Shasvathi Siva’s video and support group on Instagram help erase the stigma around divorce
The Hindu
Shasvathi says the silence on divorce and divorcees must stop to help women walk out of abusive marriages
When danseuse Methil Devika filed for divorce, it created ripples in the media in Kerala. She had to tackle a storm of questions about what should have been a private matter between her and her husband, actor-turned-politician Mukesh, MLA of Kollam. The same voyeuristic interest was evident when Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce. While celebrity break-ups are snapped up as breaking news even in the age of COVID-19 and other pressing matters, divorce is still spoken about in hushed voices in most of India. Until recently, most films portrayed women divorcees as vamps, home-breakers, and children of a lesser god. For many women, divorce is a traumatic period when she is judged for walking out of a marriage, no matter how toxic it might be. Copywriter Shasvathi Siva experienced it when she was dealing with her divorce in 2019.A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Election Officer for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency M. P. Mullai Muhilan said here on Friday that over 600 staff will be involved in the counting of votes cast in the April 26 elections, at the counting centre at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka, Surathkal, on June 4.