Protests against the education minister

I spent a lot of time this week following the happenings at the protests in Delhi (and other cities) against the education minister. I had a lot of fun looking at the creative ideas to protest by the Gen-Z. I’m a little sad all the creative posters, for instance, will be lost in the ephemeral feed of Instagram. It’d be interesting to see an archive of the posters, if anybody would take the time and energy to create one.

I loved the clarity with which some of the kids expressed themselves, in this video. It was great to see some articulate Gen-Z’s in the numerous protest related videos I consumed this week.

My wife had some conversations with family after which she felt like they were talking about an entirely different protest than the one she was talking about. Manisha from Newslaundry gave a detailed explanation of how this came to be. I found it insightful to see the tactics being explicitly named and called out, even though they all seem familiar.

I was shocked that pellet guns were used against the protesters in Delhi! There hasn’t been any acknowledgement or explanation from of the security forces, yet.

Email newsletter for this blog

I learnt that my blog’s email newsletter no longer works. I’ve restored it using a Google spreadsheet, Resend, and GitHub actions. I wrote a post with more details.

In Hyderabad

I was in Hyderabad this week to moral support my mom undergoing a small medical procedure. I really liked the hospital’s vibe. Most of the staff were women and it seemed like they were trying hard not to add additional stress and maybe even relieve some of the stress that comes from being in places like hospitals (and airports in India).

Cult Fit’s code of conduct

I only got one workout done, this week, apart from playing 2+ hours of Badminton after more than an year. I can’t seem to recall the last time I played.

I had to get the staff to read Cult’s Code of Conduct to let me workout without my shoes. I happened to read them recently since they sent me an email reminder. It says that it is recommended to wear shoes, but not mandatory unless you’re using the treadmills and other such equipment. I’d have been really mad if I had to miss the week’s only workout because I was travelling and not carrying my shoes. Apparently, they did send some other folks home in the past at that center. So, posting this as a PSA, I guess.

Hello Bossuu (From “Sing Geetham”)

L introduced me to this song Hello Bossu from Sing Geetham, “Aa anna paatavtundi…”, on a video call. I’m looking forward to get introduced many more things by her and her sibling A!

Asma Khan: Stop Calling it Curry

I loved watching Asma Khan in conversation with Trevor Noah and Eugene. She talks about everything from girls seen as a liability in South Asia to how hospitality industry glorifies the image of loud and abusive chefs and kitchens. I was inspiring to see how passionately she talked about her work and her women run kitchen. It’s a 2 hour long conversation that is totally worth it!