HerStory: a place for women and their stories – the good, the bad and the ugly

Many of you have questions about HerStory, what it stands for and whether we have a stand on what’s happening with women – socially, at the workplace, or in the world at large. To you, we ask, “Do you not know her story – because that, in essence, is what HerStory is all about.”

Simply put, HerStory is a place for women and their stories – the good, the bad and the ugly, with all our imperfections, insecurities, eccentricities, and scars.

For, what is a woman without her scars? It’s testimony to her fortitude, her courage and her never-say-die attitude. Yes, we are also eccentric – because that’s also a layer that defines us. The craziness to go where no man (or woman) has ever gone before. The method in the madness that helps us go the extra mile… We are the mad hatters – dancing in the rain, drinking the morning dew of our imperfections as we do a headstand with life itself. 

Perhaps, we have not highlighted this crazy, funny, eccentric, courageous, feisty sides of us enough.

No (her) story too big or too small 

But change, my darlings, is the only constant, as you will agree. It’s time to tell more stories, not just skim the surface but take a deep dive and plunge into many depths to understand them better, for no story is too small or too big to have our undivided attention.

Whether you are flying high at 30,000 feet or are a flower seller rising at the crack of dawn on terra ferma - yours is the story we will celebrate. Just as we will celebrate other stories of your sisters, as they march forward, with stars in their eyes and dreams in their hearts to make a difference in whatever they seek out to do.

So this year is going to be about celebrating, promoting, and rejoicing the extraordinary stories of unheard voices that need a platform to speak up and be heard. And doing so unapologetically. These can be voices from everywhere – from the boardroom to the streets – of struggles and challenges that will be heard without any kind of judgement.  

Women are going places, and we want to join your journey, not just by guiding you to your destination but by being part of your journey – during the peaks and troughs, the ups and downs as you chart your own course in the field you have chosen. So expect a slew of engagements, both online and offline, to come your way from the HerStory team this year.

Women today find solidarity in groups and cliques owing to the lack of adequate support outside the sisterhood. This will change; but until then, let’s listen to each other without judgement, and celebrate our successes and failures with equal fervour.

We look forward to a time – and we're optimistic that that time will come soon – when we won’t need a HerStory to be specific to women. At such a time, it will be Our Story – in a world where we are treated as equals and not defined by any gender.

Until that day, march on! The world is still yours!

Happy New Year!

With love,

Shradha Sharma & HerStory editors (Rekha Balakrishnan and Tanvi Dubey)