My best friend and I shared a smoke today at the Central Park in New York. We’ve been girlfriends for more than two years now, but didn’t know that we both like an occasional “I am feeling a deep connection right now” smoke. She said it’s like having sex. We both laughed at it.
Category: Post
Online Dating Changing Old Matchmaking Norms in Kashmir
It was a pleasant surprise when a Kashmiri female friend told me youngsters like her were using Bumble for online dating in Kashmir. I first came across Bumble when it recently came in news for its women-centric approach, in which women make the first move. If two profiles match, it is up to the woman to decide whether to chat or not to chat. Online dating, to me, was a Western idea. However, to learn it is useful in Kashmir, is an ahaa moment for me, in a good way.
One’s Terrorist, Another’s Freedom Fighter
A February 27, 2022 tweet by Khalid Beydoun after Russia invaded Ukraine. Of course what’s happening in all these regions, mentioned in the tweet above, is heartbreaking. But, what’s it about Ukraine that is different from the other regions mentioned in this tweet? In other words, why are Ukrainians “freedom fighters” and others “terrorists?” To… Continue reading One’s Terrorist, Another’s Freedom Fighter
Ethics in Research
A screenshot of a recent story by Outlook on author Saiba Varma’s controversial book, The Occupied Clinic. Dr. Varma, an anthropologist who recently published a book, The Occupied Clinic, on militarization of health care in Kashmir, revealing enormous mental health trauma due to the militarization in Kashmir. Many anthropological scholars have pointed out that her… Continue reading Ethics in Research
Kashmir Commentary 