Author: Samikhya Satpathy

The Sexist School Culture 5 (2)

Educational institutions serve as important agents of socialization, especially for young children, and remain so well into their late teenage years, therefore whatever they learn here has a lifelong impact on them. However, educational institutions as socializing agents are not isolated, in fact they are often shaped by and mimic the world outside, so it is only normal that the norms defining the society get passed on to institutions such as schools. Astoundingly, this logic is often used to justify the patriarchal standards of judgment, hypocrisy, sexism, and misogynistic practices actively taking place in schools from the smallest of things like boys being asked to carry notebooks or move chairs, to the bigger things like not having a girls cricket or football team, it is not uncommon to see instances of sexism in schools. Even girls-only schools are not absolved from this accusation.

Starry Starry Night 0 (0)

As a child of a merchant navy captain, I have spent most of my childhood on a ship, sailing across endless stretches of blue with occasional land in sight. These long journeys meant that alongside a very limited collection of pre-recorded cartoons, few storybooks, and my mother, I only had the company of the serene sound of the ocean, the clear blue sky during the day, and a sky full of stars during the night. Perhaps that is why I derive so much comfort from them, even today. While the ocean had its own charm and effect on me, the stars have played a very distinct role in my life. The above and what lies beyond the above has never ceased to fascinate me, even as a 10-year-old and I doubt there will be a time when I would look up at the sky and won’t be ‘starstruck’ by how unreal it all feels. While every brush with a stargazing experience has been nothing short of magical, two particularly unforgettable experiences made me the person I am today, fascinated and appreciative of the little things that have huge impacts. 

Queer Representation in Indian Cinema 0 (0)

Films have always been a big part of the entertainment industry, so to say that they have the power to make or break an image and catalyze social change wouldn’t be a stone thrown far away from reality. Cinema plays a significant role in society’s way of perceiving reality because they are often believed to represent actuality. For example, the normalization of eve-teasing by a large section of people in India can be to a large extent attributed to films and the social environment one has grown up in. Similarly, if we take a look at the way gender, specifically the queer have been represented or rather misrepresented in films by conforming and attributing to the formation and retention of stereotypes, it is safe to say that the representation at large has been a spoof of the serious subject matter. 

Plans 5 (2)

I have always had plans, agreed that I am not a micro planner but I have always had a general idea of where I saw myself in a few years and these ideas have always been accompanied by general plans, like colleges I want to go to, degrees I have to get, internships that I definitely have to do, cities I have to visit and skills I have to develop. I like sticking to those plans and I have been working towards making them a reality from a very young age, and even if the plans kept changing, I would always have a path ready to walk on, a path that would inevitably lead me to the end goal.