Two seemingly simple words that conjure up myriad emotions in some lives – ‘Coming Out’. For LGBTQIA+ people, coming out is a significant part to claim the right to live with a preferred identity publicly. Sanam Choudhury, an LGBTQIA+ community member from Assam, recalls her experience, “Coming out is not that difficult today as it was a few years back.” She mentions the constant fear she underwent during that time. However, the immense support from her parents and a few of her relatives eventually led her to live openly and freely. In a recent survey on sexual orientation conducted by…
Author: Poonam Atreya
-By Aswathy Sathyapal and Poonam Atreya The resurgence of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with an exorbitant rise in the mortality rate led the Central government along with the Central Board of Secondary Education to cancel the std 12th Board exams. Further to the same the Supreme Court, on the 3rd of June, ordered CBSE to present the parameters to be used for the assessment of students within two weeks. Putting all discussions to hold, The Supreme Court, on the 17th of June, passed the comprehensive assessment of 30:30:40 marks weightage suggested by the CBSE. While The Voices…
There are several facts about India’s environment that scares. A research work released in 2020 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has said 30 Indian towns will face a ‘grave water risk’ by 2050 due to rapid population growth. In a worldwide survey conducted in 2019, it was determined that India had 21 of the top 30 most polluted cities. India’s total forest and tree cover today stands at 80.73 million hectares, or about 24.5% of its total land area, far short of the 33% target. These aren’t just numbers on paper but are happening as we read, indicating the…
फट रही है ज्वालामुखी ह्रदय में मेरेआंखों से बह रही है गरल धार।बिखरे लट लग रहे हैं अद्भुत अस्त्र समान,चेहरे पर है दहकता रिस भाव।भग्न मूर्ति बनी मैं, काली समान।रक्तबीज, तेरे विनाश की काया।पाषाण सा ह्रदय मेराअसुरों के रक्तपान को व्याकुलसुलग रही है दहकती आग मुझमेंउनके अंत को व्याकुल ।अब मैं सीता नहीं, जो तू मुझे हर ले।मैं बनी हूं झांसी की रानी।चमकती तलवार लिए फौलाद से हाथों में,तेरी प्रतीक्षा कर रही हूं।धड़ से सर अलग कर तेरा,करूंगी मैं रक्तपान।सावधान, ए दानव।अब अबला नहीं, स्वयं काली रूपधर चुकी हूं मैं।शांति के अंजलि देनी है ह्रदय कोतुझे मारकर, ए दानवतेरे विनाश…
The amount of information on COVID-19 floating around us is unfortunately outweighed by the huge volumes of misinformation, thanks to social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. Although these tech companies have taken steps to help prevent the spread of unverified information, yet the pandemic of ‘Fake Information’ is almost as bad as the COVID-19 pandemic itself. To enable us to comprehend the pandemic better, The Voices talks to – Dr. Suhail Malhotra, Senior Orthopedic surgeon and a COVID Warrior, serving on the front lines at Shri Guru Nanak Dev Govt. Hospital, Amritsar. “Use of N95 mask is the primary…
The palpitating hearts of 12th standard CBSE students can finally relax. The long-due decision on the board exams for class 12 CBSE students was finally taken by the board of a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The decision was announced by the board in favor of canceling the 12th Board CBSE exams. “Government of India has decided to cancel the Class XII CBSE Board Exams. After extensive consultations, we have taken a decision that is student-friendly, one that safeguards the health as well as future of our youth.” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi A myriad of emotions…
-By Shlesha Salvi and Poonam Atreya The world post COVID-19 is no longer the same. Along with several changes, it has added an array of new words to our vocabulary, ‘social distancing’ being among the most prominent ones. For many of us it has brought back the possibilities of life, during the pandemic. But think about a woman, whose job is based on physical intimacy. For whom social distancing means, no means of livelihood as well. She most probably is a single mother, who doesn’t have family or social support system and now, no income either. We are talking about…
The perfectly falling pleats of the turquoise crepe saree she is draped in, present quite a contrasting picture to the current ‘scene’ at Payal’s house . It’s 10 in the morning and she finds herself yelling at the top of her voice, “Ashita, Siddhant, hurry, have your breakfast already. I need to leave for the AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association)Meet soon.” The semi-opened luggage boxes scattered all around the house and heaps of garments on top of a couple of chairs in a corner highlighting the contrasting elements of the picture. It has just been 15 days, since they moved…
मैं थक चुकी हूँ भागते भागते, दो पल अभी मुझे रुकना है। खुद के विचारों को अब मुझे इस मेज़ पर रखना है। यूं तो मैं चुप थी सालों से, अब मुझे कुछ कहना है। कह लो बदतमीज तुम्हें अगर मन हो तो, पर अब मुझे और नहीं सहना है। सालों बाद मैंने खुद के विचारों को पाया है, अपने ही अंदर छुपी थी मैं, अब जाकर उसे गले से लगाया है। जो हूं जैसी भी हूं, पसंद हूँ खुद को मैं। और यह भी जानती हूँ, ना कभी गलत थी ना अब गलत हूं मैं। सहा था अपमान मैंने,…