The rapid changes transforming Indian society in recent decades have put tremendous strain on the family as a social institution. The attempt to address these challenges also provides an opportunity to introspect on the kind of values on which the family as an institution should be based. In this context, the Baha'i Office of Public Affairs in India has initiated a dialogue on envisioning the family as a space that promotes the equality of women and men. This dialogue is based on a concept note on this subject developed by the Office. This website serves as a platform where individuals and organizations collaborating with the Office share their insights on the themes explored in this discourse.
Over the past two decades, my journey working with children and families across India has taught me something simple but profound: the foundations of our social world are laid very early in life. Through the nonprofit founded by my parents...
The birth of a child has a quiet way of revealing things we otherwise take for granted. In my case, it revealed how deeply our ideas about caregiving are shaped, not only by love and concern, but also by long-standing...
It is difficult to speak today about care without confronting the brutal contradictions of our time. We live in an era saturated with news of violence, exclusion, and cruelty—often justified in the name of culture, religion, or economic growth, and...
I am often struck by the extraordinary demographic moment we are living through in India. We may be the only country where we are substantially young and substantially old at the same time. Sixty-five percent of our population is below...
Engaging with the idea of masculinities and the role of men in caregiving has become increasingly important in recent years. Across many circles there is a growing acknowledgment that men and boys need to be part of the conversation on...
When we talk about reimagining the family, one of the most urgent tasks before us is to rethink masculinity — not as an attack on men, but as an invitation to reflect on how both men and women are shaped...
When we think about raising boys, we often think about strength, ambition, and success. But what if raising boys was really about something else — about helping them grow into human beings who care, who listen, and who build communities rather than just careers?
When we speak of gender equality, it is easy to focus on policies, movements, or institutions. But I want to begin at the very place where life itself begins—the family. Unless we look at the family, where everything starts, we...
We have always looked at women within the family. While the feminist movement is right to describe the family where women face a lot of exploitation, we also cannot disconnect ourselves from it. If change must come, it has to come from within families.
Equality between the sexes is not something we construct to make society fairer. It is a reality seeded in the human soul since the human soul is one irrespective of gender. By soul here I mean our most essential nature which consists of our core attributes and qualities as human beings.
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