My father passed away on 21st September 2020. He had a cardiac arrest and suffered little. He lived big and always, always on his own terms. He had a deep confidence in his own ideas of right and wrong - I can say this because of how often he was willing to change his thinking…
Modi, what is this communication?
India has had a lot of time to prepare for this outbreak - it did not (chalo koi baat nahi - many countries have failed there). However, individual towns + states were already going into lockdown. Teething troubles of lockdowns such as citizen vigilantism, apartment complexes ostracizing people, delivery workers being beaten up etc.. were…
Ode to Hope by Pablo Neruda
Oceanic dawn at the center of my life, waves like grapes, the sky’s solitude, you fill me and flood the complete sea, the undiminished sky, tempo and space, sea foam’s white battalions, the orange earth, the sun’s fiery waist in agony, so many gifts and talents, birds soaring into their dreams, and the sea, the…
Education ‘for all’: ESSA guidelines and school tracking systems
American education policy has consistently focussed on the terms ‘for all’ as evidenced by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 which was a civil rights law; the No Child Left Behind policy of 2002; and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, signed by President Obama. However, research since the 1970s has shown that one aspect – high school tracking - violates this noble idea of education ‘for all’ at the points of both access and outcome. I examine the problem and propose measures that can be implemented at local levels of school leadership.
So long 2018. Thanks for everything!
I am aware that the time for 2018 reflections is past and it is now time to be thinking ahead into 2019. But isn't the ability to reject 'topical' timelines the whole point of a personal blog? If not, then it should be.. Last year I finally stopped crossing my eyes to look at the…
Why targeting Nehru is everyone’s favourite past-time..
The assault on Nehru is part of two larger projects, both of which must be contained and defeated. The first must be defeated to maintain the Idea of India as a progressive, inclusive, secular space. The second project must be rejected as it seeks to delegitimise our struggles as a colonised nation and consequently, belittles…
Safe Spaces
When I heard the term "safe spaces" for the first time, I immediately thought of my English Honours classroom or the never-ending Debsoc discussions that spilled over into Metro rides and dinners. Those were safe spaces - where you could say the most counter-intuitive, blasphemous, even racist arguments if you wanted to and you would…
Moments of Self Awareness
“I’m glad you are having a great time. I miss you. Come back soon”, said my friend from Delhi. Grinning broadly at the statement, I cut the phone and happily joined my friends for an evening swim while vacationing in Matheran, just before dusk. It was the sealing of an unspoken bond of deep friendship,…
Read some philosophy…
Read philosophy. Dance. Read some Kafka. And then some more. Read some more philosophy. Read Plato. Then Kant. Then Nietzche. Then read Kafka. Disturbed? Dance. Then read some more. Wonder. What sits at the back of our minds? What is in those dark crevices we never shake? Why do we lead such superficial lives? Why…
Baithak – Jaipur Literature Festival 2012
[this is a writing assignment that asked me to describe my experience of an object of art that I encountered. The art object in question is the Baithak Tent at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2012, as clicked by Ritambhara Agrawal] I was going to enjoy literature. I was not going to be dazzled by the…
Neelakshi Tewari 