In Search of a Long Lost True Calling 2.00

2022-01-09T16:00:00.012+05:30

Dear readers, followers, friends or accidental visitors,

Hi from Swati,

Those of you who have followed this blog earlier, have noticed that I unpublished most of the content posted on this blog, about 3 years ago. That was done intentionally. I started this blog in the beginning of year 2010.

Background of the earlier version of the posts on this blog

In December 2018 I published a kindle book of poems "Cogitating the Emotional", from my English poems posted on this blog before that time. Publishing Kindle books of my poems in Marathi and Hindi took a little longer. But those poems are now available in "भावनात्मचिंतन" (मराठी कविता) and "दिल की‌ गहराई से" (हिंदी कविता, as kindle books. These books were published in October 2021. Second kindle book of my English poems, "Locked in Thinking Out" was published in December 2021. As the title suggests, those poems were written during the pandemic period which officially began around end of February 2020 and it still is not over.

When I made this blog, in the beginning, I chose a title, "In Search of a Long Lost True Calling" , to put on record the poems I would write. Before making of this blog, I rarely kept them properly. The reason for me making this blog, to write poems is very personal. I realized that by not bothering to keep my poems properly, I am symbolically causing self-harm, not fulfilling my full potential. That, apart from being someone who loves to teach Economics as a gainful employment, I also love to read poems. Since childhood have written them as well. But I always remained a poetess in a closet. Making this blog, to post my poems was me claiming my ability to make poems. It was an act of self-loving, to feel sensitively and express my thoughts, my politics.

Rationale for new version

Now, I am used to express as a poet. I feel very comfortable in that skin. I have decided to follow another true calling which has always expressed itself in my behavior, in my teaching, though, usually indirectly. The part of me who is interested in bringing out contradictions, hypocrisies rampant in our daily living. They appear because of the hierarchical, hegemonic nature of our social upbringing. The part of me which notices and is disturbed by injustices. I would like to express about this part in the new version of this blog.

From childhood we are trained to safely ignore the injustices. The acts of dominations we perform. We take those actions as our right. That we are not doing anything wrong.

Privileges, we don't acknowledge

There are the set of privileges bestowed upon us, as educated, upper class, upper caste, middle / upper income, people who easily fit in gender binaries and never had to feel guilty about their sexual orientation. Baggage of such social identities make us often ignore our 'normal' actions. We rarely acknowledge the influence of our hegemonic privileges. Our privileges deeply influence our thinking, and our actions.

I am self-aware of the privileges bestowed upon me. A woman born in an upper caste middle income Hindu family, who received education till post-graduation all expenses paid by her parents and which was highly subsidized by the government of India. I also enjoy a big privilege of having a gainful employment for last 25 years.

Yet, circumstances in my life and my political choices apart from my training in Economics, made me realize these privileges. Empathetic understanding of the deprivations of the people from lower socio-economic strata made me introspect on how I use my privileges. I have so far done this only in my personal life, while speaking with anyone in person, i.e., only with people I get a chance to meet with, communicate with.

Increasingly hegemonic, non-inclusive times

Current socio-economic, political situation in India is becoming increasingly hegemonic, extremely hierarchical and far from being inclusive. As a result, I have decided to use this blog space to comment about issues of caste, class, religion, as they worsen the deprivations of the people left out by so called 'mainstream' discussion.

I am well aware of the multiple sources of such voices of the voiceless. There are many platforms for promotion of human rights. NGO's and academic writers researching on deprivations and who defend more inclusive public policy. Yet, to be honest with myself, as part of pursuing self-actualization, self-love, I commit my self to this new version of my blog, "In Search of a Long Lost True Calling, 2.00".

In this version of the blog, posts shall be about pain of the deprived, critical understanding of fallacies being propagated as wisdom. This new version of the blog will not be restricted to poems.

There would be photographs, texts or videos of the interviews of the privileged as well as under-privileged. Some sort of case-studies or reporting of incidences which question our sensibilities. There would be essays about issues which demand our attention.

I shall not restrict myself to express in the form of poems alone. The side of me, which has always been interested in promoting rational, evidence based, understanding of the world around me. Questioning the existing norms, scrutinizing their validity towards promoting justice, has always been a part of me. My another true calling. I intend to follow this calling in this version of the blog.

Thank you.

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In Search of a Long Lost True Calling! 2.00

In Search of a Long Lost True Calling 2.00

Dear readers, followers, friends or accidental visitors,

Hi from Swati,

Background of the earlier version of the posts on this blog

Rationale for new version

Privileges, we don't acknowledge

Increasingly hegemonic, non-inclusive times

Thank you.

End of the Post