New Delhi, Jan. 14 -- Quick, tell me which gender has more natural affinity and skill in the following fields? Make-up. Sewing. Cooking. You are likely to tell me that while it is not as if men can't be trained in them, women are naturally better in each of these fields.

But now comes the kicker. In the Indian film industry until a few years ago, women were not allowed to work as makeup artists, as per the bylaws of The Cine Costume, Makeup Artists and Hair Dressers Association. They could only be hair-dressers. Yes, women were not allowed to do make-up once it became a paying profession.

A woman who recently graduated in hotel management told me that the hardest department to break into in a hotel is the kitchen. Deliberately, the atmo...