Nikaytaa निकेता نِکیتا

About Me

I am a gender scholar interested in learning about how society and technology interact and shape each other. I am a PhD student in Media Studies at the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University. My research examines how the Hindu-right organize on and through the internet in India and North America. I am particularly interested in how these hegemonic masculinities, who include dominant caste Hindu men and women, attempt to abjectify minority and marginalized groups of Muslim and Dalit women. In addition, I am pursuing the certificate course in Gender Studies from the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

My MA dissertation at the Centre for Women's Studies, University of Hyderabad titled “Gender, Technology, and Violence: a case study of the auction apps that targeted Muslim women” unravels the historicity and motive of the online auction through literature research on misogyny in the meme-sphere and unmoderated digital communities.

Prior to the commencement of my MA, I have studied the intersection of sexuality, caste, and religion of the Sari drapes in India. I am the founder of The Indian Draping Company, a global gender-equitable community that advocates radical self-expression through the Sari. I have authored and published The Fluid Sari Zine, a how-to guide on draping the Sari. Further, to make my research accessible to the larger audience, I have conducted public talks and workshops in India and the United States.

I have a decade of professional work experience in corporate IT and the social development sector.

I began powerlifting in January 2023 and have seen immense mental and physical benefits. From September 2018 to December 2022, I was an endurance athlete with one full marathon and several half marathons under my shoes. When I am not working or running, I engage in gardening, cooking, reading feminist fiction and non-fiction books, and serving my three cats, Tupur, Tapur and Babla.

Research Interests

Feminist Science and Technology Studies, Feminist Theory, Masculinities, Hindutva

Education

PhD Student, Media Studies
School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, USA
MA, Gender Studies (Honor: Distinction & First rank)
Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Hyderabad, India
MA, Social Entrepreneurship (Honor: Distinction)
Hult International Business School, San Francisco, USA
BEng, Information Technology (Honor: First class)
Cummins College of Engineering, University of Pune, India

Selected Works

The intersection of bones and culture, an analysis of The Bare Bones of Sex by Anne Fausto Sterling
The Fluid Sari Zine
Five facts about the Sari in collaboration with BBC News, UK and BBC Asian Network

Projects

The Indian Draping Company