Syaahi

12/12/2023

Translating poetry comes with its own set of challenges. But whether it's lists of boredom, the slow slicing of a woman, or silent haunting, Surabhi moves in and out of the underlying volatility of three poems with biting clarity.

How does one move between languages? Surabhi Goel explores the contours of Hindi in her translations of English (and a German) poems.

12/12/2023

"Films like Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s, speeches like Amit Shah’s, tweets like Elon Musk’s, all force us into conversations men think are worth having; answering their questions and questioning their choices. These are all fundamentally boring things to do."

The life of a woman is cheap. Cheaper than movie tickets.

03/11/2022

Translated regional literature from across South Asia has rightfully and proudly taken centre-stage. But what of the less high-profile cocoons where radical and rebellious writing is taking place? Amita Chaturvedi explores how accomplished Bundelkhandi writer, Maitreyi Pushpa, tears up the region and pastes it back together in her narratives.

Read now on syaahi.in/bundeli

This article is part of our new series on marginal literary cultures in regions often unjustly collapsed with the category of ‘Hindi’.

Known as the 'urgent voice of Bundelkhand', Maitreyi Pushpa lines the path to empowering regional literature with saplings of dhau and seja.

20/04/2022

Do you know what's happening in ?

🔖 Read and share: syaahi.in/tag/global

Many of us in South Asia are often up to date with news on resistance movements from the 'Global North' but we don't know where to find reliable information about those close to us.

If we want to build solidarity and open up possibilities of learning from each other, it is important to create channels of communication with those fighting for change in and against neighbouring nation-states.

In keeping with this, Syaahi has republished various pieces from radical independent media outlets that are documenting Kazakhstan's wave of worker strikes and protests against rising poverty, unemployment, and privatization.

We have also republished an older, incisive and prescient essay by Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko on the brutal state repression in the wake of the 2011 protests, the ripples of which can be felt even today. More recently, Kostyuchenko has been blacklisted by Russia and Ukraine for reporting on the misery wrought by both sides in the ongoing war.

16/12/2021

A serious lack of publicly available information on and material access to disposable methods adversely affects those experiencing periods, especially from marginalized castes and tribes. https://syaahi.in/menstruation

Only 37% of Indian women have access to hygienic menstruation. Read to find out why.

13/12/2021

A recent paper by Usha Ram, Manas Pradhan, Sunita Patel, and Faujdar Ram revealed that only 37% of women in India practice hygienic menstruation (NFHS 2015-16). Caste and class are major obstacles to equal access to safe periods. ⬇️ Thread on their findings

The urban-rural divide was stark. Disaggregated by caste, this gap grew wider. 62.8% of women from general castes in urban areas reported using disposable methods during their periods. This number dropped to 19.3% for women from scheduled tribes in rural areas.

Regional variation was prominent. 24.1% of women in North-Eastern and 19.2% in Central regions reported using disposable methods compared to 63.4% in Southern and 45.2% in Northern regions.

Difference in levels of hygienic methods between poorest to richest household wealth quintile = 6 times as high for women from general castes (12% vs 71%) and from scheduled tribes (9% vs 58%), but 7< times for scheduled castes (10% vs 69%) and other backward classes (8% vs 66%).

Education was a strong factor in improving women’s access to safe menstruation. Only 12.2% of women with 5 or less years of schooling reported using disposable methods. With more than 12 years of education, this number jumped to over 60%.

Despite this, caste location proved to be critical. Women from general castes with 12< years of education had significantly better chances of safely menstruating (67.4%) than women from scheduled tribes with 12< years of education (52.9%).

Across the board, women were more likely to experience hygienic periods if they lived in their natal as opposed to marital homes. Could this point towards a social roadblock women face after marriage in terms of figuring out the logistics of using disposable methods?

‘Taboo’ should not be the only analytical tool used to talk about menstruation in India. A serious lack of publicly available information on and material access to disposable methods adversely affects those experiencing periods, especially from marginalized castes and tribes.

Read the entire piece: https://syaahi.in/menstruation

21/10/2021

| What ties Devdas' Chandramukhi and the first voices ever recorded for the gramophone in British India together? Swipe ➡️ to find out!

13/08/2021

"I saw open drains running throughout the settlement. Unfit to carry storm-water, these pipes get jammed and clogged. Amit mentions they were built around the same time as some buildings, half a century ago." - Himani Naidu
https://syaahi.in/dharavi/

In the megacity of dreams, survival of the poor often comes at the choice between death and debt.

12/08/2021

"In January, Amit (name changed) decided to build a plinth underneath his home which would raise it 3 feet higher, protecting it from flood damages. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) considers this illegal." - Himani Naidu

https://syaahi.in/dharavi/

In the megacity of dreams, survival of the poor often comes at the choice between death and debt.

12/08/2021

"In the megacity of dreams, survival of the poor often comes at the choice between death and debt." - Himani Naidu
https://syaahi.in/dharavi

In the megacity of dreams, survival of the poor often comes at the choice between death and debt.

06/06/2021

OBC, SC, and ST women consistently face more obstacles in accessing healthy menstrual practices.

Read the full piece here: syaahi.in/menstruation

06/06/2021

Caste and class are major determinants of whether a person has access to safe and hygienic menstruation.

Read researchers and in our latest to know more: syaahi.in/menstruation

05/06/2021

Where can they burn the pads?

Read Usha Ram and Faujdar Ram in our latest: syaahi.in/menstruation

04/06/2021

Where can they burn the pads?

Read the full piece here: syaahi.in/menstruation

03/06/2021

"Only 9% of the poorest ST women had any access to disposable absorbents. This was also true for 10% of women in the poorest SC families and 8% of the poorest OBC households." https://syaahi.in/menstruation/

Only 37% of Indian women have access to hygienic menstruation. Read to find out why.

02/06/2021

"In Siddhu Tai’s village, the subsidized cost for these was Rs. 6 per pad, of which Rs. 5 went to the Primary Health Centre and Re. 1 to the Health Worker in charge of distribution. Many girls are told by their mothers that these prices are too expensive." https://syaahi.in/menstruation/

Only 37% of Indian women have access to hygienic menstruation. Read to find out why.

01/06/2021

Menstruation is a public healthcare issue. But do all women in India have equal access to hygienic conditions? Researchers Usha Ram and Faujdar Ram write on the connection between caste, class, and shame that fuels the chasmic divide in menstrual hygiene in India: http://syaahi.in/menstruation

Only 37% of Indian women have access to hygienic menstruation. Read to find out why.

20/05/2021

With Pfizer in talks of supplying to the central government and several states floating global tenders for procurement, mRNA vaccines could soon come to India. Find out more about them in this quick read: https://syaahi.in/vaccines

Biomedical engineer Sahil Rastogi dissects myths surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, especially mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna.