Category: Op-Eds
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Profile | Stan Swamy
— Juanita Rose Thomas Stan Swamy was widely known as a Human Rights Activist. So, it was surprising for the country when he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). “Human rights” and “terrorism“ are not words you often see together in a sentence or are they? In a Read More
5–8 minutes
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A Look into Vannam: Insti’s official LGBTQ+ support group
— Sharanya Kannan “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” This is exactly what Vannam does. Vannam is an independently run student-led LGBTQ+ support group of IIT Madras. The intention behind Vannam was to create a safe space, in the form of a Read More
4–6 minutes
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Initiatives for Financial Independence of the LGBTQ+ Community
— Ridha Shemil Our country is normatively known to the world as the torchbearers of the phrase – “unity in diversity”, however, it is high time that the phrase extends to the LGBTQ+ community as well. India is a country that celebrates its traditional roots and is a land filled with patriarchs and heternormative hypervisibility. Read More
2–4 minutes
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Representation and Pride: Where do we stand?
— Sharanya Kannan TW: queerphobia We live in a world where we can watch the wonderful Captain Holt and Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Or David and Patrick on Schitt’s Creek, or the iconic Todd Chavez on Bojack Horseman. Or Rue and Jules in Euphoria. The visibility of the queer community in a positive light Read More
4–6 minutes
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Economic Cost of Exclusion
— Neeraj BR When I came to Chennai in July 2019 to join IIT Madras, one of the first people my father and I encountered on the street was a trans woman. She started circling us, my father took out his wallet to give her some money. Suddenly, she snatched his wallet but said, “Kavala Read More
4–6 minutes
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Shatter Glass Ceilings, Cover Them Later
When I was asleep, he pasted newspapers on the windows and secured them with duct tape. Apart from looking distasteful, it was a constant reminder that I needed to be protected from the male gaze. The curious fact remains that he never did these from a place of authority; one could see him tremble with… Read More
5–8 minutes
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Popular Culture Analysis
We all come across our fair share of pop culture trends on social media. Most of us look at them for a few seconds, maybe laugh a little (or get annoyed) and continue scrolling. But what lies beneath the surface? On the 20th and 21st of February, 2021, we asked our followers on Instagram to… Read More
6–8 minutes
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Is it time to cancel “cancel culture”?
Cancel culture is a recent phenomenon in which people “cancel”—withdraw their support for—famous people and celebrities after they do something that is deemed offensive. Article 19 correspondent Devika Dinesh talks to some of our readers about their opinions on cancel culture. Read More
6–9 minutes
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My Last Five Years
Anu Joshy of the HS09 batch is an alumna of the department who cleared the Civil Services examination this year, ranking 264 at the national level. This is the English translation of a post she wrote on Facebook after the results came out, where she talks about her UPSC journey. 2020 was so far a Read More
5–8 minutes
Article 19 