eShe

eShe founder and editor Aekta Kapoor interviews Sandhya Nathan and Shailaja Rao, the two founders of South Asia Lens (SAL) — a Seattle-based collective of film industry professionals across South Asia and the diaspora. The conversation marks the one-year anniversary of SAL and covers the collective's origins, mission, key initiatives, challenges faced by independent South Asian filmmakers, and the broader landscape of South Asian independent cinema.SAL is hosting its first online fireside chat titled ‘Parenting AI: From Reportage to Feature’ on Sunday, 11 October 2026, featuring the team behind the film ‘Humans in the Loop’: director Aranya Sahay, executive producer Biju Toppo, and actor Sonal Madhushankar.Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women and read more on eShe.in

As the former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal’s sexual assault case returns to the spotlight, India-based author Shuma Raha’s new novel, The Sea Has the Answers, asks a different question: what happens to the wife, children and family of a man accused of being a sexual predator? At eShe’s fourth book club discussion, Raha explored #MeToo, patriarchy, marriage, financial independence and a wife’s journey to reinvent herself. Listen to the discussion here, and read the report on eShe.in. Know more about eShe Book Club here: eshe.in/book-clubSubscribe to the fortnightly newsletter: subscribe.eshe.in/1

The third meeting of eShe Book Club, featuring Christina Dhanuja’s debut work Dalit Women and the Fullness of Life (Penguin India, 2026), was held online on 23 May. The book examines the intersection of caste, gender, trauma, joy, and systemic oppression as experienced by Dalit women.The discussion brought together participants from India, Nepal, the United States, Canada and Kuwait, reflecting the global resonance of the book's themes. Kamna Singh, a PhD scholar at the University of Delhi whose research focuses on the aesthetics of Dalit women's life writings, led the interview with Dhanuja.The central argument of the book – that Dalit women deserve not merely survival or basic rights, but access to the entire spectrum of human experience, desire, joy and possibility – was raised by the participants. The book and discussion also explored how Brahmanical patriarchy and capitalist systems work in tandem to concentrate power in the hands of a few, and perpetuate the oppression of Dalit women.Read the full report on eShe.

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Dr. Jamini Sen was a groundbreaking physician who achieved international recognition but was deliberately forgotten in her home country of India. She was the first woman ever to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She served as royal physician to the Nepalese royal family for ten years and developed a close friendship with King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah. She chose to remain unmarried and adopted a child, making her a single working mother over a century ago. Motivated by anger at this historical erasure, her grand-niece Deepta Roy Chakraverti rescued her story from obscurity by writing her biography, titled Daktarin Jamini Sen (2026). eShe's Book Club discussion in March, hosted by executive director Shailaja Rao, featured Chakraverti's book and explored its themes of courage, resilience, professional jealousy, and the price women pay for success. Read the report on www.eshe.in. Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women.

Female desire doesn't diminish with age but is often suppressed by societal expectations. Making unconventional choices publicly can be an act of defiance against patriarchal norms. These were some of the topics that came up during eShe’s inaugural Book Club discussion featuring award-winning author Sonora Jha’s new novel Intemperance.The discussion, moderated by Aekta Kapoor, founder and chief editor of eShe, brought together readers from across time zones to explore themes of female desire, ageing, self-love, disability, and challenging societal norms. The discussion brought up how Brahminical patriarchy intersects with disability, caste and gender, and the value of messiness and complexity in women's narratives.Important questions were raised: what happens when women refuse to age into invisibility? Is there any prerequisite to enjoying desire or sensual pleasure? What if women were the main characters in their own stories and refused to follow someone else’s script?Watch the full discussion or head over to eshe.in for the report.

