Gauri Khanna
Why the Strong Are Defined by How They Treat the Weak
“The true measure of a nation is how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Mahatma Gandhi At lunch this week, I saw something that stuck with me. A kid at another table accidentally dropped their…
Why Fear Teaches Faster Than School
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” Nelson Mandela There are things I remember more clearly than anything I’ve ever been tested on. Like the time I forgot a homework…
What Freedom Feels Like
“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.” Rosa Luxemburg They told us in class this week that we live in a free country. And I believe them. Mostly. We can speak. We…
Why Learning Is Not the Same as Understanding
This week, I memorized a list of mountain ranges for school. I wrote down their names, their heights, their countries. I got full marks on the quiz. But later that night, I caught myself asking:…
Why Silence Isn’t Neutral
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Desmond Tutu There’s a sentence adults say a lot when things go wrong: “Let’s not take sides.” It sounds…
What Grown-Ups Don’t Say About Corruption
“The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” Kurt Kobain At dinner this week, I heard the word “corruption” again. It came up in the news. Someone was accused of taking money that wasn’t theirs.…
When the Sky Turns Grey, Power Turns Invisible
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” Native American Proverb Some days in Mumbai, I look out the window and everything feels blurry. Not because of rain,…
Flags Are Just Fabric
“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.” Wole Soyinka In my classroom, there’s a flag in the corner. It doesn’t move. It just hangs there, waiting. Sometimes during assembly, we sing to…
Who Gets to Speak for a Nation?
“Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.” Alfred Korzybski At my school assembly this week, someone gave a speech about “what India stands for.” They talked about values,…
Why Maps Lie
“The map is not the territory.” Saul Alinsky We had a quiz in school this week where we had to label countries on a map. Easy, I thought- until I noticed something odd. The map…
Why School Desks Face Forward
Last Tuesday, I sat in class staring at the back of my classmate’s head. I wasn’t bored (okay, maybe a little), but what I really noticed was how every single desk faced the same way:…
How Questions Make History
It’s strange how asking a question can change the world.
