It's been almost 18 months since I started identifying myself as an India...
Beyond The Butterfly Swords : An Illustration
'Beyond the butterfly swords' is an illustration made to represent and...
Image Of A Working Woman
I am a 22-year-old woman who has very recently entered the world of work. My...
Half Half None
The following blog has been co-written by co-fellows Daraab Saleem Abbasi and...
How I Came To Believe In The Wonders Of A Smile
I frequently discover myself being mesmerized by happy faces. 7,000 different...
Going Back To, Through Sundays
After two years of not knowing what day is what, Sunday now has some...
My Small Win With Chai Shots
At MANAVLOK, the organization I am a part of as an India Fellow, the entire...
Viel, No Viel: Why Hate?
A Malayalee growing up in Gujarat has certain perks. Locals do not understand...
मैं और भालू
प्रिय मित्र काशीपुर से में भोपाल के लिए रवाना हो गया हूं। वही पुराना घर! अब तो घर क्या है कहां है इसकी समझ कमजोर पड़ गई है। खुले आसमान ने हमें इतना अपना लिया है कि दीवारें पराई लगने लगी है। यह तीसरा और आखिरी खत काशीपुर के सबसे अप्रतिम भाग के बारे में है। यह ना होता तो...
An Atta-boy
They do not have advantage of a complicated system of metaphysics which could explain or rationalize events for them. Their gods and goodness are much too simple to be of much help. प्रिय मित्र याद है वो पुराना किस्सा? वो काशीपुर? खत के बदलो से सतह दर सतह उतरोगे तो...
Young, Wild And Free…
Fondness grows with time. 11 months in Kotra and my life mostly revolves around my students in the school here. Think of a child who is to get a new game which her mother is embracing. She would run to get it. The excitement would barely diminish even if one of her...
Rural India के बारे में आपका क्या Opinion है?
According to the urban dictionary, an opinion is a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. That, in my opinion, makes sense. Expressing oneself has become a universal favorite past time. It makes one feel empowered and...
काशीपुर से ख़त
प्रिय मित्र, कभी रोमांटिसिज्म के बारे में सुना है? कहीं उन्नीस्वीं सदी में इस टर्म को पहली बार इस्तेमाल किया गया होगा| पहले भी होता होगा पर उन्नीस्वी सदी के बाद इसने गति पकड़ ली| ये एक जादुई पर्दे की तरह है जो न होता तो हिन्दी सिनेमा कब का ठंडा गोश्त बन गया होता| असल...
Himachali Langar: The Unforgettable Feast
On my first day in the village of Kandbari, where I've now spent more than 4 months, it felt like I was dropped down from a soaring height. Yeah, metaphorically! The fall where you hear nothing, feel nothing or see nothing but get an adrenaline rush. Like anyone else,...
Nothing Is Holding Me Back Anymore
It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I’m lounging in The Tea Room for a much needed break in the last few months. Soft romantic music is playing in the background and I am tempted to grab one of the many books off the bookshelf standing in front of me. But I need to...
The Unsung Battles Of Ordinary Women
The ongoing wave of feminism seems to have taken India by storm, but has it managed to hit all the right spots yet? Indian feminism has lately drawn strong critique for being exclusionary in nature and I found my own thoughts deeply resonating with this narrative in...
Can We Really Understand Others?
We millennials are born in the information age. I always thought that the evolution was mutual, as by the time people who were born after 1980s came in a position to exert their influence, the same happened with information via internet, smart phones and other...
Adventurous Things I Never Did Before Coming To India Fellow
When I boarded a flight from Delhi to Raipur after the mid-point training, I was super excited to reach Sukma and begin with the second half of my India Fellow journey. I took a bus from Raipur for Sukma late at night, and was accompanied by a colleague. We woke up...
The Last Time When I Did Things For The First Time
Most of us these days, including me, wish for adventure and excitement in our daily routine. I did it every single day while sitting in my AC cubicle; wishing an escape from the mundane life. Today, leaving that behind, I'm working with Basic Healthcare Services...
About A Windy Night in Jiri
When time was closing in for Durov, after a long arduous journey, on the evening of 18th day of June, he sat down and imagined the day when his fate was declared. He could not refrain himself from thinking of that evening, which was still clear in his head. The first...
Pulp Fiction Meets India Fellow
The legendary film-maker Jean-Luc Godard had famously said, “A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order”. Another guy called Quentin Tarantino, took it a bit too seriously. He picked a bunch of characters, a set of...
Memoirs of Kalahandi: The Cultural Preservationist
The concept of culture needs no introduction in a country like India. I vividly remember the time I asked an Australian guy about why he was planning a trip to India; and he replied, “For the diverse, amazing and vibrant culture man!”. It’s true, India is diverse with...