Wokal Digital Magazine Issue 18 April 2022

Jaipur Literature Festival

How To Wage A War ft. Words

CARAVAN: Featuring Zehra Naqvi

e r u t a r e t i L SPECIAL

EDITION!

CONTENTS

08 Does Literature Isolate? Or Do We?

16 The Dawn of Grey Clouds on Children's Literature

23 Libraries Around The World

32 Caravan: Featuring Zehra Naqvi

04 How To Wage A War ft. Words

10 5 Books That Wreak(ed) Havoc With Their Existence

19 Upcoming Book Releases

28 Jaipur Literature Festival

45 Choose Your Fate

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CONTENTS

57

52 Enactus: KMC

Wokal's Poetry Competition Winner

61 Are You a Writer?

69 Let Your Kohl Do the Talking!

78 Almanac

58 Separating the Art and the Artist

65 How Fashion Advocates for a Fictional Character

74 To All the Books I Am Yet to Love

83 Credits

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HOW TO Wage A War ft.

By Samiah Anjum

WO RDS

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Nay, keepeth thy sword in thy hilts, for tis, not a war we seek. What we seek hither art secrets as to wherefore oh wherefore words art mightier than the bodkin.

Ahem.

It is amazing how writing a few words in a certain way can make me feel dramatic as all hell, while at the same time altering your inner voice to sound like this.

Okay, I am having a little too much fun with this.

I always find it fascinating that words written in a certain way invoke different emotions and inner voices. Mere letters put together in a random order can invoke sadness, happiness, anger, exhaustion…

That’s way more than a sword can do. A sword can stab and kill you.

Words can linger and shape you while you still live.

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Did you hear the thunder in the background?

We have always known that words have an impact. We are taught the “golden” words please, sorry, and thank you right from kindergarten, and phrases such as “Words once spoken can never be taken back.”

Yet, the knowledge that these random collection of sounds can essentially in a second change your life does not make going through it any less earth-shattering. I believe that every time we come across a collection of words that makes us stop for a moment, we change the entire course of our lives. It doesn’t matter where those words come from; they can be a gallant declaration of ardent admiration and love in a book to make you weak kneed, or they can make you feel the pain of a man who had a speech but he’s speechless after his proposal has been rejected in a song, words alter your soul little by little.

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The way the words are presented though, especially in written media, is very interesting. The pacing of the sentences, the font, the font style – all of it contributes to your inner voice pulling you out of the world you live in and immersing you in wherever the book is based in. The way I write this sentence sounds a certain way in your head, but the way I write this sentence sounds different. All because of an italicized word. I can change it around and all of the resulting lines would sound different to you. And if I start writing like this without any break or pause between the words as if I am in a rush and need to get somewhere and also am a little frantic because what if I get there late…

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BREATHE. BREATHE. BREATHE. Heh. Sorry about that.

Except if it didn’t work. Then I just look like an idiot.

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But coming back to the uselessly twisted reference to “the pen is mightier than the sword” in the beginning of the article, words leaving such a huge impression on our souls is absolutely mightier than any marks a sword can leave on the body. Which is why, words should be the ultimate weapon for warfare. Let us all write angry letters to each other and then meet for a big verbal showdown.

Authors choose winner. They can write books about it later. History would be fun.

What? Just because I used big words in the article doesn’t mean I would make sense in the end.

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DOES LITERATURE ISOLATE? OR, DO WE?

By Aarzoo Kumar

Literature and art, especially that which is obscure or abstract, often gets a bad reputation as it is perceived as pretentious. Well, why is that so?

Not to get extremely granular or nitpicky, but literature in essence is a form that depicts life or is inspired by life to then further make its reader perceive or understand their own reality differently.

This is why the need for representation of people from all walks of life is important for us to understand each other as part of society better.

However, recently the trend that literature is read, understood and appreciated only by the elite or greatly qualified has been catching up. This is incredibly alarming, for it is a wildly harmful trend. It gatekeeps people from seeking solace, community and knowledge.

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We often hear that ‘art is subjective’ and that ‘poetry enriches each individual differently’.

However, at the same time, somewhere we left these beliefs behind and conflated it with ‘oh, well if this is not your interpretation then you got it wrong’ instead.

We have begun pushing people to read between the lines. Yet, only read and look for the one particular intended absolute truth.

When in reality there is no such thing. In fact, it ruins the excitement of discussion and differences in opinions. Moreover, this causes readers to hesitate before picking up a certain book due to the fear that they might not grasp it as well as others. This perception has reduced the beauty of literature.

We often hear that authors like Murakami or Orwell write intricately layered books. This is true but the scoffing at those who do not peel down all the layers is what is immature. It stops people from reading them entirely. ‘I might not get it’ has become a common fear.

Yet, through personal experience, I can say Murakami’s writing is like going up and down a rollercoaster while being intoxicated even if you don’t fully grasp what is going on. Animal farm is about the Russian revolution but even if you read it without that knowledge, you would take away the message of how power corrupts.

It's about time we put an end to stopping people from reading nuanced and complex texts by instilling the fear of not understanding them fully in them. Everyone can enjoy the same text differently. Literature should not be consumed by the elite but by the masses. We identify with characters and circumstances and learn from them. No two people come from the same circumstance or have experienced life in the same way and therefore there is no way a text will be understood the same by two individuals.

Lastly, we must celebrate authors like bell hooks, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and many others who write simply. Authors that make their work accessible to all by straying away from jargon help demystify literature and encourage people to indulge in it.

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I present to you 5 works of literature that destroyed the conventional society and, in some instances, even caused a revolution.

These are some of the most pathbreaking, insightful, and exciting pieces of work that we as a society have come by to remind us of what powerful literature can truly be.

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By Mitula Sai Subramanian

4 out of 5 of these authors are women.

Fun fact

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1. “Ninety-Five Theses” by Martin Luther For long, the Roman Catholic was the only dominant branch of Christianity. Martin Luther, who despised the elitist Catholicism, wrote a scholarly debate titled “Ninety-Five Theses” advocating against the same. This fell into the hands of printing houses and the book spread across Europe like wildfire. Martin Luther became the world’s first best-selling author. Minor achievements include damaging the Church’s ego by igniting a revolution known as “Reformation” that led to the creation of Protestantism.

“Injury is done to the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word.”

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2. “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins If you do not know Hunger Games, then you’re most probably living under a rock.

This young adult dystopian series broke barriers – it has a powerful woman as its protagonist and was set in a nightmarishcapitalistic world where people including children of the Districts (the poor) were sent out to compete in “The Hunger Games” as a form of entertainment for the filthy rich Capitol to get food supplies. Extremely sickening, but also very reminiscent of our very own society. It changed the literary scene by having a powerfully-orchestrated critique of capitalism with action-packed events carried out by a female protagonist.

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3. “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir I got the chance to read this book for one of my college electives and it’s an understatement to say that it’s a masterpiece. “The Second Sex” is philosophical and dives into the embodiment of women, their predefined roles in society, and what it means to be secondary in a world dominated by men. On its release, the book furthered the second wave of feminism. Truly revolutionary for our time.

"When she does not find love, she may find poetry."

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4. “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” by Cho Nam-joo The bestseller is about an ordinary woman and her experiences in life. A life where her mother had to apologise for giving birth to a girl, a life where she has to give up on many things simply because she is a woman.

