unheard voices

In a long post-dinner discussion with a very close friend about the boy’s locker room, I wanted to understand more about his inhibitions with the issue and as I heard him speak, I learnt a lot about other dimensions about the issue that I feel require a voice. He thinks that many of us posting about the boys locker room should be guilty of having been actively or silently involved in similar situations that we call out today as the root cause of such behavior. I understood his inhibitions. We all must have been a part of such jokes or discussion at some point or the other. ‘A casual Google search for Whatsapp wife jokes is an indication of how popular these are, throwing up about 34,40,000 search results of all variants. Jokes in English, Hindi, other Indian languages, image jokes, ‘veg’ jokes, ‘non veg’ jokes, all available to pick and choose from’. Calling out anyone is not easy. Calling out might involve breaking relations, breaking families, legal hardships, economic...

Rongali Bihu (Assamese New Year) is a festival of merry-making- dancing, singing and new clothes. This is one reason why this still continues to be one of my most favorite festivals. Another reason for such attachment with Rongali Bihu is because it used to come after the CBSE annual examination and it kept you waiting and counting days as the light at the end of the tunnel. I have spent many Bihu’s outside home but have always managed to have some Bihu plans with my Assamese friends. I have missed out on Kati and Bhogali Bihu celebrations a few times but never on this one.   This is for the first time that we are in a lock-down and fond memories of bygone days are rushing in. In Assam, days before the Bihu festival you start hearing the Cuccoo bird sing and the flowering of the Kopou, an Assamese orchid. Streets are completely jam-packed on days leading to the Bihu as not only you need new clothes for yourself but you also gift new clothes to your near and dear ones. The ...