A round of applause for Amruta bhabhi

That Amruta Fadnavis has continued to live life on her own terms so openly is itself a testament to how much of a modern Indian woman she is. Pic/Instagram/@amruta.fadnavis

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) recently made a call to bar Muslims from Garba/Navratri events, which was backed by minister Nitesh Rane. Of course, social media raised its voice, and so did Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. She said, "I feel our festival is inclusive. If a Muslim person comes and enjoys Garba and leaves, I would not find anything wrong with it." She went on to call Garba a "national celebration".

The politicians on both sides have their own take on this opinion, but my takeaway is that Amruta did good. She said the sane and normal thing to say. She was the Indian we hope all Indians are - inclusive and non-divisive. And this got me thinking - why have we always reduced Amruta to her singing and her fashion choices? Why have we never taken her seriously?

While researching Amruta, I found that she was born in Nagpur, did an MBA in finance, and worked in the banking sector for almost two decades. She had also learned classical music since childhood, and so her foray into making pop and devotional music was inevitable. It has been said that Amruta had always intended to work after her marriage, and I think to do that in a political family is pretty commendable.

But somehow, every time she did something that should be seen as a woman exercising her agency, she was critiqued. This includes her dressing - Amruta has been routinely trolled for dressing up too glamorously, and wearing bright and fitting clothes - things people feel politicians' wives should do. As she said in 2023, "I get trolled even when I sing bhajans." In a candid interview to mid-day's Poonam Ahuja, she said, "It's natural for any lady who has a powerful husband to exist as his shadow. She is respected tremendously, but isn't recognised as an individual. The only thing to remember is that I continue to be the individual I always was. Some recognise it; a few don't. And that doesn't bother me. I'm comfortable in my own skin and happy if I can even inspire even a few people to help the ladies in their own homes find their ground."

Well said, Amruta. Maybe it's time we all admitted that we had all reduced her to a caricature - her singing, her clothes, the music videos, the tag of a politician's wife. But then, last week, I realised that she had always been much more - a professional career woman with a mind of her own. That she has continued to live life on her own terms so openly is itself a testament to how much of a modern Indian woman she is. I now am looking at her and thinking - here is a woman who enjoys being a woman, and celebrates herself every day. Be it the dancing, the dressing up, the singing - she is living in her feminine divine, and I am all for it. And despite the trolling and the judgment, she hasn't put the brakes on being unapologetically herself. In fact, she inspires me. I have been wasting a lot of time, mind space and energy thinking about who judges me and my shenanigans on social media. But Amruta has made me feel that authenticity is the biggest flex.

I also feel that she has made us question our feminism, and this is a question I often raise on my social media. Why does our feminism only apply to women who live in a way we consider modern, dress in a way we consider tasteful, and speak in a way we consider intellectual? Isn't the point of feminism that women can choose to live a life that they find comfort and agency in?

From now on, Amruta's fierce individuality is what I will remember. Because it's exactly that individuality, sense of self and a certain courage that resulted in her giving her opinion on the garba controversy so clearly. Rest of us, let's follow her lead and lead our lives as best as we can, regardless of who thinks what. She's on the right track.

See you next time.

Ranting and raving about all that's trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at @aasthaatray on Instagram.
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.