Especially in a socially conservative society like Korea, it received tons of backlash and many celebrities like Irene (from Red Velvet) and RM (from BTS) were blacklisted on male communities for having read this book.

It pushed the #MeToo and many other feminist movements in South Korea. The backlash only makes it more iconic.

“What do you want from us?

The dumb girls are too dumb, the smart girls are too smart, and the average girls are too unexceptional?"

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5. “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood The novel is set in a futuristic world where women are reduced to reproductive machines for the elites of the society. The book was inspired by socio-political moments of the 1980s when right-wing conservatist policies where at a level high. Today, the politicising abortion, debating of women’s right etc., are all reducing women’s capacity to reproduction, just like in the novel. In 1985, this book was met with displeasure. Now, protests in America see women donning similar clothing to that of the novel and chanting words from the same to deplore the government. Mission accomplished, albeit late.

“Don't let the bastards grind you down.”

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The Dawn of Grey Clouds

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On Children's Literature

Written by Meghna Andrews Children's publishing is unlike adults’ publishing. Adult publishing establishes an intensively personal bond between the writer and the reader, whereas in children's publishing there is a collaborative effect between the writer, editor, illustrator, teachers, parents, and the young readers.

The cultural space is defined by all the participants and complicating the issue further is the fact that when children learn to read, they already possess many literacies, to begin with, and these literacies are derived from pop culture since every community has its rich pop infancy, be it urban or rural, irrespective of class or economics. Born out of a narrative desire at an individual and collective level, according to psychoanalytic terminology, we can understand that this is a response to a series of deep drives, anxieties and desires in our subconscious minds.

The stories we hear repeatedly are the same roots in pop culture, literature, and art. The most general observance is narrative fantasy.

They are mostly gendered narratives that explained why certain types express to certain genders. Whatever their cultural background, we as humans, naturally incline to fictionmaking and pop culture since its inception, address the desire and conflicts of sexual identity.

The very basic narrative of children's desires is exploited by a cultural industry that vastly churns out every form of toy games and movies and so on. These media heads and businesses tap into children's need for narrative fantasy.

Cutting back any relevant cultural relevance for children, these strong narratives have completely been globalized. One can only think of Disney, Barbie, Power Rangers, etc. to see

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how far this phenomenon has crept. Sadly, pop culture has become a culture of consumption, and there lies the danger.

If pop culture is the response to narrative desires, however crude and clumsy, literature is the answer at a more imaginative level, literature offers a world of various texts, a creative bed of mediation, phenomenal transformation, imagination, and resistance. If done right and if included such themes in children's books, the very roots to grasp and learn are otherworldly.

Books can challenge rigidity and offer the space for children to imagine and ask questions. Unfortunately, Indian children's books do not offer much space.

This urgent plea should and must be taken into consideration by publishers, teachers, writers and parents. They must be educated about pop culture and the role it plays in children's lives, and act as a mediator between these two spaces. To box these influences against each other would again lead to a loss of valuable lessons and hinder a child's growing experience.

With the growing influence of the culture industry in a world marked by globalization on one side and polarization on the other, children are constantly subjected to conflicting and confusing messages about values and attitudes.

Across the country, we see how political power is trying to exert moral and social control over children by pushing a clearly defined agenda through textbooks and the school curriculum.

We are at a critical point in our history where we need to create truly contemporary literature for our children. That literature, in my view, should borrow and recreate all that is happening around us whether it is popular culture, theatre, folk performances, dance, music, traditional and modern literary styles, etc. for better and to recover from worse.

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Books can challenge rigidity and offer a space for children to imagine and ask questions.

Unfortunately, Indian children's books do not offer much space.

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Awaited Releases Books To Be Read

By Saleen

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Are you looking for a new book to read right now? For the past two years people have been forced to limit their outdoor activities and turn to books, whether it’s e-books, audiobooks or classics. Reading has been shown to be an effective tool for combating isolation. And, since this is the month we celebrate World Book Day on April 23rd, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the value of reading.

When was the last time you updated your book collection? You can relax knowing that everything is under control. Readers are already excited about the upcoming releases in 2022. So, let's get started on the list of books to add to your TBR.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover: set to release in October 2022 After taking over bookstagram recommendations and making to the TBR of every reader, Hoover is set to wow us all again with the sequel to bestseller It Ends with Us.

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Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors

by Aravind Jayan:

set to release in July 2022

The bittersweet comedy novel has already piqued the interest of readers by providing insight into contemporary Indian society and the online generation.

Authorized Biography of Ratan Tata by Dr. Thomas Mathew set to release in Nov 2022

The biography chronicles the 84-year-old industrialist Ratan Tata’s life and details about the events such as Tata’s Nano project. It is highly anticipated as Tata is one of the most influential personalities of our times.

When Women were Dragons

by Kelly Barnhill: set to release in May 2022

Spanning decades, this fantasy novel traces the events before and after the Mass Dragoning of 1955 where women became dragons and left a trail of destruction.

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Be A Triangle by Lilly Singh: set to release in April 2022

After teaching us How to be a Bawse, Lilly Singh now instructs us to Be a Triangle with her upcoming book about finding your truest self. Her signature style of insightful yet funny is highly awaited.

These were some of the year's most anticipated books, chosen based on their popularity on Goodreads and other sites. Make a point of adding books from your favourite genres and replenishing your book shelf with all of the new collections.

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LIBRARIES

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around the WORLD

you most absolutely and definitely should Visit!

By Mitula Sai Subramanian

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Admont Abbey, Austria

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1

The Admont Abbey library is the largest monastic library in the world and is located on the banks on Enns River in Admont, Austria. If you’re intrigued by scriptures, religious texts and much more, this is the place to go. But mostly, it is extremely beautiful and adorned with out of the world paintings and marble pieces. It’s the perfect Instagram spot for folks looking for a spiritual-historic church aesthetic, if that even makes sense.

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John Ryland’s Library,

Manchester, England, UK

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2

Harry Potter fans, this is your space! The architecture is reminiscent of Hogwarts with its majestic grandeur and dark academia and neo-gothic vibe.

Its reading room is just the same as the one shown in Harry Potter movies that it will literally give you goosebumps. If you’re in Manchester, dropping by this mysterious yet familiar space is a must, especially when the entry is free.

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Tianjin Binhai Library, Tianjin, China

3

This modern, contemporary, and futuristic library is located in China and nicknamed “The Eye” because it looks like an eye from the outside. It is not only a library but also has reading rooms, meeting offices and exists as a social space for many kinds of interactions.

Pretty cool for just hanging out, even if you’re a nonreader.

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Trinity College Old Library, Dublin, Ireland

It’s so pretty. Literally. I’m speechless. My inner dark academia lover is popping out and I’m loving it. The Gothic architecture will make you want to spend your entire day reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and to aimlessly flounder around the huge space. A huge win for anti-socials to bask in the reverence of its existence.

4

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LITERATURE FESTIVAL

By Aarzoo Kumar

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I suppose the most interesting of articles probably don’t begin with disclaimers. However, consider this an anomaly because before we delve into discussing the wonderful Jaipur Literature Festival 2022, I’d say it’s impossible to explore it all in one article. The festival literally had 240 events both offline and online with well over 500 speakers. Cut me some slack, dear reader, this is just my experience.

