Neha Singh

For other people, see Neha Devi Singh and Pavitra Punia.

Neha Singh
Born (1982-05-05) 5 May 1982 (age 42)
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Occupation(s)Author,[1]Activist, actor
Years active2012–present

Neha Singh (born 5 May 1982) is an Indian theatre-maker,[2] author[1] and campaigner who encourages women to ignore harassment and reclaim the public space.[3][4]

Neha Singh started the Why loiter? movement in 2014, after she read a book of the same name by three Mumbai-based feminists, Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan and Shilpa Ranade. Neha, along with other participants, have explored and experimented with various forms on loitering.[5] The campaign involves encouraging women to report instances of sexual harassment and rape against men in authority.[3][6][7]

Neha is the editor-in-chief of the blog www.whyloiter.blogspot.com, which documents and collects stories of the loitering group as well as stories sent in by various women across the world about their own experiences of public spaces.[5] She was included in the BBC's annual list of 100 women who have made a positive impact on the world in 2016.[8]

  1. ^ a b Krithika, R. (29 May 2018). "An interview with author Neha Singh on her book I Need to Pee". The Hindu.
  2. ^ "The Warrior of Jhansi". The Indian Express. 19 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b Arya, Divya (5 December 2016). "100 Women 2016: Indian women 'loiter' in public places at night". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. ^ Khan, Sameera (23 May 2017). "Occupy public spaces". The Hindu.
  5. ^ a b "The team of Why Loiter is bucking gender norms one antakshri session at a time". Hindustan Times. 22 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Women in India and Pakistan Unite for the Right to Loiter". Women and Girls.
  7. ^ Rattanpal, Divyani (8 April 2015). "When Men 'Loitered' in Skirts on Mumbai Streets #FreeYourMind". TheQuint.
  8. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.