Juggling thoughts

The most dangerous form of misogyny isn't always loud. Sometimes, it's quietly passed down by women ourselves disguised as tradition, culture, or 'the way things have always been.' We stand for equality, yet still say, 'That's not a man's job.' ' A woman shouldn't do that.' We oppose yet we reinforce the very system we claim to oppose. The change we seek won't begin in parliaments or on social media. It begins in our homes, in the words we choose, the roles we normalize, and the children we raise. Let's raise boys who don't respect women because they're taught to 'protect' them, but because they see them as equals: equally capable, equally deserving, and equally human. The next generation will inherit not only our values, but also our biases.  Let's be intentional about which one we pass on .

Today, let's talk about golden retriever parenting. Stop praising your children for extremely small tasks.  Over the years in my teaching career, I've met dozens of modern-day parents who lean toward mollycoddling, constantly patting their children for the smallest things. I've even seen parents gift a fancy phone to a Grade 10 student just for passing a selection exam and more. Praise is the highest aspiration for humankind. We crave it from the moment we begin to understand the world and from then on, we keep seeking it. It becomes validation. And when praise turns into a reward for everything, it's time to pause and reflect on where parenting is heading. Because the world is not going to praise or reward you just because you think you are entitled to it. You have to produce real value and meaningful impact to deserve either. In fact, this overpraising and reward-driven conditioning can be worse than junk food or screen addiction. It took me years to earn genuine prai...

Racism against North East Indians has become so routine it barely shocks anymore. Slurs are brushed off as “casual,” assaults spark brief outrage, then disappear. The real crisis is the normalisation. This is not just a failure of individual behaviour. It is structural. A nation that does not teach its children about all its people should not be surprised when prejudice feels ordinary. Students in the Seven Sisters grow up learning the history, culture, and leaders of the rest of India. Yet across much of the country, the North East is reduced to stereotypes, insurgency headlines, or tourism clichés. That imbalance is not accidental. It is institutional. When textbooks marginalise regions, ignorance becomes policy. And policy-level ignorance breeds social prejudice. The Ministry of Education must ensure meaningful inclusion of North East history, indigenous cultures, political contributions, linguistic diversity, and contemporary achievements across all school boards — not as a token c...

At a conference I once attended to cover a feature story, a young, well-educated man presented his innovation: a kitchen appliance. His pitch leaned heavily on one phrase: “Made easy for housewives.” He repeated it often. And every time, it felt wrong. Not because the intent was malicious, but because the language was lazy. Two words: 'housewife and homemaker' are often treated as synonyms, yet they are separated by a deep line of respect. Then came a moment of quiet correction. A senior woman, who leads one of the state’s most respected women weavers’ collectives, stepped onto the dais. With grace and a smile, she said, “Let me correct this first. They are homemakers, not housewives.” The applause was instant and deserved. You see… a house cannot marry a wife. Because words matter. Because labels define worth. Let’s do the math society conveniently ignores: A full-time cook. A housekeeper. A tutor. A nurse An errand runner. A manager. A caregiver. That’s easily ₹25,000 a month...

 As I traverse the length and breadth of India, I'm constantly reminded of the deep-seated regional biases that permeate our country. The tendency to judge fellow Indians based on their geographical origins.  I feel media stance has amplified prejudices that has long being ingrained,and fueled divisions which isn't even necessary. The Blame Game: A Two-Way Street When deregotary incidents  occur in any  states, we often resort to blaming entire communities or regions.  Unfortunately, people from the North-East , including me, are not immune to this behavior either, frequently stereotyping every Bihari, every Punjaban, every Bengali, every Miyas and to an extent that every one from UP, MP, Maharashtra,Rajasthan are all non-local Biharis 😄. We sensationalize and generalize, attributing negative traits to entire groups. But it's not every North-Easterners who do that. So are no mainlanders the same.  The weight of misconceptions is heavy.  I've lost coun...

 Let’s pretend it’s the 90’s and we are reading Arundhati’s article on the morning newspaper. A long column, the kind that demanded your attention over chai, not a hurried look between two beeps of your phone. We are living in an ultra-fast world. A world that boasts itself on speed of delivery, of data, of consumption. Every day something new evolves, something transforms. Yet, in this acceleration, our lives are being reduced to those ten-second scrolls of distraction. We move too quickly between work, notifications, schedules. Always clearing schedules, never lingering.  No time for the real people around us. No time to pause, No time to read and truly absorb anything that exceeds three sentences because attention itself has become a luxury.  There was a time, not long ago, when friendship meant the freedom to knock on someone’s door without any notice, when affection was not measured in emojis but in cups of tea shared on lazy afternoons. Strangely, today we must fir...