The Importance Of Breaking Masculine Stereotype

Men don’t always have to be ‘men’, you know.

- Palash Krishna Mehrotra

There are times when my friends get alarmed at my lack of interest in masculine pursuits. Once in a while there’s a moment when one has to pass a little test. Like the other evening, a friend got very concerned that I took such little pleasure in the Royal Enfield. He wanted to see if I could at least pull the heavy bike back on its stand, which I did effortlessly, surprising both of us. We heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Growing up I had a doll called Mishka, whom I put to bed every night singing a lullaby. My mother had even made me a little pillow for her. When her clothes got grubby my mother made a new pair. At some point, I lost interest in the doll and got fascinated by a red plastic gun that my uncle bought me. As I grew older I lost interest in that and got obsessed with carpentry and electricity. I’d plane and saw blocks of wood, dissemble plugs and switch boards and even put together a homemade torch following instructions in Tinkle magazine.

I was lucky in that my parents didn’t force any gender-specific toys or roles on me. As one grows one picks up things at random and discards them quickly. It’s harmless play.