The Times Of Non-Linearity

I don't think cat videos represent the funniest aspects of the internet. Let's be honest here. It has more to do with how seamlessly you can transition from Donald Trump to Donald Duck and watch two whole episodes of Uncle Scrooge before you ask yourself, "what am I...

Living In The Dark With Pedophilia

There was this one video of a man sodomizing a doll in a shopping mall surfacing for quite a sometime on social media. It was no surprise that people were going gaga over him. "Men can’t even leave dolls alone now" "Even dolls are not safe" With a preconceived and...

From Durga to ‘Hudur Durga’: The Other Side Of The Story

Durga puja – the name is more than sufficient to bring joy and thrill among Bengalis. Durga Puja is not only a festival in West Bengal but it is an integral part of life for the people living here. You can sense the enthusiasm, the charisma in the air and people...

The Nights Were Dark And Full of Terror – Odisha And Education

After spending month in Kalahandi, experiencing almost all sorts of adventure, I ask myself, “Could there be anything left to  see?” I have seen death as well as new life coming into this world in front of my eyes. One week I was supposed to visit a village on the...

Mass Hysteria And Opinions – Story Of Kanpur Dehat

I am writing to tell you about an incident that shook me due to the incredulous nature of the story that got fabricated around it which still confounds me as to why that girl died. A number of conjectures it generated in order to piece together the character and the...

The Story Of The Black Angrez Of Rajasthan

I am sure all of you, after reading the title of this post are thinking: - Who are Black Angrez? Who can be the Black Angrez?  It was just a usual day when I was leaving the school I work in, for a field visit and waiting for the jeep to come. 40 minutes had already...

Domestic Violence : Pegging The Blame

What do you say when a woman you met 20 minutes back, tells you, “Maar-pitai to yahan har ghar mein hoti hai. Maine shadi ke pehle ye sab kabhi nahi dekha lekin is mohalle mein roz ka hi hai. Ab ajeeb nahi lagta, aadat pad gayi hai.” (Violence happens in every home...

Of People And Places

Ever had the feeling where you were kicking yourself for leaving the good life behind? From being a reasonably well-off graduate student in Toronto, enjoying first-world comforts, to being completely drenched and hanging on for dear life, on the roof of an overcrowded...

A City That Existed Before : Palesar

"*Kishanlal is a farmer who is aspiring to make a "Pakka Makaan" which he is not able to. Money is a major constraint and he worries about his 'Kaccha Makaan' falling down due to the excessive rain, just like it happened with the few unfortunates who died last year....

How Useful Is A Health Insurance Scheme In India?

How Useful Is A Health Insurance Scheme In India?

Travel (home to block hospital) - Rs 200Medicine - Rs 300Travel (block hospital to private clinic) - Rs 100Medical expenses (doctor fees, caesarean delivery charges, medicines) - Rs 22,000Travel (private clinic to home) - Rs 200Total Expenditure (in 3 days) - Rs...

KHAAN : The Evolution Of A Dead Mine

KHAAN : The Evolution Of A Dead Mine

A few months back I worked on a radio series called Khanabadoshon Ki Duniya (The world of migrants). It focused on breaking the narrative of internal migrants as a threat to development as portrayed by various media. The themes touched upon areas like the...

10 Types Of People I Met In My NGO

I spent half of my fellowship year in the back office, which is in a residential colony of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Since it is known to be a women's organization, the employee sex ratio is slightly skewed in our favor. But, irrespective of them being male or female,...

Ladakh : The Land That Was!

It looked like a dream, stayed like an old friend and will be often recalled as the land where most outsiders found bliss, either in nature or in other people and a few, within themselves. Everyone knows Ladakh is heavenly, not just in the way it looks but also how it...