Akshar

02/02/2021

Panelistis: Snehabrishti Nandi, Jahira Hossain, Rooh, Aparajita Dutta

Moderated by: Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee

09/12/2020

Greetings everyone!
I know we have been in lows for a while now but we have amazing news. We are revamping our website.

What's new?

We will be welcoming our first set of articles in Spanish and Bangla is in the pipeline as well.

More fun, more collaborations!

Stay tuned.

Admin Team:

Aparajita AJ
Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee
Sayari De

Stay safe, stay happy and keep on showering us with your love like always

27/11/2020

On the occasion of Transgender Day of Remembrance, Akshar is collaborating with No R**e India to organize a session on Corrective R**e.

Date: Mov 28, 2020.
Time: 4pm.

Panelists: Kaushik Gupta, Srabasti Majumdar, Rudra Chakraborty.

Moderator: Aparajita Dutta

Join us via zoom or follow Norapeindia on Facebook.

Zoom link:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88042220127?pwd=WXpEaVVoN0NEclg5MnBwdnMxM2x6UT09

Meeting ID: 880 4222 0127
Passcode: 880782

20/11/2020

On the occasion of Transgender Day of Remembrance, we Akshar honor the deceased and we pledge to try our best to make the world a safer place for our LGBTQ community.

Healthcare has been one of the critical issues of LGBTQ rights. So we approached academician SK Groll to talk about LGBTQ healthcare. We are honored to feature SK Groll for our special edition of Feminist Futures.
Thank you, SK and Alexandra

This is a special episode of Akshar Feminist Futures created for the occasion of Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020 featuring SK Groll. The interview has be...

19/11/2020

Our cofounder Aparajita talks about our campaign!

18/11/2020

Hello everyone!
On the occasion of Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020, we at Akshar are collaborating with Norapeindia to honor everyone from the LGBTQ community who have been victims of violence and who have been forced to leave this world. As a part of our endeavor, we are launching a social media campaign to create awareness regarding this issue so that we can resist and put an end to this violence.

Therefore, we request you to post ( write on your social media profiles or upload audio/ video) the following with the hashtags ( feel free to add your own):

I am (Your Name) from ( your place of residence). I protest violence against transgender people and the LGBTQ community. We resist. We need changes. This violence must stop.

Hashtags: ***rlivesmatter

Thank you!

02/10/2020

02/10/2020

02/10/2020

02/10/2020

02/10/2020

02/10/2020

Smilecure LIfestyle Team with our cofounder, Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee joins our Tweetathon.
Norapeindia








**eIndia

02/10/2020

Spread the word.
Twitter has gained immense importance in the political discourse. Most political leaders and their PR personnel actively engage on Twitter to build their public branding on the platform. Whether that's a good thing or not is a debate for another day, right now let's bring our voices to Twitter, where they cannot ignore it. And if they do, it's left exposed for the whole world to witness their neglect.
Enough is enough.
Let this be the final tipping point. Let this be the start of real action.
**eIndia

02/10/2020

Join the Twitter Storm Today on Gandhi Jayanti from 4p.m to 6p.m.
It is a request to everyone on behalf of Norapeindia, नारी एकता दल गोण्डा, Pari, and Akshar to make a video/ photo, blindfolding our eyes representing justice and say this:
You can choose any one of these languages or you can translate this in your own mother tongue:

English version:
“Don’t say the truth, don’t hear the truth,don’t utter the truth. I don’t want to be the second Nirbhaya, second Priyanka, second Manisha. I am the daughter of India. I demand my right to receive protection in India.”

Hindi version:
“सत्य न बोलो, सत्य न देखो, सत्य न सुनो। मैं अगली निर्भया, अगली प्रियंका, अगली मनीषा नहीं बनना चाहती। मैं हिंदुस्तान की बेटी हिंदुस्तान से अपनी सुरक्षा का हक़ मांगती हूँ।"

Bengali version:
সত্যি বল না, সত্যি শুনো না। আমি দ্বিতীয় নিরভয়া , দ্বিতীয় প্রিয়াঙ্কা, দ্বিতীয় মনীষা হতে চাইনা। আমি ভারতবর্ষের মেয়ে। ভারতবর্ষের সুরক্ষা পাওয়া আমার অধিকার।“

We have to make this video viral all over the social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.
Hashtags to be used:

Don’t forget to tag:
**eIndia

17/09/2020

Subho Mahalaya everyone!
Let's hope the power of Adi Shakti will give us the strength to defeat the patriarchy, the fascism that has engulfed our lives. Let's liberate Durga from the shackles of upper-caste Brahmanical patriarchy and let her be the Kali. Let us sing praises of the q***r power, our q***r Shakti and create a world without normativity, a world of love, a world where "binary" is a battle won.

