In 2025, Feminism in India (FII) has further strengthened its role as India’s leading feminist media platform, deepening its editorial rigor, expanding its thematic scope and amplifying marginalized voices across languages, formats and movements.
Editorial meaning: English
The English editorial team published more than 740 articles throughout the year, addressing some of the most pressing feminist concerns of our time. As part of our monthly editorial focus Mood of the Month (MoTM), the team curated sustained conversations on topics such as gender, AI and digital violence; gender, caste and mental health; and reproductive justice and rights, among others. This framework allowed us to go beyond episodic reporting and offer deeper, more intersectional storytelling.
In March 2025, FII launched its Feminist glossary in English– a practical, colloquial guide that simplifies complex feminist concepts into understandable definitions supported by real-world examples. The glossary covers feminist theory, SRHR, queer politics and feminist history and has received recognition beyond our platform. It was featured in the Hindustan Times Newsletter Mind the Gapcurated by journalist Namita Bhandare – marks a critical moment in the mainstream validation of feminist knowledge transfer.
FII was also introduced in the same month HerKey’s list of the top 20 companies in diversity (SMEs/Startups) in recognition of our organizational commitment to equity and inclusion.
The English team also expanded its long-form editorial offering. This included a six-part column by former intern Juhi Sanduja, “Scripts of Mothers: Reclaiming Matriarchal Knowledge” which explored matriarchal rituals, symbols and stories from prehistory to pre-colonial archives. For Pride Month (June 15-July 15), FII, in collaboration with Q’Able, co-published a series of articles on the intersection of gender, sexuality and disability to spotlight voices that are often left out of mainstream Pride narratives.
Editorial Influence: Hindi
The Hindi editorial team published 516 articles in 2025, remaining one of the most productive and impactful Hindi-language feminist newsrooms in the country. Coverage included several MoTM topics – including Gender, AI and Digital Violence and 16 Days of Activism – as well as stories produced as part of the Laadli Media Fellowship and other editorial initiatives.
In March 2025, the Hindi team also released the Feminist Glossary in Hinditranslates complex feminist frameworks into understandable language for a much wider readership and strengthens FII’s commitment to feminist scholarship in Indian languages.
The year also saw significant professional recognition for the Hindi editorial team:
- Malabika Dhar, Associate Editor (Hindi), has been selected for CREA’s Feminist Leadership, Movement Building and Rights Institute (FLMBaRI – Hindi) and for a gender transformational leadership program by ICRW and Women in Global Health India.
- Savita, Assistant Editor (Hindi), has been selected for the Himal Nature Storytelling Fellowship by Voices of Rural India.
- Priti Kharwar, Staff Writer (Hindi), won the Laadli Media Award 2025 for her story “Presence, real-life issues and challenges of the LGBTQ+ community in the world of entertainment.” She was also selected for the Laadli Media Fellowship 2025.
- Rakhi, Staff Writer (Hindi), has been selected for the CREA program “Sexuality, Gender and Rights – A Study”.
Scholarships, awards and professional recognition
Across all languages and roles, FII’s editorial strength was reflected in the selection of several team members for national fellowships and recognitions. Ananya Ray (English Associate Editor), Malabika Dhar (Hindi Associate Editor), Akshita Prasad (English Digital Editor and Staff Writer) and Priti Kharwar (Staff Writer) have all been selected for the Laadli Media Fellowship 2025.
Additionally, Priti Kharwar and Akshita Prasad received jury awards in the Web Feature category (Hindi and English respectively) at the Laadli Awards – underscoring FII’s credibility across all linguistic and editorial formats.
Leadership, public engagement and influence on the movement
In 2025, FII founder Japleen Pasricha continued to play a critical role in shaping national conversations on gender, media ethics, digital security and reproductive rights – bringing together research, practice and movement building in forums, institutions and grassroots spaces.
During the year, Japleen was invited to speak on technology-enabled gender-based violence (TFGBV) at several national platforms, including panels organized by UNDP, The Dialogue, Center for Social Research (Trust and Safety India Conference, co-organized with Girl Effect India) and NGO Sakshi, where she presented findings from her long-standing research as well as FII’s #DigitalHifazat campaign. She also spoke in panels on masculinities, domestic violence and the digital gender divide, including sessions organized by Veera Foundation, NGO Sakshi and CDPP and DEF in Hyderabad.
