When St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Sciences decided to hold offline examinations in the thick of a pandemic, I tried to prevent them from manufacturing a superspreader event through the course of law.
Category Archives: The Intersect
Bonded labor: The ugly reality of modern India
Featured image credit: Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay Trigger warning: This story contains physical assault, harassment, and suicidal thoughts that readers may find disturbing. “I was barely eight years old when I touched those silk threads for the first time, so it is ironic that I have never owned a silk sari in my life… theyContinue reading “Bonded labor: The ugly reality of modern India”
Celebrating Independence Day never felt more uncomfortable
August 15 is a black day in Kashmir. Since the day I started to understand things around me, all I’ve seen is a total communication blockade. Our phones stop working from midnight all the way into the evening. Personally, I’ve never ever embraced the idea of the “independence” of India in my life. But ifContinue reading “Celebrating Independence Day never felt more uncomfortable”
Enid Blyton, JK Rowling, and the hollowness of White English feminism
Like most 90s kids who grew up in India, my initiation into the English language was through Enid Blyton books. At 30, it had been a while since I consciously thought of her work. When a friend requested me to write a crossover fanfiction where the Famous Five get together with the Harry Potter trioContinue reading “Enid Blyton, JK Rowling, and the hollowness of White English feminism”
Porotta and beef fry: Why food has always been political
For those enjoying in the “modern day” a plate of porotta and beef fry, the historical significance of their meal, however, may not be evident. It’s a good meal and a free country, who the hell cares?
Creating safe spaces to be Muslim and queer
M. Iman, who goes by the name Queer Muslimah on Instagram, wants to create a safe space for queer Muslim youth, the kind of space she craved while growing up in a small city in the United States. As a religious Muslim, it took a while for her to accept that she is a genderqueerContinue reading “Creating safe spaces to be Muslim and queer”
I’m an atheist but I’ve never felt more Muslim than in Modi’s India
Trigger warning: This story contains instances of Islamophobia, police brutality, and state-sponsored violence that readers may find disturbing. “We would’ve never let you go there,” said one of my best friends, the most fearless of them all, who was now, however, forced to feel fiercely protective of me. She was trying to pull me outContinue reading “I’m an atheist but I’ve never felt more Muslim than in Modi’s India”
You’ve checked your privilege, now what?
Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increased interest in and awareness of privilege. The sociological concept of privilege refers to any advantage that is unearned, exclusive, and socially conferred. Even though these privileges are invisible, they have visible impacts on the world we experience around us. Many of us now formally recognize thatContinue reading “You’ve checked your privilege, now what?”
Male sex workers: The invisible boys of the night
Trigger Warning: This story contains instances of rape and sexual violence that readers may find disturbing It’s well past midnight. It’s time for Harish* to put on his make-up and saunter up the terrace. Unplugging his phone from the charger, he grabs his wig, a lollipop, and tip-toes his way out, trying not to stepContinue reading “Male sex workers: The invisible boys of the night”
The Indian classroom: A microcosm of sanghi country
On February 20, 2020, 19-year-old Amulya Leona Noronha was booked for sedition under four Sections of the Indian Penal Code. In the midst of a media frenzy manipulated by local officials of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it had been alleged that her praise for longtime enemy and neighbor Pakistan was “anti-national.” I had metContinue reading “The Indian classroom: A microcosm of sanghi country”
Sabudana Things 