14/09/2020

বাংলা ভাষা দিয়েছে " আন্তর্জাতিক মাতৃভাষা দিবস।"

হিন্দি দিয়েছে "হিন্দি দিবস।"

সবাইকে বলছি, সতর্ক হও,
নিজের শত্রু চিনে নাও।

Bangla gave, " International Mother tongue Day."
Hindi gave, " Hindi Day."
Know your enemy.

14/09/2020

ভারতের জাতীয় সঙ্গীত বাংলায়ে লেখা।

আমরা বাঙালি। আমরা হিন্দি বলিনা।

14/09/2020

Akshar's logo with the "ক্ষ" reinstates equality of languages. We resist the imposition of Hindi language on non-Hindi speakers. 14th September is a Black Day for us. We at Akshar will always resist and challenge such fascism.

12/09/2020

Solidarity with Dr. Maroona Murmu and Call to Action

Over the past few days, we have been disturbed by the abuse and violence faced by Dr. Maroona Murmu, Associate Professor of the Department of History, Jadavpur University. Dr. Murmu has been attacked by people belonging to upper-caste as she voiced her opinion against the current Indian education system that has declared that all examinations will be physically conducted as India takes the topmost position with the most active corona virus cases in the world. What could have become a healthy debate soon changed its flow to series of casteist attacks by Paromita Ghosh, a student of the Department of Bengali, Bethune College Kolkata. This incident is definitely not an isolated one but rather an example of the age-long oppression people faced on the basis of their caste.

One of the primary attacks against her was the caste-based Reservation System which has been a problem for many Brahminical upper-caste people who discriminate against human beings based on their identity ( in this case, caste). This caste-based Reservation System seeks to protect Dalit, Bahujans, Adivasi people and people from other marginalized communities, creating a very little space for them to embrace their identities in a world where they are lives are always under threat. Within a system that oppresses Dalits, Adivasis, Bahujans, and other minority communities socially, economically, culturally and even politically, this caste-based Reservation System has survived the institutionalization of Brahminical patriarchy and continues to support people from these marginalized communities. Attack on Dr. Maroona Murmu opens our eyes to the loopholes of our system and we cannot but ignore that even after becoming successful based on their merits, by their own diligence, scholars like Dr. Murmu has to undergo such trauma because of being born into a caste which was not even within her control. What’s more shocking is that such threats came from a student who had the audacity to disrespect a teacher on the first place and also from a discipline (Bengali), that falls under Humanities and Social Science and is supposed to promote social justice.

We, Team Akshar condemn this attack on Dr. Marrona Murmu and stand in solidarity with her. We believe this is the time to take action against this on-going abuse and violence on Dalit, Adidavsi, Bahujans and people from other marginalized communities. This is a time to rise and advocate for policy changes to protect our people from such violence and also encourage more representation from Dalit and other minority communities in every sphere of work.

For more information on the incident, read: https://www.dalitcamera.com/maroona-murmu-petition-to-national-st-commission/?fbclid=IwAR3uu0eORIKUbX_PkXFcHEAnFpmIEh8XLyj-c3lyQOTR1SDl_C4j_76kElw

.Murmu

07/09/2020

https://akshar.blog/2020/09/07/post-377-and-q***r-futures/
Our official statement on post 377 era.

The existence of LGBTQ community in our Indian culture dates back to ancient times with references in K**a Sutra and other ancient Indian texts. Ruth Vanita, in the Introduction to her book, Q***ri…

06/09/2020

On this day of 6th September, we at Akshar salute the struggles of everyone who fought to establish justice. We celebrate the legacy of those who sacrificed for us. However, we also understand that the struggle is not over yet. With the ongoing violence against our LGBTQ community, we believe that we need to continue our resistance and push towards changes ( social, economic, legal and political) in order to establish a safe space for everyone where human beings will not be discriminated and abused based on their identity. Let us celebrate the colors of the rainbow and let us celebrate love in resistance.

05/09/2020

Saturday is here and of course, we too!
As our battle against the pandemic continues, let us remind you, corona isn't just the only threat to our bodies. Vitamin D deficiency can give you trouble you can't ever imagine! Let's hear from our very own health expert Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee
https://akshar.blog/2020/09/04/vitamin-d-deficiecy-what-you-need-to-know/

Okay! Enough of health gyan. Come with me and enjoy your weekend with Aparajita's very own mango salsa and Suchita's sangria. Our mango salsa can fulfill your gourmet needs:
https://akshar.blog/2020/09/04/mango-salsa/ -775

And while you enjoy your salsa, let's talk!! Have you felt tired of hearing men's clothes and women's clothes? Isn't it frustrating? I mean why such binary divide? We have such a varied spectrum and why do we have to restrain ourselves in the boring binary?
Our fav fashionista Rudra Chakraborty takes you a trip to the wonderful world of nonbinary fashion. Read: https://akshar.blog/2020/09/04/fashion-to-enby-or-not-to-enby/
Kudos to our powerful team !!

Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Suchita Mukherjee Atreyee ChakrabortyDebarati Guha Sarah Ahamed Rudra Chakraborty , পারমিতা বোস , Kolaj, Swarnava, and Aparajita 🙂
Enjoy your weekend! ❤

Fashion: To Enby or Not To Enby They say, fashion is a popular aesthetic expression at a specific time and space, and in a specific context. They also say, wear something which makes you feel prett…

02/09/2020

Open Call For Submitting Photos/ ছবি পাঠানোর প্রকাশ্য আহ্বান (বাংলা অনুবাদ নিচে)

Hello everyone,
The Kolkata Rainbow Carnival team is meaning to commemorate the second anniversary of partial decriminalisation of sec 377. As much as we must celebrate decriminalization by the state, we must continue the fight for civil rights and liberties according to the constitution.
On that note we are inviting submissions in the form of pictures voicing your demands from the state using a one liner hastag only. Go ahead, grab your cameras and click a picture of yourself holding a placard and voice your demands in form of hashtag. We look forward to weave all of it in a post that shall be our voice of resistance and victory.

Deadline of Submission: 2nd September, 2020 (11:59 PM)

Link to submit photos: https://forms.gle/UeSUU17jSvs8T9ps8

সকলকে নমস্কার ,

কলকাতা রেইনবো কার্নিভাল আগামী সপ্তাহে ভারতীয় দণ্ডবিধির ৩৭৭ ধারা আংশিক বাতিল হওয়ার দ্বিতীয় বর্ষপূর্তি উদযাপনের কথা ভাবছে। দুজন প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক মানুষের সম্মতিক্রমে সম্পর্কে যাওয়া আইনত নিরপরাধ হওয়ার বিষয়টি উদযাপনের পাশাপাশি, সাধারণ নাগরিক হিসেবে অধিকার এবং স্বাধীনতার জন্য আমাদের লড়ে যেতে হবে।

৩৭৭ ধারা পরবর্তী সময়ে আপনি কি রাষ্ট্রের থেকে কোন নাগরিক অধিকারের দাবি করছেন তা আপনারা আমাদের নিজেদের একটি ফোটোর মাধ্যমে জানান। চটপট একটি প্ল্যাকার্ড ধরে নিজের ছবি তুলুন এবং প্ল্যাকার্ডে আপনার মতামত হ্যাশট্যাগের মাধ্যমে লিখে পাঠান। আমরা এই ছবিগুলিকে একটি পোস্টে একত্রিত করব এবং আমাদের, প্রতিরোধ এবং বিজয়ের ধ্বনি সুদৃঢ় করব।

ছবি পাঠানোর সময়সীমা : ২রা সেপ্টেম্বর , ২০২০ ( রাত ১১:৫৯)

ছবি পাঠানোর লিঙ্ক: https://forms.gle/nJPuBHx431QL8hBS7

29/08/2020

We are back again. Are y'all ready to read our powerful pieces?
This week, let's redecorate our homes in easy, affordable styles. Atreyee Chakraborty tells you how:

https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/home-decor/

Now that your comfort corner is all set up. let's think about the situation we are in right now: socially, politically and economically.

Swarnava Bishnu reveals the dark side of the Hindu nationalism that has brainwashed us into becoming fascists. Read their article here:
https://akshar.blog/blog/opinion/breaking-the-glass-ceiling/

By the time you have finished reading our article and probably have labelled us as "anti-nationals" and "Muslim appeasers," and perhaps thinking of telling us to go to Pakistan, here we have our very own Sarah Ahmed critiquing the practice of Hijab in her community:
https://akshar.blog/blog/look-n-feel/freedom-of-fashion/

Think. Read. Subscribe. Share. Participate.
Wishing y'all a very productive and powerful weekend.

Photo Courtesy: New York Post To Hijab or Not to Hijab From veiled Barbie to Scarf clad women in diversity programs, Hijab is gaining popularity and a global recognition. Today’s Muslim women…

22/08/2020

Don't lose heart if you couldn't save your first plant. Aparajita AJ writes about the simple things that are essential to your success as a succulent parent.
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/gardening-greenthumbs/


Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Suchita Mukherjee

22/08/2020

If you're stuck at home and are looking for a culinary challenge that won't be too tedious, look no further! Aparajita AJ has the perfect recipe for you...and who doesn't want to bite into piping hot delicious Jilipis after 45 minutes of cooking?
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/taste-of-the-universe/



Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Suchita Mukherjee

22/08/2020

While our physical activity has been limited in this pandemic-ridden world, Kolaj Sengupta tells us how important movements and motions are to our being and how you can achieve that through martial arts.
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/health/


Aparajita AJ Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Suchita Mukherjee

Movement, Motion & Martial Arts What was the first thing on earth that you did? Anyone? Yes? No? Okay. So, the most primal we did was to move. Yes. Remember the delivery scene from 3 Idiot…

22/08/2020

Have you watched POSE yet? If not you're missing out! Read about Deeptish Mukherjee's take on POSE and how the show packs in education with entertainment and makes it a seamless experience.
LIVE. WORK. POSE!

https://akshar.blog/blog/opinion/culture-critiques/


Netflix Pose FX MJ Rodriguez Indya Adrianna Moore Billy Porter
Aparajita AJ Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Suchita Mukherjee

22/08/2020

Hello y'all !!
We are back with some amazing articles this week!