Now, that my guilt of not being thorough has been removed by that disclaimer, I will start by addressing those that assume JLF is a festival for nerds. Well, to you, my friend, I’d say nerds are a blast to be around and your judgment is withholding you from fun. Trust a nerd to show you a fun yet educating time. My judgement is your blissfully ignorant self probably needs it.

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JLF was as much of a dream as I had anticipated if not more. There were four events taking place at the same time and attendees could pick and choose which one they wanted to attend. After the panels I attended on the first day, I found myself answering friends and family who asked me how the festival is going in one sentence. I said, “Well, men are on panels discussing mental health, women are on panels discussing the nature of marital rape and both are on panels discussing politics”. This statement itself gives you an immediate insight into how that whole event felt like a microcosm for a happier country and even a happier world that we aspire for.

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Now, I’m sure you would like to know the juicy details about some panels. So, I’ll start by telling you my favourite ones. Of course, little can beat Shashi Tharoor talking about the political climate of the country and stating “An India that denies some of us, will soon deny all of us”. Yet, numerous other panels gave him good competition.

Panels with Neena Gupta and Manoj Bajpayee as you can assume were crowd favourites.

A particular panel called ‘The Courage to Laugh’ was hosted by Saket Suman. Here, Suman conversed with Roy Phoenix and Soumya Gupta. Gupta was promoting her book that celebrated ‘Indianness’ whereas Phoenix had published a political satire on India (since its satire, he insisted it was presumably India not explicitly). The clash between these two opposing ideologies made for a great thoughtprovoking conversation for both sides.

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The highlight for me was seeing numerous feminist conversations take place via both women and men panelists.

Many conversations took place in Hindi, Urdu and poetry was read out in other regional languages as well.

This is precisely why I called the fest a microcosm for a better society right at the beginning.

One panel that I heard about later from other attendees and deeply regretted missing was ‘The World that Belongs to Us’. It had Akhil Katyal, Meena Kandasamy in conversation with Mandira Nayar.

Here, they discussed poetry, the LGBTQ+ community and how other socially oppressive divisions especially caste divisions permeate into the queer community as well. Yes, I’m beyond sad for having missed this conversation. I will wait for it to be uploaded online sometime soon hopefully.

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I think the fest did a great job at housing people who politically aligned differently and starting conversations between the two.

This is incredibly rare in an age of social media echo-chambers and news anchors that insist drowning people’s voices by screaming over them is debating (let’s not take any names because ‘THIS IS MY SHOARTICLE’). Moreover, while they had Shashi Tharoor on numerous panels, they also had Smriti Irani.

The crowd was allowed to pose questions towards the end of the panels as well.

Lastly, while this is somewhat separate from JLF, I thought the music stage performances that took place in the evenings were beautiful and worth mentioning.

I’d suggest if you are even slightly inclined towards classical and folk music to look up the artists that performed at JMS.

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CARAVAN e r e a h s o t Stories

FEATURING ZEHRA NAQVI, AUTHOR OF THE RELUCTANT MOTHER

After we had been squealing with excitement for weeks, the day finally came when we interviewed author, journalist and teacher, Zehra Naqvi.

In the backdrop of a best seller taking the writing community by storm, she spoke to us about her book, The Reluctant Mother, feminism, motherhood, love and more. Here’s the interesting conversation (minus the embarrassment and Aabiyah mixing up our names), conducted by editor and co-founder, Aabiyah Zehra (AZ) and executive editors Samiah Anjum (SA) and Sara Jamshed Siddiqui (SJS).

BY SARA SIDDIQUI, SAMIAH ANJUM AABIYAH ZEHRA PHOTO: AABIYAH ZEHRA

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SJS: We know that you started out as an economics major in college. So, how did you end up becoming a journalist and now an author?

ZN: When I was in 12th standard, I had decided that I wanted to be a journalist.

My college did not offer an undergraduate degree in journalism. For my undergraduate degree, I chose economics specifically because I wanted to be a journalist. This is what I figured at that time that there are two things that are important in journalism – politics and economics. So, because I wasn't interested in politics at that time, I opted for economics. I studied economics primarily with the objective of being a journalist.

SA: I am from a small city, Patna, and I heard that you also come from a “small” town. What does it feel like to live in a big city like Delhi and then basically follow all your dreams and have all your dreams come true?

ZN: I love Delhi. And specially because I think that a place is what we want it to be. Very often, people look at Delhi as a very commercialized city and that people don't have time for each other and things like that, but for me, Delhi was just a very intellectual place. The place of opportunities where you have all these bookstores, poetry events and intellectual things happening, which, of course, were also there in Aligarh. But in Delhi, it's at a much larger scale. In Aligarh, it's only as long as you're a part of the university.

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In Delhi, however, there’s so much exposure. You can meet so many different kinds of people. There are so many opportunities, and especially as a journalist, there is so much to learn, so much to grow, so many different experiences to have. In that sense, I think that a city is also what you make it to be.

The way that you want to live is also going to make a difference.

SA: That is honestly a huge comfort to me because I am a student enrolled in a university in Delhi, so I have to come there someday and I'm actually terrified right now.

Thank you so much for saying that.

ZN: Every place has its own struggles and qualities. Once you've learned to navigate through it, if you are sure in your head about what you want and who you want to be, you find your own tribe, so to speak.

AZ: Ever since I read your book, I've been wondering about the fact that you mentioned in the book how you never wanted to settle for a teacher’s job. So, how did you end up in the field?

ZN: Very good question. Thank you for asking this. I've been thinking about writing about this, but I never got down to it.

PHOTO: AABIYAH ZEHRA

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I was very adamant about not being a teacher because of the way it was presented to me. The whole difference about something, as I said, is how you are looking at it.

What is the approach that you are coming at it from? So, the approach that people were taking towards the teaching profession and academics was always that of being something which is, one, nonchallenging, two, non-demanding, and three, basically only fit for women because women are supposed to do only the nonchallenging and non-demanding.

But then, in the recent years I met all these very serious academics who had studied abroad and they came back and are now teaching in India. For them, it was a profession that is based on the depth of knowledge acquisition. They are all very serious researchers who have dedicated many years of their lives to researching things in depth.

When I spoke to them, I realized that my level of knowledge was very shallow compared to theirs.

There was this feeling of respect for people who are in the academia, who take it seriously, who are not looking at it as a “nonchallenging, non-demanding thing which is fit only for women”.

They're looking at it as something which is actually demanding and challenging.

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It is about going in depth into knowledge and then distilling something from there and then dispersing that knowledge to other people who would have a similar thirst for knowledge.

People who are very seriously committed to the acquisition of knowledge totally changed my perspective.

Unfortunately, a majority of Indian society only encourages mediocrity. Brilliance is not encouraged, only mediocrity is encouraged.

So, academics and teaching are only viewed from the lens of mediocrity.

So again, you will only find what you are setting out to find. If you are setting out to find something different then you will find something different. Then my perspective about it changed. And when your perspective changes, then you are able to see things differently.

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PHOTO: AABIYAH ZEHRA

AZ: You really validated the anger I feel towards people who say that certain things are meant only for women.

ZN: You should mind that, you totally should mind when people say “this is supposed to be for women.” Even people who identify as feminists often fall into this trap because they think that in order to be equal to men, they have to have a certain trait, certain kind of characteristics which are related to men.

