By Hiya Chowdhury, UG23 As my first year at Ashoka draws to a close, I can’t help but separate my experience of university life from the experience of isolation, lockdowns and disconnection—as I’m sure is true for a bulk of the student body at this juncture. As the second wave of the pandemic settles in,… Keep Reading
By Dipanita Malik (UG22) The unprecedented nature of Professor PB Mehta’s resignation in March startled many in the Ashoka community and beyond. Two days later, in a letter widely circulated on social media, Professor Arvind Subramanian too announced his resignation. In the letter, he referred to the circumstances surrounding Professor Mehta’s resignation and raised concerns… Keep Reading
Content Warning – This article has mentions of sexual harassment, trauma By Lavanya Sen (UG21) In March 2020, in light of what we all thought was a temporary measure, students were asked to leave campus. As time went on, it became clear that we were in the middle of a global health crisis, and that… Keep Reading
By Hiya Chowdhury (UG23) and Devika Jamkhedkar (UG21) The dreadful second COVID-19 strain has destroyed any hope of rejuvenation this year for all – as Ashokans, as Indians, as people. As 2020 came to a close, most of us bore a cautious optimism that the endless suffering would relent, even if just a little. We… Keep Reading
By Shivani Deshmukh, UG22 Content Warning – The following article has mentions of sexual harassment and violence, absence of consent. Ashoka’s #MeToo movement is back and this time, the tables of anonymity have turned. Victims and survivors are sharing their stories anonymously, while publicly naming their abusers, and talking about the extent of their abuse… Keep Reading
By Aritro Sarkar, UG’21 Content Warning – This article has mentions of sexual harassment/abuse, CASH, victim-blaming. Note – For the sake of brevity, the following article uses the term ‘survivor’ while referring to those who have spoken out about sexual harassment on social media. The sentiments in the article are inclusive of those who identify… Keep Reading
Amiya Kumar and Rohan Agarwal, Undergraduate Batch of 2023 The latest season of the Indian Premier League has been hotly debated by cricket fanatics, news channels and the public. While some believe that the tournament acted as a medium of escape and provided a degree of mental respite in these trying times, others are of… Keep Reading
By Shivani Deshmukh, UG22 About a fortnight ago, images of bare mattresses, with no bed sheets or blankets, placed dangerously close to each other in brightly-lit classrooms floated onto many of our WhatsApp chats. This was accompanied by a message detailing the appalling situation of workers’ housing on campus. Soon after, an email thread followed,… Keep Reading
Kartikay Dutta, Undergraduate Batch of 2023 and Rahul Agarwal, Undergraduate Batch of 2022 Football inherently is a tribalistic sport, especially at the highest levels. To have the fans of so many rivalling clubs band together in support of a cause is unheard of, and if asked last week what sort of situation would cause that… Keep Reading
By Shivani Deshmukh, UG22 Even though it is embarrassing to admit, I can count the number of times I’ve spoken in class this semester on my fingers. If class participation wasn’t hard enough offline, in an online semester, speaking out in class has been made exponentially more difficult. There is, of course, an understanding among… Keep Reading