jayamanchiraju

  • Looking at Feminism Through an Indian Lens

    When feminism loses its core identity and principles, it can become detached from the very idea it was created to advance. At its heart, feminism is a pursuit of equality, dignity, agency and fairness. But these universal principles do not exist in isolation from the society in which they are…

  • The Infrastructure for Innovation in Organizations

    Every innovation begins with uncertainty. Certainty seeks answers, protects what is known; innovation begins with questions and explores the unknown. Organizations that want innovation must create the conditions for that exploration—giving people the time, trust and safety to challenge what is known and discover the unknown. A few months ago,…

  • The Threads That Binds Us

    A story about discovering who we are, where we come from, and all the threads that bind us to those who came before us.

  • Telugu Cinema – The Real Keeper of Indian History and Heritage

    Telugu Cinema — Where I First Met History, Discovered Heritage, Studied Literature and Began to Understand Life. I have always loved Indian history—not merely the version I encountered in school textbooks in the 2000s, where the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals seemed to occupy disproportionate space, often detached from the…

  • The Womb We Need, The Women We Forgot

    Why do population policies keep talking about children while forgetting the women who have to bring them into the world? Recently, India’s declining fertility rate has been receiving increasing attention. With fertility falling below the replacement level in many parts of the country, governments are beginning to think about how…

  • A Mother’s Dilemma

    Where does a mother’s responsibility end—and her child’s journey begin? I am a mother. And sometimes, that terrifies me. Day and night, I wonder: Am I raising a happy child? Am I doing everything right? Or am I unknowingly doing something wrong? Sometimes the thought is even more frightening: What…

  • Sadhana at Work

    Who Are We Becoming Through Our Work? Who are we at work? Are we designation? Salary? Achievements? Reputation?  Or are something beyond all these identities? What makes us happy at work? Is it money? Recognition? Learning? The people we work with? Or a combination of all of these? Do we…

  • Who Gets to Sit in the Living Room?

    The Women Who Raised Me—and the Roles They Inherited Often, in my household growing up—and even today—I notice something during festivals, family gatherings, and visits from relatives. The hosting almost always falls on the women. Women are in the kitchen preparing food, arranging the table, serving everyone, making sure guests…

  • Feminism at Work: Beyond Representation, Towards Real Empowerment

    The word feminism often invokes mixed reactions. For some, it represents women’s empowerment and equality. For others, it is associated with preferential treatment or an attempt to create an imbalance in the name of equality. Perhaps the problem begins with what we think feminism means. At its core, feminism is…

  • The Curious Case of Organizational Transformation: Designing Product Teams

    Imagine you started building a beautiful two-storey house for yourself. You laid a strong foundation, erected the pillars, constructed the rooms, plastered the walls, painted everything, furnished the house, and even designed a beautiful garden in front of it. You finally invite your spouse over for the grand reveal. They…