Minding our own business and keeping it to ourselves may sound like the safest choices – but sadly, they are not. By choosing them, we have been gently letting distances grow and silences build up; distances that would soon lock us up in islands from where we would shout out for help, but in vain, and silences that would soon be interpreted as submission, agreement and everything else we never intended them to be.
As we stay consumed by fear, fatigue and self-doubt, and let the AI chatbots speak for us by “delving” into the “tapestry” of polished algorithmic languages, we are experiencing the absolute necessity of raw and fearless human expression. Not just to call out injustice and counter oppression but also to connect to one another and preserve our own sanity.
However, expression cannot thrive with just safeguards – it needs safe spaces. That is exactly what Article 19 has always strived to be: a space that preserves and promotes multiple voices, creative experiments, and critical conversations, without judgement. This year too, we are walking down the same path, but a bit more loudly and a lot more intentionally.
By truthfully retelling the stories that bloom in our classrooms and corridors and by nurturing a space for appreciating beauty and raising thoughtful questions, we invite everyone to walk with us. Read, engage, contribute and take up space. And in doing so, we may realize that we share much more than just half a floor of an old building in a technical institute.
Every time we choose to hold back, we are not only denying ourselves the right to express, but also denying the world a piece of ourselves. And the world needs that piece.
Article 19 stands committed to all forms of expression that resist the pressure to perform and all creative adventures that overflow the rigid boxes. We sincerely hope this space continues to be a safe haven for multiplicity and “a messy chalkboard” of that life-saving, genuine and human expression.
Head Editor (2025-26)
P.S. Kindly note that this is a student-run blog and the views on the blog do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras.
Article 19 