For example, you see me (points to her beautiful pink outfit). I like wearing pink. There are a lot of women who identify as feminists and say, “no, we're not going to wear pink” or “I'm not a girly girl.” But you can be a girly girl and you can still be strong, assertive and do whatever you want to do.

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I think that instead of looking at them from a male-female perspective, let's just look at it from a human perspective. All emotions are human. You only consider the nurturing and gentle parts of it associated with women and say they're emotional while anger is also an emotion (and men are said to be angry).

So, you can be as womanly as you want to and still be as manly as you want to. It's both. It’s a human thing.

SJS: I agree, because personally, we've been brought up in the era where feminism was growing when we were much younger like 10 or 12 years old. So, we got to know that women are equal but it was very hard to understand because I liked being a girly girl, but then I was also told that I need to be strong and brave. So, it was very hard to navigate through that. Having that perspective now at this stage is very, very important.

ZN: You can be girly and you can still be brave. Why do those things have to be different?

SJS: Exactly. So, moving on to your book, which we all loved reading and want to talk more about. We know how hard it is to write a book. But what would you say was the hardest part about writing this book?

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ZN: I think this question was asked to me in another interview, as in, was it hard for me to write this book because it was so personal and so intimate. It wasn't hard for me because of the person that I am. I'm an extrovert, an expressive person. I like having an opinion and speaking it out. This is who I am.

The hard part for me is when I'm forced to not speak, to not write and to shut up, that is the hard part for me. Talking, writing and expressing, that is the easiest thing to do for me. So, the writing of the book was not the hard part.

The hardest part was writing the synopsis. How do you squeeze a 300-page book into a one-page synopsis, especially when you are the person who has written it? I think that is the job of someone who has a distance from that book. That was so difficult. I was too close to the book. It was not just about motherhood. It was about so many different things that I was writing about.

The hardest part was just squeezing all of that into one page. How do you even do that?

What do you want to focus on?

The hard part was also getting the manuscript accepted. Because it doesn't fit into the stereotypical feminist bracket.

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A lot of what I see on social media about feminism these days, I don't very much agree with. When you read the feminist books you get a better, completely different perspective. A lot of social media feminism is uninformed and people don't have the time to read books. But if they did, they would understand that a lot of what is being said is not very healthy.

So, for example, that talk about “we don't need men, we don't need men”. In my book, as you read it, you see that I very much need the man in my life. A lot of it is about my love for him and about wanting to be back with him. In that sense, it's not a very stereotypical feminist book in which a woman says, “fine, I don't need this man and I'm going to do it all on my own.” I don't even believe in the “we don't need men” statement. You will never find a man saying “we don't need women”. They know that they need women.

They know that their lives depend on women. The reason why women have to say that they don’t need a man is because women’s lives have been connected with men in such a way that we are told that we cannot survive on our own. So, in essence, what people mean when they say “I don't need a man” is “I can survive on my own”. But that does not mean that we have to negate love.

Of course, I can survive on my own. But why would I not want love, right?

Why do I have to make a choice between having a career and having love?

Why does it have to be an either-or scenario? What would be a healthier thing to do would be to say that women are entitled to having both those things in the same way that men do. Men have happy family lives, great careers, and never have to choose. Women are also entitled to having satisfaction in both areas of their life.

PHOTO: AABIYAH ZEHRA

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So, as far as my book is concerned, I felt that because it was not into any specific category, it was not a romance novel, which was all about love and it was not that sort of feminist book because then again, we imagine that a woman who wants love and marriage immediately there is the connection that you would obviously want children. Being a reluctant mother does not go with the image of being a very romantic lover. It goes with the image of being a career woman who doesn't want anything else and only a career.

As I said, it didn’t fit any clearly defined categories. The hard part was facing rejections from a number of publishers. But I'm happy that I found a publisher who valued the book for what it was. I'm glad that the book’s essence has been retained. It hasn't been changed to make it more palatable or marketable or sellable. It's exactly the book that I wrote which has all these contradictions and these sorts of little nuances intact within it.

SA: I am actually someone who is really bad at multitasking.

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I cannot imagine that it gets easier as you grow up or become a proper adult. So, how do you maintain that? How do you maintain a worklife balance where you do your task to your fulfilment and then also spend time with your family?

ZN: I think that I do actually teach my students about this in class, and one of the subjects is about time management. The multitasking thing I feel like is a myth, a very toxic myth. Multitasking is doing two things at the same time. I'm talking to you right now. I'm totally focused upon this conversation. I'm not also doing 20 different things at the same time. How is that possible? How will I be able to give my entire focus to something else when we talk about multitasking?

People talk about, especially women, that women are good multitaskers. That is a sorry state of affairs. Women have been made to multitask because of the kind of oppressive environment around them that you are also in the middle of doing your work. You have so many disruptions and there are so many distractions and everybody's clamoring for your attention.

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It should not be like that when you're doing one thing at that particular point. You should be focused upon it. When that task is done, focus on the other task. That's not multitasking. That's something we all do. Everybody does that.

You have to have a time locking thing. This time is for this particular thing.

And I'm going to focus on this and then the next, say one-hour period is for this thing, I'm going to focus on that. If you’re doing several things at the same time and take on too much, that is going to overwhelm you. Prioritize.

What are the most important things that I have to do? What do I have to prioritize? What are the things that are most important right now? Only take on X amount of stuff and prioritize. Otherwise, there will always be hundreds of things.

After the book launch, I’ve been so busy with the promotions and everything, I have to postpone certain requests and decline certain requests because you can only take on so much. So, you have to decide how much is affecting your other priorities, how much is affecting your life in different ways. You have to be the judge of that.

But multitasking is such a toxic myth. You can only do one task at one particular time. You shouldn't even try to fill your brain with two or three things at the same time because that is going to fry your brain.

It's a toxic myth aimed specifically at women that you are good at multitasking. You are supposed to be good at multitasking, because how else will people put all of the donkey’s load on women? That is how they will put it.

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AZ: So, I have a question. I'm going to put you on the spot with this one. What is one line from a book that has changed your life and how?

ZN: There would be so many lines, but the one that is coming to my mind right at this moment is a line from ‘The Architect’s Apprentice’ by Elif Shafak, in which there is a Sufi who is being tried for heresy. I have this sort of thing where I feel disappointed by religious scholars who are supporting a very narrow interpretation of religion.

This novel is fiction, of course.

And the religious head is trying this Sufi for heresy. And he says, and that is the most powerful line I came across,

“Instead of believing that the worst of humans can be found in God, believe that the best in God can be found in humans.”

We try to ascribe our worst traits to God because we are tyrannical. We are judgmental and authoritarian, so we imagine that God is a tyrant, a dictator and an authoritarian government, so to speak. Instead of trying to make ourselves in the image of God, we're trying to make God in the worst image of our own selves. And that was a really powerful line for me and I always remember that. It helps me in my moments of doubt.

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MORE ABOUT THE BOOK ZN: The thing that people find surprising about it, especially because it has a Muslim woman on the cover which I hadn't expected at all. They went ahead with my picture and everything. So, it's surprising to people that a religious woman could have feelings like this because people associate religion with conservatism. Progressive readings, progressive feminist approach towards religion is still very much unheard of in India, particularly when it comes to Muslims.