Our review of POSE and a lot of unlearning with Deeptish Mukherjee:
https://akshar.blog/blog/opinion/culture-critiques/

Keep the game going with some movement with Kolaj and his martial arts:
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/health/

Aparajita shares her succulent tips and jilipi recipes with you:
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/gardening-greenthumbs/
https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/taste-of-the-universe/

Kudos to our wonderful team Suchita Mukherjee, Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee, Aparajita Dutta, Deeptish Mukherjee, Kolaj Sengupta, Debarati Guha and Atreyee Chakraborty!

Read, share and stay safe

Jilipi: ‘Nuff Said For a Bengali, jilipi or sugar swirls resonate with a lovely chat (adda) with tea and singara (stuffed bread). This is one of the easiest of the Bengali sweets I have ever …

22/08/2020

22/08/2020

Hello everyone!
We are changing our publishing cycle starting THIS WEEK! Instead of Monday 9AM IST, we will be publishing new articles on our website on Saturdays 9PM IST.
And you know what that means?
NEW ARTICLES ARE COMING TODAY!!!
Check out https://akshar.blog/ every Saturday 9PM IST to catch up on what we've been writing up at Akshar!



Suchita Mukherjee Aparajita AJ Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee Debarati Guha Atreyee Chakraborty Diparati Sen

The Ezine

17/08/2020

Sanjhbati writes:
"While the Prime Minister praised those associated with the sector, describing their work as “India’s vibrant handloom and handicraft” and emphasised on , the countrymen were kept shrouded from the same government’s drastic decision of taking down the AIHB. Love for local crafts was made into a trending hashtag while the entire sector was being crushed under capitalist motives."

Read more on saving our local Indian handloom at:
https://akshar.blog/blog/look-n-feel/freedom-of-fashion/

Photo Courtesy: Sanjhbaati – biggest Fascist Farce in recent times Backdrop: British ruled India, early 1900s Native Indian handlooms were being forcefully shut down while the East In…

17/08/2020

There has been a lot of debates surrounding Zomato India's period leave policy. So the three of us, founders of Akshar came together to talk about this issue.
"We at Akshar stand in firm solidarity with period leaves and the advocacy of menstrual leaves in every field of work."

Read more:
https://akshar.blog/blog/opinion/breaking-the-glass-ceiling/

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com “Managing” Menstruation Zomato’s new menstrual leave policy unveiled last week has given rise to a heated debate about implications that this policy mig…

13/08/2020

https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/taste-of-the-universe/ Weekend is coming and the bars are closed. Don't worry. Here's our recipe of sangria to spice up your weekend.

Sangria for the Soul Sangria isn’t just wine, Sangria isn’t a cocktail, Sangria is an emotion. Okay, I’m hoping that the cringe did not drive most of the readers away. But to be honest, it holds tr…

12/08/2020

Knatha stitched sarees are always a treasure of our wardrobes and you don't have to be necessarily a Bengali to appreciate the delicate stitches and the creativity that goes with them. Here's our fashionista Sanjhbaati telling us the story of Knatha.

Read more at:

https://akshar.blog/blog/look-n-feel/freedom-of-fashion/

Threads of Rarh Rarh– do we remember this word from our middle school geography books? The land of red soil, the land reigned by Ajay, Mayurakshi, Subarnarekha and Damodar, the land of “Kanth…

11/08/2020

We at Akshar believe that self-care is a vital ingredient to stay happy. A healthy body is a happy mind.

That's why, one of our founders, Sulagna Mukherjee Chatterjee has written about immunity boosting drinks that you can make easily at home and protect yourself from the coronavirus.
Read more:

https://akshar.blog/blog/self-care/health/

Image Courtesy: Immunity Boosters during Pandemic We’re going through a terrible time never before known to us, a pandemic caused by the dreadful Coronavirus. We need to take care of ourselve…

10/08/2020

10/08/2020

10/08/2020

Finally the wait is over and we present to you, our labor of love, the stage of co-existence, the space to be yourself !!
We look forward to having y'all with us in our journey.
Do let us know your reviews :)
Thank you !
Team Akshar!

The Ezine