Skip to main content

Posts

Softness, Strength and the Cage of Gender

Reading We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stirred something in me. It did not feel like I was simply reading words on a page. It felt like I was being asked to look inward, to sit with uncomfortable truths and to ask myself the kind of existential questions that do not leave you unchanged: Who am I? What do I want to be? Who am I growing into? How much of myself is truly mine and how much has been shaped by the world around me? What struck me most is how simple and clear Adichie makes feminism feel, even while speaking about something so layered, so misunderstood, and so widely distorted. Feminism is not about women ruling over men. It is about social, economic, and political equality. It is about dismantling the gender hierarchy that has been normalised for centuries. It is about refusing the idea that one gender must always dominate while the other must adjust, shrink or obey. Even though Adichie grew up in Nigeria and spoke from a deeply specific cultural contex...
Recent posts

Meeting My Long-Term Love: A Journey into Counselling

I was in 9th grade when a classmate confided in me and said, " How come you understand things so easily and the way no one else does ?" That statement stayed with me. By the time I was in 10th grade, I had started borrowing psychology books from seniors in 11th and 12th. I was deeply curious about this subject called Psychology . It felt like a good fit for me, but I needed more than just a vague feeling. As I skimmed through chapters on memory, learning, and abnormal behaviour, I felt something click. I was intrigued. Excited. For the first time, I was choosing subjects based on genuine interest rather than what was enforced, regardless of aptitude. That freedom was empowering. By 11th and 12th grade, it became a clear choice: this was what I wanted to pursue in my undergraduate studies. I went on to do my Honours in Applied Psychology, and honestly, every day in that course reaffirmed my decision. Especially in the classes of a few unforgettable professors, I found myself t...

Six Months in Australia: A Journey of Finding My Way and Growing

A New Perspective: Safety and Courage When I was back in Delhi, I started looking forward to my life in Melbourne. But this time, there was a shift. I knew that if things went south, I could always return home. Not that I wanted to, but knowing I had a safety net made all the difference. It gave me the security to explore, take risks, and start truly building my life here. Sometimes, just knowing that you're loved and supported is enough to give you the courage to move forward. Building Relationships: From Survival to Connection This time, when I returned to Melbourne, I came with a new intention. I was determined to make this place feel like home—not just by surviving, but by actually building meaningful relationships. I wanted to connect with people, explore Australia, and invest in bonds that mattered. Gradually, Melbourne didn’t feel as foreign anymore. In fact, I began to like it. As one of my loved ones had wisely said, "You have to explore the place to fall in love with...

Six Months in Australia: A Journey of Survival, Struggle, and Growth

What if your dream move turned out to be your biggest challenge? Six months ago, I packed my bags and moved to Australia to pursue my Master’s in Counselling. I had imagined a fresh start, filled with new experiences and growth. But what I didn’t expect was how much this journey would test me mentally, emotionally and physically. Looking back, I see this time in two distinct phases: the first three months of survival and the next three months of slow adaptation. Phase 1: The First Three Months – Survival Mode The first three months felt like a whirlwind of logistics, learning curves and an overwhelming sense of loneliness. The Basics: Navigating a New System From opening a bank account, getting a SIM card, finding a house, and settling in, it felt like my life revolved around checklists. Finding a part-time job was another challenge, but one that I knew was necessary. At university, I quickly realized the education system here was nothing like what I had known at DU. Lectures were just...

Feminism’s Double-Edged Sword: Power and Exhaustion

My therapist often says that since time immemorial, the world has been afraid of strong, vocal, independent, ambitious women who won’t take no for an answer. And you are one such woman. Of course, I feel powerful when I hear this. I’ve always wanted to be one such woman, and I’m liking the person I’m becoming. However, it feels exhausting sometimes, doesn’t it? To live in a world of misogynists, in a patriarchal world, trying to be fire. Trying to do something for herself, for many women around the world she doesn’t even know herself. Because even if I can influence one person, it is an impact. I can impact a life and so many people around them. But it is exhausting because you realize your own father is a toxic masculine man, many of your close guy friends are misogynistic, objectifying women, slut-shaming women, and for that matter, sometimes behind your back, you’re the one being slut-shamed. It is exhausting to fight back against every dominating, controlling alpha male. It costs m...

Reimagining Workplaces: The GenZ Effect

I recently graduated from college and was fortunate enough to start working where I wanted. Currently, I'm employed in an IB school as a part of the Special Education Department. It's only been a month since I began working here, but this experience has prompted me to reflect on numerous aspects. By writing this, I hope to track my progress and observe how my feelings might evolve over time. I want to let readers around my age know that they aren't alone in their experiences if they feel similarly. Moreover, I believe it will offer the older workforce insights into how the current generation perceives workplaces. The first week consisted of a training program aimed at acquainting employees with the school's culture, mission, values, and the IB curriculum. I recall questioning whether I could thrive in the service industry, waking up as early as 6 a.m. and returning home exhausted. Previously, I would come back around 4 p.m., fall asleep by 5:30 p.m., and wake up directl...

Are you a 'Snowflake'? ❄

The other day, I was sitting with my group of friends and sharing how twitter has become so negative and toxic nowadays with all the news content that it has taken a toll on my mental health, when a friend of mine playfully mocked me by saying “mujhe pata thha tu toh snowflake hai” (I knew that you were a snowflake).  For those of you who don’t know what the term  “snowflake” means, the English dictionary defines it as a derogatory term to describe an easily offended person. Members of the so-called “snowflake generation” are typecast as emotionally weak and lacking resilience and use of the term has been uniformly negative. There’s also an association with words such as “sensitive”, “triggered”, “easily offended” and “thin-skinned”  In calling someone a snowflake, you are not just shutting down their opinion, but telling them off for being offended and shutting a person down is anything but freedom. And if you, the snowflake, are offended, then you are simply proving th...