I've been reading a lot about Islamic feminism by authors from United States who are professors of Islamic studies, and their perspective towards religion is completely different. And you never get to hear that kind of perspective in the Indian context. Especially not from theologians and ulamas (religious scholars) and all. You will never get to hear that perspective. I'm so sorry to say that but I'm very disappointed by that.

Islamic studies scholars from other countries have done a lot of work to have progressive feminist readings of religion. And that helps people like us who are in this in-between space, where we don't want to be conservative but we like being religious. We find that faith gives us something to hold on to. With all the things happening in India, there are all these debates happening. People think that a woman can be either ‘religious and oppressed’ or ‘non-religious and empowered’. That's how we think. Even though it's not said out loud in my book, but because I'm talking about the fact that I'm religious since I talked about a whole journey of pilgrimage in detail. I'm talking about how faith grounds us, the joy it provides us, a balance and stability in our life. I think that there is a need to understand religion and faith from a very progressive and non-discriminatory perspective, which is sadly still very much lacking in India.

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Impromptu: The Rapid Fire Round Q: If you had to choose one, what label would you choose – Mother, Journalist, Teacher or Author?

A: Author Q: Which do you prefer – fiction or nonfiction?

A: Fiction Q:Writing or journalistic reporting?

A:Writing Q:Instagram or WordPress?

A: Instagram Q: Do you prefer writing with pen and paper or on laptop?

A: Pen and paper Q:Which is the last book that you read?

A: Sapiens INTERVIEWING ZEHRA NAQVI

OUTTAKES ZN: I just want to add something about the first question that you had about mother, journalist or author. That's what I've said in my book at the end of the section that people are always asking us to make the choice of picking one over other. Read that letter to my son. I've said that I don't want to be one thing over and above others. I want to be all of those things. Because we live in a society which is constantly about competition.

It’s competitive society. It’s all about the race.

We're not coming to life with an approach of seeing things holistically in their entirety where we don't have to choose one thing over another thing, where we can live a life which is a healthy combination of many things. So, I think that holistic approach to life is very important. Even in love we are forced to declare which one we love more.

And recently I had an argument with one of my cousins. He just had a child recently and he was going on and on about “once the child is born, you don't love anybody else except the child”.

And that is my pet peeve. I've written a whole book against it. (laughs) This analogy does not apply to all other relations. You are simply trying to say that the spouse is diminished in relation to the child and the example he kept giving me was if your child is drowning and your husband is drowning, who will you save?

And that is being given as an example, as proof of the fact that whoever you will save is the one that you love most.

So, this kind of juvenile approach towards relationships in life is absolutely detrimental. Trying to pit one relationship against another. Why can we not look at it holistically as everybody has their own place in our life? Love is not a competition, right? In the same way, why can we not be multiple people? In the same life, in the same person. I always say I have six different people living inside me. So why not? Why just have to make it a sort of race in which you have to declare which is the best?

CHOOSE YOUR

FATE

BY SAMIAH ANJUM AND SARA JAMSHED SIDDIQUI

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR BOOK READING EXPERIENCE WOULD BE MUCH MORE PAINLESS IF YOU MADE THE CHOICES FOR THE PROTAGONIST? OR ARE ALL THE AUTHORS OF THE WORLD OUT TO GET YOU? PUT YOUR DECISION-MAKING SKILLS TO THE TEST BY FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGES:

That was a horribly tiring day.

Going offline after what feels like a lifetime of online work seems like being thrown into a completely different time.

Time travel, you think, nonsensically. After a day like that, you desperately need a well-deserved break from reality. You toss your things into your room and head to freshen yourself up.

Face washed and hands sanitized, you return and take a look around. With the rest of your day free, you should probably get to cleaning up your room.

Living in it didn’t seem so bad but from the doorway: yikes.

Heaving a deep sigh, you walk up to Mt. Clothes in the corner of your room, when your phone lights up with a notification.

Oh, well, I am sure that can’t wait, you think to yourself sarcastically as you drop the pile right where it was and dive for your phone (and vindication).

Turns out, it was your friend nagging you to complete that book she recommended.

Apparently, you stopped at the wrong time. Not in the mood to be shamed for your choices, you change the topic and talk aimlessly.

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Around 15 minutes later, you move to put the phone down reluctantly and get back to cleaning when your sight falls on the half-finished book kept nearby. Oh yeah, you think, it is imperative that I finish this book right now, you think.

After all, you can always blame your friend for being a bad influence.

But cleaning your room is a much more important task.

FEELING LIKE YOU ARE FAILING AT ADULTING, YOU MAKE A CHOICE.

A B

IF YOU CHOOSE TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM INEVITABLY END UP ON YOUR PHONE 5 MINUTES LATER, TURN TO PAGE 47

AND

IF YOU CHOOSE TO FINALLY FINISH THE BOOK JUST COULDN’T FIND THE TIME TO COMPLETE BEFORE NOW, TURN TO PAGE 48

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A Why would you choose this when you have a half-finished book lying there?

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Cursing yourself inwardly for not even trying, you pick up the book and turn to where you last left off. Within a few minutes, you are completely immersed in the book.

There is a lot going on, and you can’t help but block everything out.

You hold your breath as the protagonist walks away from the body, numb. An ache in your heart, you read on to follow them as they lean against a wall and shudder in the cold rain.

Where is my solace? a part of their brain screams, while the other looks on passively, as if an outside viewer. How do you react to the death of the last person helping you navigate what your 12-year-old naïve self foolishly called an “adventure”? A part of you wants to laugh; while it wouldn’t be proper, at least it would be a reaction. At this moment, you just want it to be over. Does that mean death? You don’t know.

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B

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You don’t care. You are so, so tired. It’s been years. Years of solitude, years of adversity, and the one connection you had…

You finally let out a strangled sob.

Tears streaming down your face, you lean into your hands and let it all out. Around you, the world is silent. Only the sounds of your harsh breathing echo in your ears.

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

A spark of anger lights up your heart. Enough! your soul screams. Decisions will be taken, here and now. You always had the choice of walking away. You just didn’t because…because you’d be a hero. You scoff at the idea now. To hell with being a hero, and to hell with the rest of this stupid world for relying on you for some goddamned reason. You push yourself off of the wall and start walking.

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Except, you make a mistake.

You look back. At the lifeless figure of your mentor.

How could you walk away from everything your mentor entrusted you with? Could you? But what about your own happiness? She did want you to be happy, after all. Walking away would make you happy, wouldn’t it? Will you be able to live with it?

YOU FEEL YOUR JAW CLENCH. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE SOME MAJOR DECISIONS TO MAKE.

A B

WALK AWAY? TURN TO PAGE 50.

HONOUR THE MENTOR’S WISHES? TURN TO PAGE 51.

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A Suddenly, you turn to the last page.

Heart in your throat, you read the last line again. ‘….and now, they could rest happily.’

Is…is this real? you think. A happy ending, given to you so easily?

That was one tough decision they had to make and you weren’t sure where the book was going with it, but somehow, it paid off without any consequences. You sit there in disbelief, elation steadily bubbling inside of you.

You flip through the book again –all the struggles, loss, danger. A slow grin grows on your face.

Your comfort character, finally happy?

Letting out a loud whoop, you flop onto your bed. It’s rare for a book to leave you this giddy.

You can hardly believe the

hardships endured by the character were worth it in the end. They got a happy rest of their lives, fell in love, had a great career…

This is what a happy ending looks like, you sigh dreamily.

