Life through a glass of wine!

I remember a 10-year-old me trying diligently to submit a gender-neutral school essay using his/her, he/she wherever possible. It seemed unfair how skewed the language was towards the male pronouns.  A little while later, I came across the concept of 'Hijra'. As a child, I thought that they were men dressed as women. But then, I was told that they were 'cursed to be neither male nor female'. People feared and ridiculed them, and prayed that a Hijra child not be born to them. Such a shame that would be, and the Hijras would come and take their offspring away. Now, if the English language was unfair to women, it totally lacked the vocabulary to adequately address this community. 'Why should a creation of God be feared and ridiculed?', I would think. Why is there so much stigma attached to a natural phenomenon that parents are forced to send their Hijra children away? Why can't they live normal lives, study, work, play like the rest of us? They are h...

As a passionate STEM educator, I have had the good fortune of teaching kids with diverse backgrounds, spanning a huge spectrum of ages, from preschoolers to adults pursuing masters' degrees in engineering. And trust me, teaching each age group has been a challenge in itself, and I have learnt a lot along the way. I have had the support of some brilliant teachers, and each day I aspire to be like them. Teachers who are adored by children, teachers who create magic in their classrooms, teachers who persevere, who give a part of themselves every time they teach. These teachers strive for excellence, and tirelessly work towards making every student in their class understand and experience the joy in learning. And in this journey, I have learnt a few things that I would like to share with you. Of course, your opinions may differ from mine, be sure to tell me yours! 1. I am yet to find a student who is completely incapable of doing math I make this statement after having ...

जीवन के व्यापार में, दाम लगाकर बढ़ना सीखें, दर्द छुपा मुसकाना  सीखें, सर्प का दंश पी जाना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें । बिना वजह ही हँसना सीखें, बिन मदिरा के उड़ना सीखें , बिन साथी भी जीना सीखें, गिरकर आप संभलना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें। बिन आवाज़ भी लड़ना सीखें, परिस्तिथि को अनुकूल करना सीखें, कभी उसमें ढलना भी सीखें, बिन ढोल जश्न मनाना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें। मस्तिष्क और मन का द्वंद्व हो जब, मस्तिष्क को आप जिताना सीखें, मन में जो उठे तूफ़ान, उसमें ना बह जाना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें । क्रोध और विलाप में ना हों लुप्त, ऐसा धैर्य रखना भी सीखें, प्रतिशोध की ज्वाला से, खुद को आप बचाना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें। बिखरे हो जो रिश्तों के मोती, पिरोकर माला बनानी सीखें, यदि मिले शीश झुकाकर अमोल प्रेम, अहम् भुलाकर झुकना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें। अंत नही होती एक हार, आस्था ऐसी रखनी सीखें, हरी दर्शन हो सब में ही, ऐसी प्रीत लगाना सीखें, एक हुनर ऐसा भी सीखें।

You, yes you... the one posting angry social media posts about Delhi Golf Club being classist. Does your domestic help eat in the same glossy china as you do? Who are the steel plates in your kitchen cabinet for? Oh, for the poor ones who come from outside? You never know what kind of germs they are bringing, right? What with their dismal living conditions, poor access to sanitation and hygiene, and widespread contagious diseases. Your rich visitors are clean as heaven, aren't they? Oh, and how does your brain justify to itself that ₹1000 is pocket change when you buy movie tickets, but the same amount becomes enormous if you have to pay the medical bill of one of your workers? And I'm very sure the young maid who looks after your child while you have dinner at a fancy restaurant almost never gets to enjoy a hearty portion of the same meal with you. Maybe it's just the money talking. Research claims that the richer you get, the meaner you become. Having wealth makes you...

When I first read the news of a 27-year old PhD student taking her own life at IIT-D , I felt tears prickle my eyes. I didn't know her personally, and yet I could feel the pain she might have felt, what might have compelled her to take this extreme step. I suddenly thought, "You know, this might have been me..." At that time, I didn't know that she was being harassed for dowry (as is being alleged by her parents), but I knew the kind of stress that research scholars at premier institutes are under, having been one myself. I will not make any comment about her personal life, as I'm not qualified to do that, but I definitely will highlight some issues faced by doctoral students, which, I first thought were the likely reasons for her suicide. Graduate students pursuing a doctorate degree pay a very heavy price for attaining that degree, and only someone who has been in the system can understand that. No one wants to talk about this price. It is just widely acc...

For those of you who don't know, I have also been blogging on HuffPost India. You can check out my work here . Some of my recent posts are - RECIPE: Eggless, Whole-Wheat Mango Cake For A Healthy(Ish) Treat  10 Reasons To Quit Bad Writing Today  10 Things I Learnt While Trying To Eat Healthy  If A Tweet By Sonu Nigam Can Divide Us, Then We Should Really Worry  I hope you like my work here too! Love, H

If you are a selfie enthusiast, you may have often found yourself in awkward or life-threatening situations. Here are a few precautions you must take so that you can happily pursue your adventurous pastime. 1. If you intend on taking selfies while walking, make sure you aren't heading towards the stairs or the end of the cliff. 2. If you are taking selfies while facing backwards on the escalators, take note that they might end sooner than you think. 3. To avoid being beaten up in a movie hall, please switch off the selfie flash when the lights in the hall dim. 4. Remember to gloss over the tiles behind you. Almost everyone can recognise a public bathroom. 5. When taking selfies in the shower, ensure that your naked butt isn't visible in the mirror behind you. 6. Be careful how much you contort your face. You might be resembling an animal more than yourself. 7. Employ safe practices when taking selfies in a moving car. You do not want to fall out the window or hit...