Of all that I have read in the first quarter of 2019, Payal Dhar’s Slightly Burnt is the book that has touched me the most. I wish I had found it earlier. Perhaps books about queer people are pushed away to the margins of the publishing business just as queer people are made to feel like the … More “Traditionally, LGBT stories have a history of tragic endings. I’m never doing that!”
One of the biggest challenges that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students in India face is the near absence of people like themselves in the books they read and movies they watch. The situation today is better than it was 10 years ago but there is a lot to be done. Why? Well, being … More “I wanted to be true to what I felt rather than be able to tick boxes about the LGBTQ community.”
This is the first in a series of blog posts emerging out of my research project as a Shanti Fellow with the Prajnya Trust’s Education for Peace Initiative. My aim is to create and compile a variety of resources that would benefit educators in India working to create safe and supportive spaces for LGBTQ/queer students. Meet Vishwa Srivastava … More Building empathy through sexuality education
From December 13 to 17, 2018, I was at the South Asian Youth Conference (SAYC) in Mumbai hosted by the Blue Ribbon Movement with financial support from the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development. My fellow participants came from India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. What I … More Gender and Peace: Reflections from a Workshop at the South Asian Youth Conference 2018
By Chintan Girish Modi Today is indeed special, and for two reasons. The 10th of December is observed as Human Rights Day every year because this is the day when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly way back in 1948. It is also the final day of … More Some reflections on Human Rights Day
By Chintan Girish Modi In my work on peace education with school teachers, I have realized that mainstream media coverage plays a big role in how they perceive and interpret the world. Despite the access to multiple sources of news in analog and digital formats, there is a striking absence of critical media literacy among … More Break Echo Chambers! An interview with Maya Mirchandani
By Anoushka Zaveri Two years ago, I exited the regular Maharashtra board college education model and enrolled myself at FLAME University, Pune. My teachers were tuned in with what they were teaching, and allowed room for discussion and disagreement. The quality of my interactions within the classroom changed. My classmates and I were more sensitive … More Learning with an open mind
By Anoushka Zaveri Thus the little minutes, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. ~ Excerpt from Julia Carney’s “Little Things” My dad effectively terms his chartered accountancy as “the worst decision of his life”. He’s 47 years old, satisfactorily rich but professionally unhappy. My eleven-year old brother is a passionate little … More Little Things Schools Can Do to Better Equip Young Boys: A Student’s Opinions
By Jayshree Shukla Cultural diversity is the most important asset of society. To me, it is the most precious legacy any people can have. When cultures collide, when people of different backgrounds engage with one another, there is a tremendous opportunity for learning and growth. No single culture or people could have achieved what humanity … More #DialogueForPeace: Photographing Diversity in Delhi
By Adithya Prakash As an upper caste Hindu boy, I was brought up to be ignorant about caste. I went to an English medium school, and later found myself ranting about reservations being caste-based rather than merit based when I could not secure admission to certain colleges. I naively assumed that India was a meritocracy. … More #DialogueForPeace: Waking Up to my Caste Privilege