You get up to find your phone to text your friend about how much you loved the book…

And immediately trip on the pile of clothes.

You know what? You are so happy with everything in your life right now, cleaning your room doesn’t seem too bad after all.

Happily, you get to work, completely missing the incoming text from your friend about the next book in the series.

Something about how you wouldn’t like how it ends?

I don’t know, I don’t make it a habit of reading other people’s text messages…

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B You gasp and finally lift your head from the book after what feels like hours.

Did they just….

You look back down.

Yep. They just killed off the protagonist.

Disbelievingly, you flip back a couple of pages. They were so heroic, weren’t heroes supposed to win?

Maybe they are somehow revived by the end of the book?

Nope, not likely. There’s only around 15 pages left.

Still, clinging to some inane hope, you continue reading frantically, hoping for the character’s resurrection. All hopes go down the drain when you reach the epilogue within two pages and it introduces a new character for the next book in the series.

It feels like someone gutted you.

That’s it? You breathe out shakily, feeling empty.

You aimlessly flip the pages of the book, remembering the roller coaster that was the protagonist’s life.

You remember their friends from before, their mentor, and oh, the person they had a crush on and should have ended up with...

All of a sudden, you realise you have been staring at your wall blankly for a long time. You shake your head as if to remove the fact that your comfort character is gone and live in blissful ignorance, but no dice. You look around your messy room. A mess, just like me, you think dramatically as you flop down on your bed with your phone, ready to cuss out your friend who suggested this soul-crusher of a series to you.

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ENACTUS KMC Enactus Kirori Mal College is an international student-run nonprofit organisation that aims at empowering under-served communities in need of sustenance using the power of social entrepreneurship. Enactus KMC is a student chapter of Enactus Global, one of the largest student-driven initiatives worldwide.

It provides a platform for teams of university students to create community development projects that put people’s own ingenuity and talents at the centre of improving their livelihoods.

Enactus KMC is involved in various initiatives such as Project Dor, Project Syahi, and Project Janbhoomi that have been facilitating change in underprivileged communities. Through sustainable business models, Enactus KMC attempts at creating meaningful impacts and change in the lives of the beneficiaries of its many initiatives. Under the guidance of experts from various fields, Enactus KMC has been increasing awareness about sustainable living and social entrepreneurship in underprivileged communities.

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PROJECT DOR Project Dor endeavors to instill a sense of entrepreneurship in migrant women from Bihar and Jharkhand. It assists in their attainment of financial independence by collaborating with them in the production of neo-ethnic products ranging from scarfs to cushion covers.

It promotes the traditional art of tie and dye while it enables the women and assists in the uplifting of their communities by providing an alternate form of income. In doing so, it has been facilitating a better standard of living for the community.

Under Project Dor, the beneficiaries have produced a wide range of handcrafted products including 21 scarves, 7 dupattas, and 4 cushion cover variants which are available on the Roposo app, Elanic, and Facebook store for purchase.

Project Dor

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PROJECT JANBHOOMI Project JanBhoomi is aimed at tackling the problems of land degradation and waste management which it does through initiatives such as vermicomposting and flower composting that reduce the improper waste management while providing an alternative to the chemical fertilizers.

It also actively spreads awareness about the diminishing green cover and promotes the organic lifestyle in the urban areas through a gardening toolkit that includes a hand cultivator, fork, trowel, weeder, and transplanter along with a packet of flower compost.

In October 2018, Enactus KMC collaborated with the Government of Haryana to create a direct impact at the root level. The team visited multiple villages in Palwal, Haryana, and convinced the farmers to switch from chemical fertilizers to organic compost and set up vermicompost pits in multiple villages.

Project JanBhoomi

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Aware of the fact that in India itself, 1.65 crore pens are disposed of every month which cannot be recycled and eventually end up in landfills as nonbiodegradable elements, Project Syahi has come up with a solution to this by producing customizable paper pens.

It employs underprivileged women as the beneficiaries of the initiative in the production of paper pens rather than plastic pens in an attempt to reduce the plastic waste produced by the society.

The pens are made of upcycled paper and include a plant-able seed at the rear-end promoting the activity of planting and cultivating trees.

The project, by employing underprivileged women, also provides them with a means for income that facilitates the self-reliance of these women. In doing so, the initiative serves the dual purpose of sustaining not only the environment but also the underprivileged community.

PROJECT SYAHI Project Syahi

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NIRAV is aimed at breaking the stigma that exists around mental illnesses and providing pro bono services to those in need of assistance with regard to the mental well-being. This initiative makes it incredibly convenient for anyone seeking professional assistance which is just a few clicks away through NIRAV. The initiative encourages a free conversation about mental health in the society and also spreads awareness through their social media platforms. It contributes in making therapy available to all sections of the society and also helps mentally and emotionally distressed individuals by providing them free therapy. The initiative avails the services of mental health professionals and connects them with the individuals seeking assistance.

NIRAV NIRAV

WINNER Poetry Competition

Mother's Home You can't be a mother,the doctor said I felt my world tumble din my head, With empty hand folded I cried, Thought God might rain one day, so I tried, To appease all the deities for one boon, May I too be homing soon

Friends and family, pitiful eyes, Refer to doctors, suggest to try For some miracle to take place, advise of pills, medicines and the rest.

There stands silent my dark doom a flowerless bosom, dreams in tomb.

A fateless forehead, fruitless womb, Perfect embodiment of gloom, Neighbours hush, tell remedies, But some are just not meant to be Mothers, daughters, kind and cool, to be kept as 'prettiest fools'.

So countless firey summers I spent, On some days I put my soul on rent My will power works three jobs to pay, for a wrinkled hackneyed apartment.

To see little steps back afternoon I hope I will be homing soon!

Home of smiles on tender lips, Little hands hold those finger tips, Where mothers aren't known by blood Or womb or race or religious trusts.

Where I am wanted loved so kind, I'll be called theirs and they all mine

Home with a garden of my tree However fruitless it maybe, Where is practiced selfless love By people aren't 'motherlyenough'! to some infant fateless dunes!

For them I dream of homing soon.

-by Saheli Dey @Saheli_dey_

August 2022

SEPARATING THE

Art & The Artist Do we differentiate writers and their work apart enough?

Written by Meghna Andrews

The liberal publishing industry always had a tension between profit and morality. But the debate reached a fever pitch as to what to publish. The publishing staff is open and vocal about their opinions through open letters and on social media.

Instances of a seven-figure book deal with former Vice President Mike Pence to Pankaj Mishra. Publishers today are walking on a tightrope.

Which voice should they bring to light with a publishing deal - those the staff agrees or the public that agrees? How far can authors stretch their thoughts and how far can they voice their opinion? It's all out and about for us to think before we proceed to cancel them. We are in what they call a 'watershed moment'.

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Everyone can earn the title of a bigot within a second. Many areas are devoid of discussion which should hardly be the case in an industry that births ideas.

Simple is a Complicated word.

The nature of publishing houses is the junction between market forces and cultural forces. There should be an open highway to voice concern and discuss seeing where and how things unfold.

Complicated is a simple word to describe it. Book publishers are now under a new kind of selfimposed obligation to publish both sides of issues impartially rather than to take a moral high ground.

