Vidya Venkat

What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance

[First published in The Hindu, MetroPlus dated Aug 26, 2016.] My sole climbing feat before I set out on a high-altitude trek of 14,000 feet in the Himalayas was climbing a 50-feet-tall water tank in Puducherry. And that too nine years ago. I often recollected, with an odd mix of amusement and shame, how myContinue reading “What a Himalayan trek taught me about perseverance”

Farm laws’ repeal: In India, democracy isn’t dead

Friday’s announcement on repealing the new farm laws in India affirms how no government, irrespective of the strength of its mandate, can afford to disregard voices of people emerging from the ground. Vidya Venkat [First published in The Wire on November 20, 2021.] Narendra Modi’s announcement on Friday repealing the three new farm laws isContinue reading “Farm laws’ repeal: In India, democracy isn’t dead”

Unicorn and the stars

“What is the distance between the earth and the stars?” My five-year-old nephew asks, wide-eyed. The rocking horse in his bedtime story book Summons a unicorn and goes wherever it wishes. “I want to ride on that horse and get to the stars. I want to ask amma why she went away so far…” [WhenContinue reading “Unicorn and the stars”

Two fates

Coal – scum of the earth. Burned in the hearth, lent warmth, & powered the world with its labour. Diamond – precious stone. Adorned women, fuelled wars, & consumed the labour of others. [I wrote this poem at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in America last year following the murder of GeorgeContinue reading “Two fates”

खाली घर

बचपन में, घर के पास जो खाली घर था,वहाँ मैं और मेरी दीदी, ऊंची आवाज़ में,अपने नाम को पुकार कर उसकी गूँज सुना करते थे।आज सालों बाद खाली घर में अपने नाम के बजायकिसी दूसरे के नाम को गूँजता सुन करये ख्याल आया : बचपन और जवानी में यही फर्क़ हैकि उम्र के साथ केवलContinue reading “खाली घर”