Woman's Hour - 14/04/2009

With Jane Little. As hundreds of millions of voters are expected to cast their ballots in India's general elections, Jane asks what are the important issues for women voters, and are they a target group for campaigners? Urvashi Butalia, founder of the first women's press in India and journalist Sonia Faleiro join in a discussion of the part gender plays in the voting habits of the world's biggest democracy. Jane is joined by GQ features director Alex Bilmes and columnist Jane Moir to consider why women can't be nice to each other any more. In an article in Vogue, Alex claims in the last ten years he has seen a marked increase in women griping about girlfriends, swiping at celebrities and being catty about colleagues. So how fair is this claim and are men really any different? To coincide with the BBC's new learning campaign calling on the nation to 'Dig In' by rolling up its sleeves, picking up a trowel and starting to plant, Alys Fowler of Radio 4's Gardeners' World talks about planting tomatoes. Whether you have a garden, an allotment, a window box or simply a yoghurt pot, you can get digging, with the help of a free seed starter pack and a sprinkling of advice. And singer-songwriter Sarah Gillespie performs in the studio. Her music incorporates blues, jazz, vaudeville and 'gypsy-swing' to create a kaleidoscopic and distinctive sound. Plus drama: Restless.