Japleen’s work at the intersection of reproductive justice and media ethics has been recognized through multiple invitations as a speaker and moderator. She has participated in panels and consultations on safe access to abortion, including meetings of Pratigya and the Mash Foundation, CommonHealth (Goa), and the Coalition for Advancing Abortion Rights and Justice. She also conducted targeted trainings and sessions for the YP Foundation, the Feminist Leadership Hub (co-organized by One Future Collective and Fair Share of Women Leaders), and youth leaders focused on ethical and sensitive abortion reporting.
Capacity building and narrative leadership remained at the core of their work. Japleen has facilitated storytelling, communications and feminist media workshops for organizations such as Pravah, Voices of Rural India and Breakthrough India, working closely with youth leaders, fellows and practitioners to strengthen feminist narrative building from the ground up.
Japleen Pasricha was honored with the Change Maker 2025 Award by Hyderabad-based NGO Democratic Sangha for her unwavering commitment to feminist journalism, building platforms that serve as essential spaces for marginalized voices, and fostering public conversations on gender equality and gender justice.
She also represented FII at key industry meetings, including the Media Viability Conference #IFRC2025 (Funding Beyond Programs) organized by Ideosync Media, where she led a masterclass on grant proposal writing and discussions on safer dating practices using ACTS and Tinder.
The year also marked important organizational milestones. FII celebrated its 11th anniversary in August 2025, underscoring its continued relevance and impact as a feminist media platform.
Campaigns, collaborations and partnerships
In 2025, FII continued to prioritize collaboration as a feminist practice. We have worked with organizations and institutions including Q’Able, ATE Chandra Foundation, Commutiny and Tinder India to co-create research, content and campaigns that address stigma and systemic exclusion.
A key collaboration this year was “Notice the Unseen,” a survey on safe online dating conducted with Tinder India that contributed to public conversations about digital safety, consent and dating cultures in India.
Capacity building, research and knowledge sharing
FII invested heavily in strengthening editorial practices and ethical journalism. The editorial and social media teams participated in solutions journalism workshops led by Swati Sanyal Tarafdar. As a result, Ananya Ray and Malabika Dhar published solution-oriented pieces on the Kanyashree program in West Bengal and MGNREGA implementation in the Sundarbans, respectively. Ananya’s article was also published on the International Solutions Journalism Tracker.
FII also participated in fact-checking workshops under the Shakti Collective republished verified gender fact-checking stories in both English and Hindi, underscoring our commitment to responsible journalism.
Our editorial team actively participated in scientific and political discussions:
- Ananya Ray presented her research paper “From the Editor’s Desk: Addressing the Media Ethics of GBV Reportage in India Through a Feminist Editorial Perspective” at an international conference jointly organized by CHRIST University and Florida State University.
- Vishal Sharma, Deputy Editor (English), represented FII at several national dialogues, including the Pride & Policy Workshop hosted by the High Commission of Canada and YLAC, a Match Group Roundtable on digital security and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ communities, and the Journalism Connect: Rewiring Trust in Media conference organized by the Goethe-Institut and Deutsche Welle.
- In December 2025, Ananya Ray also conducted “The Story Lab: Learn to Report for the Internet” – a workshop on intersectional feminist journalism for young women journalists in Kolkata under the Guliestaan Project.
Social media and community engagement
In 2025, FII’s social media platforms saw a significant increase in engagement, resulting in thoughtful conversations, debates and collective reflection within our community. These interactions led us to rethink how feminist media can be more participatory, responsive, and rooted in dialogue.
FII produced a video highlighting the harsh reality and systemic discrimination that local residents face Delhi’s Ghazipur landfillwhich attracted widespread attention and recognition. Former FII team members Shahinda Syed and Devika Dinesh created one 4-part video series on gender conflictswhich examined how war, occupation and instability disproportionately impact women
The FII community grew significantly, with more than 22,000 subscribers on YouTube, over 90,000 followers on Facebook, 53,000 followers on X, over 173,000 followers on Instagram and more than 25,000 followers on LinkedIn.
We continue to be deeply encouraged by the constant support of our readers, contributors and community members. Every share, every comment and every conversation strengthens feminist media. If you have been involved in our work in any way this year, that influence is as much yours as it is ours.
But in our times of right-wing authoritarianism and AI advances that are changing the landscape of journalism, feminist media outlets like ours are suffering from funding constraints. FII’s journalism remains free and accessible to all, and we intend to keep it that way. We would appreciate your support. Support FII’s feminist journalism with a donation.
Also Read: FII Annual Review 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 And 2014.
Feminism In India is an award-winning digital intersectional feminist media organization with the aim of learning, educating and developing feminist sensibilities and decoding the F-word among the youth in India.