Tech Barbies

I have always wanted to become a lot of things. I wanted to become a Bharatnatyam dancer when I was 6 years old. And I was famous for my dance at that time! I used to perform solos and performances with college students, always getting a 'Once more!'. (And I m not boasting :P, just wanted to narrate the story of my changing goals) After that, I became interested in Western and Bollywood dance. So I left Bharatnatyam after 3 years of practice.  Then I wanted to become a doctor till seventh grade. I also had my own first aid kit which I treated as my doctor's bag. I had painted it white and my name in red, "Dr Vedika Kulkarni".  My mother was always very particular about my studies and grades.   It all started with the seventh standard scholarship of Maharashtra Gov. I had secured it in the fourth standard. Still, the seventh-grade scholarship caused the domino effect, taking me to IIT.  After seventh, my mom forcefully made me appear for MP...

This poem expresses what my mind was going through during IIT preparation. I started to enjoy the concepts when I began to understand them. But before that, I was very shaky and I wanted to give up. I wasn't getting any results though I was working hard. I could see my friends and classmates scoring very well. I was struggling. I had chosen to prepare for IIT, the thunder. This is a poem that speaks about the times when you feel like nothing is working. You want to give up so badly. But you got to hold on, cause in the end, you are going to be happy and proud about yourself. All efforts are worth the goal you have decided for yourself. Just keep walking and you'll reach the end where the sun is shining, and there is no regret.                                                                 THE THUNDER I chose the thunder, I ...

I am sure many of you, my girlfriends, have grown up with Barbie dolls. Just like me! I was very fond of Barbies. I also had a massive collection of kitchen sets, makeup kits and stuffed animals. On the other hand, my brothers were busy building towers out of blocks, messing with robot building kits, solving jigsaw puzzles or racing cars on HotWheels tracks. I enjoyed RomCom, thrillers and drama much more than sci-fi movies, and I still do. While I love my childhood and teenage, I feel that the cultivation of a few different, additional habits to it would have caused wonders. This post is, as the title says, about increasing the percentage of women in tech. Stick around as I discuss how we need to bring about a few changes in the upbringing of girls. It is an attempt towards awakening girls, their parents and schools to start changing the way girls have been brought up traditionally.                        ...