India, March 30 -- A couple of years ago I did a three-month-long internship at Women's Web. It came after a period of not working at all, after leaving my first job after college, which had left me scarred.

People often said that a job is only a means to pay your bills. I went with it, got hurt by a workplace that was unsafe for women, and even more when workplace sexism, politics, and harassment (sexual and psychological) was seen as 'hota hi hai par isi me kaam karna padta hai' (it always happens, just lump it and work with it!)

I wanted to snap, 'nahi hona chahiye' (no, it doesn't have to be so!). When I actually managed to say so, people agreed but also stated that this isn't an ideal world. What added to this trauma was that I was...