NO AGENDA SPACE: A MOVEMENT OF SILENT COMPANIONSHIP GROWING ACROSS INDIA

After Bengaluru-based Meghna Chaudhury opened up her home as a 'third space' for women and non-binary people this January, the idea quickly spread to other cities

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In late March, Rakshitha A., 32, went to a stranger's house to read a book. She settled on a sofa next to a sleepy dog, only getting up to make herself a cup of tea. Soon, she was joined by another unfamiliar woman who positioned herself at the desk in the cosy living room. The women occasionally smiled or nodded at each other but rarely spoke. While this may seem strange to most, it is a glimpse into a silent movement where women are creating safe spaces for each other.

It was in January this year that 36-year-old Meghna Chaudhury, training to be a therapist, decided to open up her home in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, to women and non-binary people, to work, paint, sleep, read, and more importantly, do nothing, if they so wished. Her post about this 'No Agenda Space' blew up on social media, and in just a day, 20-30 women had reached out to Chaudhury asking if they could use the space.

The idea for this initiative sparked from an unexpected afternoon of "non-talking companionship" between three of her friends, who were strangers to each other, and happened to come over on the same day in mid-January. Women existing in each other's company without any expectations, or labour demands, made Chaudhury aware of the lack of such spaces. So, she created one.

"I named it No Agenda Space because it's just that — a third space that isn't their home or workplace and doesn't demand anything, not even a conversation, from anyone who identifies as a woman," she says. "This space is completely anti-performative small talk. But it's often expected of women. I wanted to create a space where they can just exist." Chaudhury's two-bedroom apartment is open to strangers five days a week from noon to 4:30 p.m., after prior registration online. People are free to use her WiFi, grab snacks from the kitchen or even prepare something for themselves.