Books such as The Odyssey have been banned because of sexism, Mark Twain is off-limits, To Kill a Mockingbird is a no go since it glorifies "white saviourhood", Lord of The Files has been cancelled for its "elite, upperclassmen privilege". Peter pan, Sherlock Holmes, William Shakespeare to Dr Suess, all of them have been effectively cancelled. This is not education, one must be allowed to explore ideas and search for the truth themselves, even if the truth is ugly sometimes. Activism exists as an open opportunity to reason out and venture the facts and willingness to see the bottom of the lake. To take one stance for granted and another to ride the wave of righteousness really dents us as a whole functioning society.

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With all advanced levels of understanding and the biggest gift evolution has given us to bring us to this age and stage, we still fail to see reason. One of the most disturbing news I've lately heard is banning Dostoevsky. Banning everything Russian from cats to celebrated authors and life-changing works of literature is another madness to behold. The stigma that Russians are facing now is something that Dostoevsky himself faced back in the day he was sentenced to death over reading a banned book. The obsolete removal of Russian culture, especially its deep philosophical history to punish Putin is somewhere where we can take a moment to weigh on the cultural axioms, we are part of.

There is always a feather-line distinction between things. Should we fail to interpret it we lose the very grounds we stand on?

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ARE YOU A WRITER?

By Sara Jamshed Siddiqui

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Who is a writer? Someone who writes frequently? Someone who has a blog? Someone with a published book? Someone with an award for a published book? Someone who prefers writing on paper over typing? Someone who can write well? But what is ‘writing well’?

Accuracy in grammar or good vocabulary?

Getting the message across or being relatable?

Relatable to whom? And why relatable? Why not formal?

You may have realized by now that writing, like all art, is subjective. You may not like the way I write or see me as a writer. But what if other people do? Will I be considered a writer? Or maybe someone who is not a professional writer but is good with words? It’s all pretty confusing, you may think.

Is it, though?

I’ve always liked writing. About places, things and most importantly the way things made me feel.

Because words have the power of expressing things and penning down a feeling somehow makes it feel valid. And if you find someone who feels the same way, plus points! I thought writing was a skill that needs to be learnt professionally. This is, of course, the view of 12-year-old naïve me. I thought that I needed to fit a description to be able to call myself or even think of myself as a writer.

I needed to love writing with all my heart, I needed to be perfect with my language skills including grammar and I needed to know big words that not everyone knows. I needed to be well-read and have strong opinions on the world if I wanted to be called a writer. Oh, shut it, you 12-year-old dweeb. (No offense to 12-year-old dweebs)

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These are the things that I had come to learn from the stereotypes in pop culture about people who write or loved writing. You had to be knowledgeable and a nerd, per se. But guess what? You don’t. You can do all of those things if you want to. However, it’s not a prerequisite. Obviously, it took me time, effort and a little bit of reading to understand that. But I grew to fall in love with reading. And it taught me some of the most important life lessons. Including the power and simplicity of writing.

Let’s look at fiction. There are classics, mainly fictional and high-class, so to say, but they’re not the only novels and pieces of fiction available! There’s also romance, thriller, mystery, crime, contemporary and modern fiction. All of these have their unique writing style and are equally popular among different demographics of the population.

Most of the modern fiction novels that I have read have scattered swear words, everyday lingo and some texting language wherever necessary to make them easy reads and relatable to the youth. That taught me that you don’t need big fancy words and an Oxford dictionary or thesaurus to write well. You just need an opinion and an understanding of how to convey your thoughts.

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Writing is not an easy art, but it’s also not impossible to learn and master. You learn something new every day, as in the case of any other art form. So, to answer the questions raised at the beginning..

Yes, a writer is someone who writes frequently, has a blog, has a published book, has an award for a published book, who likes writing on paper, who writes well, which may or may not be relatable to everyone but it should get the message across. Yes, the grammar and vocabulary need to be accurate and good.

But A writer is also someone who writes simply to express, in their notes app, without publishing a book or posting on a blog, they may prefer typing, have a few errors and everyone may not relate to what they wrote but guess what? They love it and they’re a writer

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HOW FASHION ADVOCATES FOR A

Fictional character

By Srijana Ghosh

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Summertime is the perfect time to embark on an escapism journey; you pick your favourite work of literature from the topmost shelf; a little romance never hurt anyone, you reason as you clutch the book to your chest, your heart racing with each letter that your fingers brush, the ice melting in your glass of iced tea, your mouth gaping in a momentary gasp, and after 70+ chapters, the protagonists confess their love to each other.

Your eyes well up with tears of ecstasy as you exhale exasperatedly and take a gleeful sip of your iced tea.

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As wonderful as the art of reading is, has it ever crossed your mind how a piece of fiction is more than the first kiss or catching the criminal red-handed? How do a few cursive letters and uncomplicated descriptors give life to a character's personality even without the stereotyped flashbacks or the talk about the "past"? Pick up any work of fiction that has human traits, and you will find that how the author describes what they look like has a major role to play in how you see and feel about them. A huge part of what they look like is, of course, their wardrobe.

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A character's aesthetic is very important as it helps understand parts of their personality in a very subtle way and how the choices they make will either make or break the already written plot, either sunshine or a doomsday. Here’s a small guide for you to follow on how to dress your characters: 1. As a writer, researching the era your book is set in is very important. It helps understand the fashion history and decodes myths and peculiarities that may or may not be practised today. If not done well, it can disconnect your readers from your story pretty quickly.

Authenticity counts.

3. Bored of epilogues and flashbacks? Give your character a prop or accessory they carry around with them for whatever reason you choose. It could be a hint to their future career or a trinket that subtly gives their backstory more depth without using too many words. We'll leave it to you (winky face).

2. Give your character a trademark style. It can be a full wardrobe that reflects their personality (among other things), like Nico di Angelo and Will Solace with their dark goth-like style and bright, sunshine-y colours respectively, or a small nod to what impact they would end up having in the story through their appearance, like Death and his colours as described in The Book Thief.

Fashion can make your character go from average to the chosen one.

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4. Picking a colour palette based on the attributes a character possesses can be such a cliche, yet, it works.

Giving your characters cold features like icy blue eyes or a pale complexion can immediately create an image of a stoic, stuck-up person in the reader’s head. While not necessarily a fashion thing, you can either follow the same theme with their wardrobe or subvert expectations by having their wardrobe be the opposite for...ahem... reasons. The sky’s the limit.

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5. And finally, dress your characters for reasons beyond the plot or character development.

Hide Easter eggs in the character’s hairstyle or footwear that maybe an alternative POV notices. Maybe the POV doesn’t know its importance, but the readers will, won’t they? Your protagonist is running through the halls? Put her in a long gown so it looks more dramatic and regal. Show what the character is feeling through what they look like at the moment. Is their hair all over the place? Are they wearing two different socks? Are their clothes rumpled?

Books, while being a completely different media, can emulate the same response as visual media like movies and shows do, except in this, the reader relies on their imagination. So, give them lots to imagine through the characters’ style, while keeping it subtle.

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Let Your Kohl Do The Talking!

-Hitashi

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Even if you don’t own a huge stock of makeup and ten different types of eyeliners, I’m pretty sure you must be having a kohl or a kajal.

Trust me that’s enough for you to start experimenting with makeup and stepping it up a notch.

Here are 5 different ways to use your regular Kajal pencil and let your kohl do the talking.

