Get To Know MOTM- Atreyi Sarkar

The Gal Gala selects a Member of the Month to honour and recognise the efforts and contributions of that member who has added immense value to the club. Atreyi Sarkar has been chosen as the member of the month for September 2025.

The Gal Gala has 4 Circles, each with a uniquely specific mission. For a holistic understanding of the Member of the Month, each of the four circles has asked her one question. Get to know her better through her thorough and insightful answers!

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1. Matika Circle (Nature)

   

   Q. What sustainable practice have you been practising or want to start practising in the future?

"I’ve been doing the basics: disposing of waste where it should be, teaching people around me to do the same, and buying fresh produce from local dealers. I still use plastic bags, which, of course, I only throw in bins meant for plastic waste, but I am thinking of shifting to sustainable alternatives. I have also reduced my usage of AI. There was a time when I used to have ‘debates’ on different topics with AI just to train myself to articulate better in a low-stakes environment. It is embarrassing to think about, now that I understand how much it must’ve affected the environment. I’ve stopped doing that. To think about it, I don’t use AI for anything nowadays, which I’m proud of."

2. Oorvani Circle (Media)

   

   Q. If you could be the CEO of a social media platform* for one month, which platform would it be, and why? What changes will you make, what new features will you introduce, and why?

"Oh, definitely Instagram, because the platform has really shaped my way of thinking and has given form to my feminism. I found Joono through Instagram, too, which led to my joining the wonderful community that The Gal Gala is. I would, firstly, make the platform a safe space for the minorities and introduce stricter content moderation. I think this is where AI could be employed instead of actual humans. Content moderation takes away from a person’s mental health, and no one should have to compromise their sanity. Also, I’ll introduce a feature that’ll allow people to look at different perspectives, essentially take a break from the confirmation biases, so they get to understand that worlds different from their own exist. Shuffling of echo chambers or something of that sort."

3. Navrahi Circle (Society)

   

   Q. What was the incident that first brought out the feminist in you (maybe even before you knew what the term meant)?

"There was no one isolated incident, but a culmination of everything that had been happening around me. I got to learn something important when I was a teenager. When you are different, when you don’t fit in with the conventions, you cannot convince others to take you seriously, no matter how loud you shout. I have auditory schizophrenia, but I couldn’t function differently if I were to be given importance. I had to act like nothing was diverse about me. That was the only way out. And that gave rise to this intense hatred for the entire system we function under. I just knew that a change was required, but I couldn’t put it into words, which led to more frustration and occasional suicidal thoughts. That was what, I would say, gradually led to me becoming an intersectional feminist: someone who opposes the patriarchy and all other forms of bigotry."

4. Kayana Circle (Body)

   

   Q. What unspoken rules about 'acceptable' bodies were you taught growing up, and do you find yourself conforming to them? Or, have you begun to unlearn or resist them?

"There were SO many things I’ve had to unlearn. Growing up, there were plenty of ‘friends’ who would tell me I wasn’t good-looking. I would look at the mirror and wonder what it was, exactly, that made me so ugly. My neurodivergence added fuel to the fire, and all I could think about was how asymmetrical my face was. How differently my eyes were shaped, how big my nose was, how thin my lips were. It is, indeed, a myth that your face needs to be symmetrical for you to be aesthetically pleasing. And an even bigger myth is that you have to be aesthetically pleasing to a bunch of narrow-minded losers to be worthy as a woman."

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