Nikhil Taneja is a Mumbai-based writer, producer, storyteller, teacher, entrepreneur, and youth mental health advocate.
He's currently the co-founder and CEO of India's first Gen Z-driven youth media and data insights organization called Yuvaa (@weareyuvaa), that works on creating impact in the lives of young Indians through meaningful content and conversations. He also serves on the Global Advisory Board of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's community, Goalkeepers and is the Festival Creative Director of the India Film Project. Nikhil has recently written an essay called To All The Boys We've Failed Before, for the Penguin anthology, Big Mistake, and has a book called Be a Man, Yaar on positive masculinity releasing next year.
Mr Nikhil Taneja portrays his struggles with patriarchy as a young boy and develops the conversation with Ms Sonali Nakshine about the long-lasting impacts of the same. In his word, patriarchy has opened up a valley between the thought processes of today’s youth and the older generations. And the freedom of expression and interaction on social media has played a very prominent role in this. As per Mr Nikhil, this gap results from our patriarchy failing young boys, who grow up around an environment that puts men in an authoritative position and gives them the liberty to abuse that authority. Subsequently, the conversation moves towards the fact that patriarchy forces young boys into a black hole where the line between authority and abuse is faded and even none existent leaves the entire society in a limbo where the usual consensus accepts inferiority of the opposite gender. Mr Nikhil Taneja very beautifully puts into perspective that behind men who abuse authority and impose it at unwanted intervals are young boys who have grown up in situations where their elders did the same. The behaviour not only became acceptable but also pushed towards a thought process that affected everyone around them.