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Clean Waterline Look Let’s start of with the easiest look on this list which is lining your waterline. A good transfer-proof Kajal will be perfect for this look and will provide you with a clean and sleek look. This look is perfect for any formal as well as a everyday look, pair it with sleek clean hair and you’re ready!

Smokey Liner If you love soft glam look or just love looking like a diva everyday you step out then you need to try this look. It’s beginner friendly as well and does not take a lot of time.

Just line your upper lash line with your favorite Kajal then Smudge and soften it out with a small pencil or a q tip. This look can be worn for a special occasion as well as on an everyday basis the choice is yours

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Feline Eyes If you’re a diva who just loves to experiment with makeup and new looks this one is for you! Feline eyes and foxy eyes got to be the hottest makeup trend of this new decade. So just step on with your Kajal and line your upper and lower lash line then soften those lines with a brush. Pair it with a high sleek bun or straight hair and you’re ready to go!

Classic Black Smokey Aaahh! We just can’t skip on this one!

Ever since the trend of Smokey eyes started, black Smokey eye look has been a staple. So just take a Kohl or a Kajal that’s super matte and jet black and messily apply it all over your lids then blend out using a brush and voila! You’ll make heads turn when you step out!

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Lip Ombré Lastly! We can’t just deny the fact that Kohl has multiple uses so why not a lip liner? Just line your lips with your Smudge proof Kajal then go ahead with filling your lips with a red lipstick. Blend out any harsh lines and you’re ready with your perfect goth look!

ISSUE 18

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ISSUE 18

To All The Books I'm Yet to love

BY AASMA SHAKULI

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Books and I didn’t start on a good note. It all had to do with the first time I gained access to the senior school library. Every student in our school on reaching the 5th standard would avail this privilege and naturally, I was excited to read books. It was then that I made the mistake of quite literally not judging a book by its cover and ended up picking the dullest book with the print on its cover fading. I don’t remember what it was called but I do remember what a horrible first experience that was because I just couldn’t read past the first page! I struggled in trying to understand it let alone know if I enjoyed it.

It's true when they say that the first impression is the last because from then, I decided to judge books by their covers. For the rest of my school years, I kept my distance from any book that had dull covers (which were mostly classics) and found comfort mainly in Nancy Drew and works by Pseudonymous Bosch.

We had library classes scheduled once every week to encourage a reading habit among students but I don't think the method worked. It took the fun part out of it. It was a class after all and it felt like a chore. Not to mention there was this hierarchy in reading books, classics were royalty, after which came non-fiction, thrillers, fantasy, philosophy and they were all respected way more than romance novels for some reason that I never quite understood.

I know that this hierarchy isn't limited just to my school and it's upsetting, to say the least, because something as pure as reading, shouldn't have been corrupted by judgement, yet it is. However, I do find it impressive when people read classics and enjoy them without being arrogant about it.

It may not be my cup of tea yet but I believe classics are royalty in the book world for a reason.

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I’ve read a lot of books to date but I've only completed a few. I'm told it's because I'm not disciplined or patient enough to finish them but, in my defence, it has been a long time since a book had me glued to it as strongly as a book

by Pseudonymous Bosch had when I was younger. His books would pull me into the world created by him and I never wanted to get out of it. It's a shame I outgrew that age because now I look for more depth and meaning.

For what it's worth, I think that’s what we should chase as readers, finding the books that move us, books we connect with, books that challenge our souls to be braver and our minds to dream bigger. Books that drown us into their world so casually that if that doesn’t confirm the existence of magic, I don’t know what does. Books that let us live more lives than we can in just the one we have and they don't necessarily have to conform to this hierarchy that exists. Why should they? We don’t read to impress, do we? We read to feel.

So, this is to all the books that I'm yet to love. I may have had a rough start but I'm navigating my way into the book-world with much better control than I had before. And while I'm figuring out what authors I like or genres I enjoy, I'm glad I didn't give up. If anything, reading today surely does not feel like a library class. In fact, it has become an adventure of its own and what's most important is that I read because I want to, not because I have to.

April

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2

3

7

8

9

13

14

15

19

20

21

25

26

27

WORLD HEALTH DAY

JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE

31

WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

2022

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5

6

10

11

12

16

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18

22

23

24

29

30

EARTH DAY

28

WORLD BOOK DAY

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ISSUE 18

2 WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY Every year on April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism worldwide. The United Nations General Assembly established World Autism Awareness Day in 2007.

The UN chose the theme "Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World" for 2022. There are also exhibitions and artistic workshops held all over the world that showcase the work of autistic children.

7 WORLD HEALTH DAY World Health Day is a global awareness campaign that focuses on a specific health issue that affects people all over the world.

It is celebrated annually on April 7th under the auspices of the World Health Organization. WHO chose "Universal Health Coverage" as the theme for this year. The primary goal of this theme is to raise awareness about the fact that health is a human right and that everyone should have access to the right care at the right time and location.

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13

JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE

April 13th is an important day to remember because it commemorates the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, which occurred in 1919 on the site of the Baisakhi festival, in which British troops open fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians, killing hundreds and injuring hundreds more. It was a major turning point in modern Indian history. As a result, a trust was established in 1920 with the goal of establishing a memorial at the site of the massacre, known as "Jallianwala Bagh".

22 EARTH DAY

The main aim of this day is to honour the achievements of the environmental movements and to raise awareness about the importance of long term ecological sustainability. The nature, plants, and land are integral to our own health. Earth day 2022 will mark the 52 nd anniversary with the theme “Invest in Our Planet”. And the responsibilities lie with each one of us by taking part in activities like picking up litter and planting trees, to make our world a happier and healthier place to live.

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23

WORLD BOOK DAY

It is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to ensure the continuation of the culture of reading, publishing, and copyright. The date of April 23rd was chosen to honour great literary figures who died on this day, such as William Shakespeare and Inca Gracilaso de la Vega. This day is observed around the world to pay tribute to and honour authors and books.

C R E D I T S WOKAL DIGITAL MAGAZINE

MANAGEMENT

SECTION HEADS

Editor in Chief

Hitashi

Alina Ahmed

Makeup and Fashion

Editor

Megha Diwan

Aabiyah Zehra

Food & Culture

Head Columnist

Mehaak Pasricha

Hiba Ahmed

Entertainment

Executive Editors

Mitula Sai Subramanian

Sara Jamshed Siddiqui

Activism

Samiah Anjum

Vanshika Seth

Social Media Head

Travel

Bilal Ahmad

COLUMNISTS

Content Head Aarzoo Kumar

Aasma Shakuli

Art Director

Gupil Garg Kathan Pandya

Krishika Chaudhary

Director of Photography

Meghna Andrews Romita Handa

Aabiyah Zehra

Layouts & Design by

Sagar Rathi Saleen Marandi

Krishika Choudhary, Alina Ahmed,

Samridhi Singh

Aasma Shakuli, Harshul Narang,

Vidhi Gupta

Aabiyah Zehra

Cover Photograph by

FEATURES

Bilal Ahmad

Zehra Naqvi Enactus, Kirori Mal College

APRIL 2022 • ISSUE 18

INFORM. INSIGHT. INSPIRE. WOKAL M A G A Z I N E ISSUE 18 | APRIL 2022

ISSUE 18 | APRIL 2022

WOKAL