Only you could write about Shivaji's phallic form in such an amiable manner. Very humorous - enjoyed every bit of it.

Maybe it is because I consider myself to be agnostic, but I could never fully grasp people's devoutness towards the phallic figure either. I didn't want to sound judgy, so I never questioned and/or inquired about the practice, but I bet I would've gotten a made up answer from some dogged fanatic if I did. Thanks to you, I skimmed through some articles today and learned that the Shiv Ling, depicted in consummate union with the vulva of Shakti, is representative of the most wonderful and miraculous feature of life itself. (Who are we f**king kidding?)

But then, that is third wave feminism right? Third-wave feminism takes a global perspective--not by merely attempting to colonize developing nations with Western practices, but by empowering women to actualize change, to gain power and equality, within their own cultures and their own communities and with their own voices. (not my words, would cite it if I had the source handy) However, women fasting for an entire day for their husband’s long life (Teej is partially about Shivaji too, right?) while husbands and fathers can’t even guarantee their parental property rights is baffling to me, to say the least.

A couple days ago, I read in the news that few locals beat up a lady and fed her feces accusing her of being a boksi. I forget who it was, but someone’s twitter read “Dhunga lai dudh khwaera manche lai disha khwaune desh mero”.

I apologize, I did not mean to hijack your creative piece with my rant – things like this get me going. Great piece!