Highlights from the Youth Music and Arts Festival of Pravah — Volunteer-led. International. Virtual. Inclusive. These were the four words that can best describe Music for Harmony 2021. However, if you had asked us, four months ago, what would Music for Harmony look like, we would not have chosen these words. The origin of the festival can be traced back to…

One of the key takeaways from Michele Obama’s Becoming was the idea of approaching people because you admire what they do, you want to be apart of the idea, you want to learn from them, express appreciation for their work or because you feel their presence could add to your…

Reflecting on Michele Obama’s memoir — Once in a while, you read a book that changes your life forever. Michele Obama’s Becoming is that for me. The kind of text you know you will keep revisiting for the years to come. The kind of text that inspires you and reassures you to follow your heart, no…

How to responsibly demand accountability from public figures. — While discussing with a friend the famed and heavily criticized movie Kabir Singh, the Bollywood remake of Arjun Reddy, he remarked, “It is just a movie. I don’t get what’s the big deal about it. There has been far more outrage than required.” I noticed that the conversation was no…

For my sister and all the other amazing women in my life. — Rajasthan, literally meaning Land of Kings, is a North-Western state in India. It is popular across the globe for its royal architecture, history, and culture. Despite large scale development and modernization, the grandeur of the state has not been lost. Hints of royalty can be found throughout the state’s architecture…

Understanding the role of Indoctrination and Propaganda in Governance — To understand the success of Totalitarian regimes globally in history and in current times it is very important to understand a phenomenon that has emerged as a common thread between all of them. Elie Wiesel in his book, ‘Night’, while describing his experience as a Holocaust survivor remarks, “Can men…

The irony in India’s response to Black Lives Matter Movement and the recent protests in the US and the world. — Years ago, a friend from Jharkhand visited my family in Rajasthan. She has an exceptional sense of fashion and is very beautiful. At a wedding, while my sister and I were busy admiring how stunning she was, we could hear people murmuring under their breath about how black she was! …

My journey as a Feminist and what I have learnt so far. — I do not specifically remember when I first heard the word Feminism. I think it was as late as fifteen. …

Two days after India observed the Janta Curfew on the fourth Sunday of March, I stepped out from the house to buy a few snacks- my fuel for late-night study sessions. We did not have face masks at home by then, so I took a scarf and wrapped it around…