On the day 1 of the #BaluchistanDialogues presented by @tilakchronicle and CASS, Pune- Mr. Mark Kinra gave a comprehensive overview of the sociopolitical terrain of the fraught region. Major Gaurav Arya stressed India’s role in supporting the cause. He was blunt in emphasising the power politics of the global order. India should show it’s fighting side rather than the harmless angle, which only shows weakness. We tell ourselves falsehoods of peace when the real story is different. He wished tribes unite and don’t fight each other, and fight the oppressor.

This is the third election in Singapore I am following closely as I was there on the ground blogging and on social media in 2011 and 2015 while I was working at world class policy think tanks. This time I am overseas, but synced in with Singaporean Digital Public Sphere closely with friends contesting the polls as well.

2011 was a watershed election, with George Yeo helmed GRC falling to the Workers Party. Nicole Seah made a flash as well, who is back this time around with a different party. I saw election rallies in Clementi where I lived for years.

2015 was after Ah Kong passing away and was a hugely emotional tone, with Al Juneid GRC going down to the line, with the results declared post midnight.

2020 is an election which will be in the ‘new normal’ of the pandemic with four budgets. The parties have started releasing the candidate lists with interesting choices. The quality of the leadership talent amazes me across the board.

As a Singapore-Phile having studied on tax payer dollars which funded my NRF scholarship and my grants, the island is in many ways ‘This is Home’ in the spirit of the famous NDP anthem 🇸🇬

I watch the August 9th festivities on livestream every year too. I work with non profits there and help partner with specialists to take them to new markets in the Gulf. I few of them are on my digital feeds.

Looking forward to working in/with Singapore. I like that issues such as inequality and climate change are front and centre on the agenda.

It’s easy to be resilient
When rich
For the precarious
Resilience is normal
As there is no choice
The peans are cheap
When Dalgona is what is cared for
The retrenched worker thinks where his next Chai
Will be bought
Migrants can’t even imagine that

Happy Fathers Day Baba! I am here because of your sheer hard work as a migrant for decades in Mumbai and Muscat. Your journey from Bolpur to a world traveler is worthy of a film script.

This is a pic taken a few years earlier near Seeb in Muscat. Our home, which we will visit sometime Insha Allah.

Ground Up Media Diversity

@splicenewsroom @alansoon Khabar Lahariya, all woman journalist rural media Organisation at Splice Low-Res #5 with Disha Mullick and Kavita Devi. Great Ideas on the notion of Diversity from the ground up media. Fascinating stuff. Kudos!

Written by my grad school teacher. Has so many gems.