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UnIndianing India

Today our Republic turns 70years. In these year we have raised ourselves from ashes of partition and hate, braved conflicts internal and external. Yet we have carried on as a republic for so long, because we stayed true to the ideals of our founding fathers. The ideas that shaped our struggle against a colonist, against the communalists. But very often did our republic find itself at the verge and it seemed the dreams that freedom fighters saw for our free nation might be too much. Last few months if not years have been like that as well. When we seem to be turning our backs to the principles that defined our country. Principles of unity in diversity. Where so many people from so many different part regions, religions speak so many languages, can live and thrive together. Where different ideas from anywhere is not frowned upon. Where one does not have to fear to speak his/her minds out. Where people from different places and religions were welcomed not just as guests but as God
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Recent posts

#injusTISS: We are all in this together

One is extremely pained when one has to hear one of your ex-faculty member crying and telling her current student "Did I invest 6 years of my life, so you can heckle me?" From the first day till the end and beyond I have never ever found any dearth of support from faculty in TISS. I have always said they were and perhaps are the best thing in TISS Hyd. I have had arguments and disagreements albeit not in public, it never got uncivil definitely not a point where either of us had to cry like that. What has happened to TISS Hyd lately? I have never found it so divided before. There have been challenges and crises which students and faculties have worked together. And Alumni has played an important role.  Today some students seem to be fighting against some faculty members. Most alumni are staying shut. This is not about one or two people. This is much deeper and systemic. This is real fascism we have read and talked about. It won't come in one day out of blue but creep s
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Disasters: Flood

The recent Kerala and Nagaland flood have left behind them a trail of devastation and bereaved hundreds of families. As these states are getting back on their feet, numerous stories of personal loss and bravery as also coming to the fore. Shoshamma Abraham, in Pandanad, near Chengannur town, is one of many flood victims, who have lost their near and dear ones. She lost her husband on 16th August, when he went to search for neighbours. His body had to be tied with ropes and wrapped in plastic. In the meantime, the family tried to reach for help in vain. The local hospital neither had men or materials to respond to the tragedy of such proportion. By the time his last rites could be completed after 5 days of his death, his body had already badly decayed. This is just one of many stories which are the result of such major disasters. Kerala flood resulted in death or around 500 people and around a million people had to be evacuated. It is estimated that one-sixth of the population of
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The Placement Season

Almost an year ago it was the same time of the year when most of us were at our peak of nervousness. We were job hunting madly. It was a mad house. Class notes were replaced by job details and then by SOPs. We all did end up getting jobs though. Infact half of us got job in the very first day. Which for many turned out to be a disaster. What I learned in this whole year was we do lot of things just based on peer pressure and want to conform to the social norms. Higher package, bigger brand the better. And in all that cacophony we forget to listen to our hearts. Two years in TISS prepares us for many challenges that we would face in future, yet we decide to settle for things simpler and easier. If we put ourselves together we can achieve so much for our country and ourselves yet we fail to realise most of it in time.Yes some do realise it before other do and take that bold step. The fact that I am writing this post thousands of miles away from home in a foreign nations speaks vo
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Under the Tree

It is the time of the year, when seniours are going to start their last semester of this two year journey after wrapping up their final field work or as we in TISS call it Experiential Learning (EL3). On the other hand the juniours would be preparing presentations after their first EL all set to sail for their longest semester at TISS. The journey of ELs are perhaps one the best things of the journey at TISS. There are offcourse so many things which are not just different in TISS but something which leaves permanent mark on our lives. Even after two years now I still remember packing our bags rather stuffing three guy's stuffs into one bag, only to find girls carrying almost double the number of bags even though they were half in number. With all the excitement we reached MGBS and boarded the bus to Achampet. Even though we went there fearing the worst, but I found the villages there much better than what I was used to in Eastern India. There were proper houses, e
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Missing the Bus

It is a fact well known to people around me how much I love public transport. Maybe its the upbringing in Kolkata with a tinge of frugality or maybe its just environmentalism. But I love taking public transport where ever I go here at home or abroad or even in place which are almost foreign in my own country. The best part is I am now getting to work to help improve it in a state. While I deal with lot of facts and figures everyday. There are some instances which go beyond those to highlight the things which many big data sets fail to high light sometimes. And therefore I am going to limit this post to just few observations and not burden with facts and figures. Last evening not so usually I was coming back from AP Secretariat to my friend’s place in Gachibowli riding the Bus No. 216. Mid journey I got a window seat even though I have traveled on this route for last two years, so many times I cannot resist looking out of the window for these are just few day I have in this city.
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Cycle of Life

Now that I am done with the last presentation of last semester. Ending with a issue which got me started on this journey. So it all happened that in June 2013 some city cops (Chief of them an IIT grad) woke up and thought lets ban cycles and rickshaws they don't look Londonny enough. I wondered people will just gulp it down as well. But then this was Kolkata. And so some young and some old people got together to fight this ban. In my life everything was going good. I was going places, having my own Swadesh moments. And thought of work for last one or two years, but then went to XIMB and my close friend while giving a campus tour rekindled the desire to pursue higher education. And so on a rainy day in front of Lalbazar I found myself asking my boss (an MBA) about so many things about MBA. But destiny had something different planned for me. As the monsoon progressed and cleaned the city and flooded as well. Emotions in mind did same things as well. Here was I in city where more
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