By Nidhi Kinhal

Molecular biologist Upulie Divisekara, like many women in science has been told it’s a “boy thing”, as if it’s an eternal truth known since the ancient times. She’s not having any of that nonsense.

Instead, on Twitter, she took Mughal art, and slapped some cheeky, subversive captions and made ‘Mughal Science Reactions’. Most of them depict women, and the narratives are of women in science and academia killin’ it in a way that reminds us of other bold artistic initiatives, like Inedible India.

Be it women chilling, cornering a dude who had one or no women speakers at his conference, shouting “say it to my face, buster-” to those who say women aren’t made for physics, or women Deans standing up against creepiness and patronising behaviour of male subordinates, Upulie challenges power quotients in her little utopia, that are in turn strangely empowering to all of us. Funny what traditional art can be deployed for; hopefully, fresh and quirky narratives that affirm women’s place in science lead to reflection, and a more women-friendly scientific community. Look at the entire series, here.

“We told you you had to have more than one woman speaker at the conference, it’s in the guidelines” pic.twitter.com/YTSFmGsMEL

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 18, 2016

“We told you you had to have more than one woman speaker at the conference, it’s in the guidelines” pic.twitter.com/YTSFmGsMEL

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 18, 2016

“If I don’t get back in time the LHC might create a black hole that swallows the Earth!”
“I told you to go over your derivations-”
“NOT NOW” pic.twitter.com/DioQjqoAsT

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 18, 2016

“there is no ether”
“prove it, punk, you’re no Isaac Newton”
“Look just let me go and I will do the experiment”
“the hell I will” pic.twitter.com/5VSkRki7Rf

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 18, 2016

“but where are the pipettes”
“I swear I put put them down here”
“we can’t do any experiments now”
“Jeez, Kamala, there’s a separate drawer” pic.twitter.com/4MOuj4I8yk

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 18, 2016

“But, as different parts of the universe have the same temperature & properties, cosmic inflation is a good solution”
“Hmm, you’re right” pic.twitter.com/XWm5OerqY0

— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) November 19, 2016