India is a country of people belonging to varied socioeconomic backgrounds. Patriarchy is very much evident in the day to day lives of the different people we speak to in the course of our work. As an ethnographer I am always interested in and amazed by the creativity of these rural women, their never give up attitude to maintain their identity, the bond they form with their community to continue growing and as a mother of two urban girls am fascinated by the diversity in situations yet similarity of the workarounds in place for both these completely different worlds. I am always struck by the difference in the approaches to life situations but also the commonality of finding a workaround to achieve what they want and slowly expand their boundaries. I can’t help but wonder what the future is going to bring to all of these life journeys. In my PechaKucha I am sharing how these women navigate and negotiate the various frictions that arise either from the patriarchy within their homes or from society. How do they get around gatekeepers and what can be done to make their lives more frictionless?
Vidya Ganesh is an experienced ethnographer passionate about understanding human experience and bridging the gap between research and strategy. I have two wonderful daughters who constantly inspire me.