
ALT “Our conversations became increasingly flirtatious. I wasn’t sure if I was overdoing it. So one day, I clarified to her that I only intended to be friends and not to flirt. She agreed that she also felt the same way. And after that quick agreement, we continued to flirt outrageously.” The poster of the Tamil film, Telephone Manipol (1996) of a man holding a white landline up to his ear and smiling, there's a woman behind him holding her face and smiling into the distance.
ALT "It might strike you as very roundabout - writing emails to someone who was literally in your own class and who took the same college bus. But shy people have their struggles, so kindly let them do what they can." A still from the Tamil movie "3" - Dhanush is looking up with a shy smile on his face, with Shruti Haasan sitting behind him, looking down and blushing. He's wearing a blue and white checked shirt, she is wearing her hair in braids and is dressed in a maroon clothes that resemble a school uniform.
