Students Archives

A New Emergency: Is India In the Middle of a Massive Education Crisis?

India is saddled with an education system that is a vestige of Britain’s industrial revolution, which churns out efficient workers, not innovative thinkers. If analyses from UNICEF and NASSCOM are to be believed, the bulk of our graduates are unemployable. We’re a country desperately in need of education reforms.

Deepak Gopalakrishnan July 27, 2016

POV

Why ICSE Schools Deserve a C Minus

Fancy English-medium schools peddle stuff like “global methods” and “an international outlook”, which are admittedly nice things to hear, but leave you helpless if you get accosted by a traffic cop. My supposedly superior schooling failed to make me fluent in local languages. Or in dealing with bureaucracy.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 15, 2016

First Person

Healing in the Age of Agitation: How the Constant Protests and Tension in Delhi Affected My Mental Health

For students of JNU, the past couple of months have been full of despair. The protests meant we had to give up on our routine student life. Then on Jan 5, masked goons attacked us. The horror of that day lingers on. I’ve had sleepless nights and after a point could not bear to see images of bleeding students.

Paro Tomar June 12, 2016

Culture

Open House Day: When Teachers Turn Into Monsters

For students who’ve just got their results, Open House Day or the final PTA meeting is that time of the year when the teachers snitch on the students. This dreaded occasion goes by many names, such as Dard-e-Diwas, Yellallympics, or, as Terminator fans would say, Judgement Day.

Nihal Bambulkar June 4, 2016

First Person

Why Leaving Campus Reminds Me of an Amicable Divorce

Graduating from college, if you’ve lived on campus, is like a bittersweet parting, like a divorce. You love its positivity, but you know it’s over. You know that everything has an expiry date.

Aastha Anupriya June 4, 2016

POV

Why Do Indians Love Giving Free Advice?

We are born completely useless and need to be taught everything. Unless you’re Indian. Then the art of giving free advice is one of those skills that comes naturally to you. But why do Indians love giving advice so much? And how many really follow their own?

Ramjaane June 2, 2016

Gender

Kerala HC’s Ruling Against Sexist Hostel Rules Has Shown the Way. Time for All Our Universities to Follow

The Kerala High Court recently upheld that women students have the same freedoms as men. The implications of these college rules go far beyond the campus. It goes against the understanding that the potential of young women is up for sacrifice without a second thought, as long as we can keep them in line.

Kahini Iyer May 23, 2016

First Person

I Was Born a Hindu and I Went to Jamia. What Will You Label Me?

“Jamia is a hot-bed for radicalising kids.” When I went to study at Jamia Millia Islamia, my family contended with several deep-seated biases. But that is not the Jamia I know. The Jamia I know is full of grace and tact; a place where students will come out and clean the road at the end of a protest, even after teargas shells have been lobbed.

Anisha Saigal May 19, 2016

POV

Dear Indian Parents, Your Kids are Not Your Retirement Plan

The idea of children becoming their parents’ retirement plan, is seeded somewhere in the idea of parents being education sponsors of their children. Toxic codependency has become a habit we desperately need to kick.

Kavya J May 15, 2016

Modern Family

How To Survive a Long-Distance Relationship with Your Parents

Nobody told me that moving out of the house would mean enduring a long-distance relationship with my extremely inquisitive parents. Mom calls me every day at 7.30 am to gossip about the neighbours. Dad, in a pretence at being fake-casual cool, pings to find out what am I up to after work.

Shreya Ramakrishnan May 4, 2016