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.
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799436384008163329
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799436384008163329
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799443192135323648
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799446466980757504
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799448200021057536
https://twitter.com/upulie/status/799973876025303041