Germany-based Iranian filmmaker Schokofeh Kamiz talks about her documentary 'After Sabeen' about the prominent Pakistani peace activist and social entrepreneur Sabeen Mahmud who was shot dead in Karachi in April 2015. The film features Sabeen Mahmud’s inspiring mother Mahenaz, who was wounded in the attack that killed Sabeen. This moving and artistic film also draws on the memories and grief of Sabeen’s friends, and their ongoing efforts to continue her work and legacy.In these edited excerpts from a SAPAN Film Club discussion about the documentary‬, Schokofeh Kamiz speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about democracy, journalism, and the challenges of making the documentary while she was pregnant. Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women and visit the website www.eshe.in

Bhaktiveda Dhaul Taragi is the founder of Praanah, a Bengaluru-based organisation that harnesses expressive arts therapy to nurture emotional wellbeing across ages. The organisation designs tailored expressive arts sessions for diverse groups – from helping cancer patients process their diagnosis to facilitating creative interventions for corporate teams managing stress. It also offers a professional certification in Expressive Arts Therapy for psychologists, therapists and educators seeking to enrich their practice beyond conventional counselling frameworks.In this episode, Taragi talks to host Aekta Kapoor about her journey from exploring the mind-body connection through sport and dance to becoming one of India’s pioneering expressive arts therapists. She shares how she integrates neuroscience, art and spirituality to create a holistic approach to mental health – one that values movement, play and presence as much as conversation. She also emphasises the importance of daily creative rituals as preventive mental health practice, and offers insights on how parents can nurture their children’s innate creativity by listening deeply to their artistic expressions.Follow us for more conversations with interesting women, and visit eShe.in for more.

In the latest episode of eShe TV, we feature transformation coach and entrepreneur Prerona Roy, whose own life serves as the greatest testament to the power of overcoming self-limiting beliefs.Roy sustained 82 percent burns in a tragic kitchen fire accident in her early 20s. Yet – despite the pain, disability and devastation that followed – she rose like a phoenix and completely changed the trajectory of her life through determination and will. From being a small-town girl in Bengal, she grew into a super achiever in a US-based multinational, and then gave up the corporate life to launch herself independently as a life coach and business coach. Today she runs three enterprises. eShe chief editor Aekta Kapoor asked her about how to change our self-limiting beliefs that hold us back from achieving your goals and realising our potential. These deeply ingrained thought patterns, often born from past experiences or fear, can create invisible boundaries and prevent growth. Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women, or visit eshe.in

UK-born Bela Evers-Kapoor, an ocean rowing athlete, made history this year by becoming the first woman of Indian descent ever to successfully row across the Pacific Ocean. Evers-Kapoor was a key member of the Dutch Ocean Rowing Team 'GROHE Team Ocean', which embarked on a 39-day, 2,133 nautical mile journey from Monterey Bay, California, to Kauai, Hawaii, departing 30 May and arriving 8 July, 2025.Evers-Kapoor was the only woman on a crew of three on the trip, during which the team faced brutal conditions, including towering 30-foot waves and sustained winds of up to 40 knots, testing both their physical limits and mental fortitude.Evers-Kapoor is an accomplished endurance athlete of Indian descent, born in UK and now based in The Netherlands. Previously, in 2020, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a team of four women, making her now the only Indian woman to have rowed both oceans. She’s also a mother of three, and grandmother of one.This year’s remarkable journey was a mission to raise global awareness for the preservation of our most precious natural resource — drinking water. Their crossing spotlighted the urgent global need for water conservation and behavioral change to reduce waste and overconsumption. Bela spoke to eShe TV’s Palak Malik on her return. Here is the complete interview. Read more on www.eshe.in and follow us for more conversations with inspiring women.

UK-born Indian Bela Evers-Kapoor, an ocean rowing athlete, made history this year by becoming the first woman of Indian descent ever to successfully row across the Pacific Ocean. Evers-Kapoor was a key member of the Dutch Ocean Rowing Team 'GROHE Team Ocean', which embarked on a 39-day, 2,133 nautical mile journey from Monterey Bay, California, to Kauai, Hawaii, departing 30 May and arriving 8 July, 2025. Evers-Kapoor was the only woman on a crew of three on the trip, during which the team faced brutal conditions, including towering 30-foot waves and sustained winds of up to 40 knots, testing both their physical limits and mental fortitude. Evers-Kapoor is an accomplished endurance athlete of Indian descent, born in UK and now based in The Netherlands. Previously, in 2020, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a team of four women, making her now the only Indian woman to have rowed both oceans. She’s also a mother of three, and grandmother of one.

She spoke to eShe TV’s Palak Malik on her return. Here is the complete interview. Read more on www.eshe.in and follow us for more conversations with inspiring women.