Manali - Kasol Trip (Part 1) - മണാലി - കസോൾ യാത്ര (ഭാഗം 1)

Even now, it is impossible to describe the pain our hearts feel when remembering the Pahalgam attack that shook India on April 22, 2025, resulting in 26 deaths and 20 injuries. Humans blinded by religious extremism without a sense of divinity are always a threat to humanity. That event caused us a different kind of struggle as well. We had made all the arrangements for a Kashmir trip from April 30 to May 10, 2025, but this tragedy occurred on April 22. Within a couple of days, realizing that the Kashmir trip was becoming a mirage, we canceled our Delhi-Jammu Tawi tickets. Through another travel agent, we diverted our Kashmir trip to Manali. We comforted ourselves, thinking we would go to Kashmir next year, God willing.

The Poisoned Bread - Bandhu Madhav

 

Bandhu Madhav, also known as Madhav Dadaji Modak (1927-1997) was a renowned Marathi writer and a pioneer in Dalit literature.  His notable works are "Aamhihi Manasa Aahot" (We Too are Humans), "Petlele Aakaash" (A sky on fire).  In his writings he focussed on the social issues like untouchability, casteism, exploitation and social outcaste.  His characters are usually from lower caste who are oppressed, marginalised and denied even the fundamental rights as citizens of India.  He pointed out the significance of education to the Dalit community through his writings.  "The poisoned Bread" of Bandhu Madhav is a short story translated by Arjun Dangle.  It is the story of Yetalya Aja, a submissive Mahar, narraed through the eyes of his educated grandson, Mahadeva.

A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park

 

Linda Sue Park is a renowned Korean - American Author of Children's literature.  Her 'A Long walk to water' and 'When my name was Keoko' highlight the human experience and promote empathy and understanding.  Simplicity, clarity and emotional depth make her stories lovable to readers of all ages.  Her novel "A long walk to water" alternates between two story lines: One is about Salva Dut, an eleven year old boy living in the South Sudanese village of Loun-Asiik in 1985 and the other is about a young South Sudanese girl named Nya in 2008.

Stigma, Shame and Silence - Kalpana Jain

 

Kalpana Jain is an investigative journalist who raised her voice for the betterment of public health and social justice.  She has written extensively on public health issues such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya.  Her book on the AIDS is part of he curriculum at many Indian Universities.  'Stigma, Shame and Slience' is taken from her book, 'Positive Lives: The Story of Ashok and Others With HIV (2003), that highlights the Social Stigma and Shame faced by people diagnosed with HIV.

Factories Are Eye Sores - Baldoon Dingra

 

Baldoon Dingra (1901-1981) was a well known poet writer and art historian of Pre-Independent India.  His poetry dealt mainly with appreciation and adoration of nature.  His poem 'Factories Are eye Sores' is a direct critique of Industrialization.  Dingra Describes factories as 'eye sores' as if they were diseases or afflictions upon the earth's face.

Strategy: The Empowerment of Women and Girls With Disabilities: Towards Full And Effective Participation And Gender Equality

 

The United Nations (UN) is an international Organization founded in 1945 with 193 member States to promote peace, security, human rights and sustainable development across the globe.  The strategy tiled "The Empowerment of Women and Girls With Disabilities: Towards Full And Effective Participation And Gender Equality" was introduced by UN.  The primary aim of this strategy is to remove systemic barriers like gender and disabilities based discrimiantions and promote full and equal participation of women and girls with disabilities.

The Biology Of Gender From DNA to the Brain - Karissa Sanbonmatsu

  

Karissa Sanbonmatsu is a prominent American Structural Biologist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory where she leads a research group focussed on the intersection of RNA biology and Epigenetics.  Her work is particularly notable for its scale and its exploration of how life emerges from matter.  Apart from these, Sanbonmatsu is a well known advocate for the LGBTIQ community.  In her TED Talk, ' The Biology of gender from DNA to the Brain', she discusses her own journey as a transgender woman and how epigenetics provide insights into the biological basis of gender identity.

Don't be Beautiful - Nikita Gill

 

Nikita Gill is a British-Indian poet, writer and artist, celebrated for her emotionally charged poetry with the themes of love, healing, feminism and self-empowerment.  'Don't be Beautiful' is a powerful feminist poem of Gill that challenges conventional standards of beauty and encourages women to define themselves beyond appearance.

The Yellow Wall Paper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was a pioneering American writer, feminist theorist and social reformer, whose work significantly shaped early feminist thought.  Gilman's most renowned work, 'The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) is a semi autobiographical Short story that critiques the 19th century medical treatment of women's  mental health and illustrates the psychological consequences of  enforced domestic confinement.  Actually, Yellow Wall Paper symbolizes society and patriarchy.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor is a celebrated actor and director, who won fame through the films, 'Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and '12 Years a Slave (2013).  The boy who harnessed the wind (2019) is a cinematic adaptation of the memoir of the same name authored by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer.  Ejiofor directed it and acted in it. It visualizes how a fourteen year old boy used his knowledge from a local library to build  a windmill  and brought electricity  and water irrigation to his village. It was how Malawi survived the severe 2001 famine.

In the Name of Science - Lori Alexander

 

Lori Alexander is a children's author, known for her non fiction and picture books.  Her non-fiction book "All in a drop:How Antony Van Leeuwenhock Discovered an Invisible World" published in 2019, received several honours.  The eighth chapter of this book, "In the name of Science" highlights the bold and curious spirit of Antony Van Leeuwenhock (1632-1723), a self-taught scientist from Delft in Netherlands.  It also emphasizes how Antony's curiosity helped the world to change its perspectives.

KARMA - KUSHWANT SINGH

 

Kushwant Singh (1915-2014) was a renowned Indian author and journalist celebrated for his sharp wit, secular views and bold commentary on society and politics.  His most acclaimed works are, 'Train to Pakistan (1956) 'I shall not hear the nightingale' and 'The Company of women'.  He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2007.  'Karma' is one of his best short stories published in 1989 in 'The Collected Stories'.  It is a satirical tale that examines themes of identity, colonial mentality and irony.

The Self - Unseeing (Poem) - Thomas Hardy

 Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), Victorian novelist and poet is best known for his vivid portrayal of rural life and tragic characters.  'Tess of D'Urbervilles' (1891),  'Far from the madding crowd' (1874), 'The Mayor of Caster Bridge' (1886), are his most famous novels.  Apart from these he wrote near around nine hundred poems.  His 'The Self-Unseeing' is a small poem in three stanzas that contemplates memory, loss and the gentle beauty of the bygone days.  He recalls his memory from his childhood days and enkindles the nostalgic feelings in the minds of the readers.