Pratima Shah

  I've been thinking about a line from the Galatians lately: "Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." A simple sentence but when I look around honestly this is the scenario everywhere. Envy always shows up without knocking. Whenever one hears news like- someone got a promotion/she moved to her new house/he posted family pics post vacation- there is a tiny flicker before you congratulate the person with the words “happy for you”. Neither do we ever pay heed to that flicker because we feel that we have moved on. But we have not. According to Socrates envy is “the ulcer of the soul,". Envy harms you terribly because it is not a fight with someone/others but it’s like a wound at which you keep picking at yourself. The other party is not even aware of what is happening and you are the only one who is bleeding and suffering. Looking at the personal angle, envy shows up in dumb ways. Say for example- when you compare your marriage to a frien...

  A phrase that frequently appears on social media is: "One of the greatest cheat codes in life is to never get offended." At first, this sounds like sensible advice. Learning not to be affected by every criticism, negative comment, or disagreement can help people maintain their peace of mind and avoid unnecessary conflict. However, there is a risk in taking this message too far. The idea of having a "thick skin" is sometimes confused with tolerating poor treatment, suppressing emotions, or remaining silent in situations that genuinely require a response. Being resilient should not mean accepting behavior that undermines your wellbeing or self-respect. This distinction becomes particularly important in workplace environments where office politics, favoritism, passive-aggressive behavior, and interpersonal tensions can influence day-to-day experiences. What Does It Really Mean to Be Thick-Skinned? Having a thick skin does not mean ignoring disrespect, accep...

    Why Getting a Degree in English Is Among the Best Career Decisions in the NEP Era? In a world that is changing quickly due to digital communication, global networking, artificial intelligence, and the creative industries, students frequently ask: "After earning a Bachelor's or Master's degree in English, what can I do?"  Today's response is: a lot more than in the past. English Studies is no longer restricted to becoming a teacher/lecturer under India's National Education Policy (NEP, 2020). The policy places strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, employability, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, research and industry-oriented education-- all of which are abilities that English programs naturally foster. These days, a ...

                                                                       (PC: ChatGPT) Many a times I come across moments in my professional life when I confront an uncomfortable question: Is it ok to be someone's person, or a system's person?  As such it seems to be a matter of professional alignment but reflecting upon it one realizes that it is an ethical dilemma that many professionals face. It is an ethical dilemma that silently molds the conscience, credibility and culture of a work space. I realized that this question becomes layered when I look at academic institutions because these work spaces are imagined as spaces of empowerment, intellectual freedom and collective growth. Reflecting further, I notice that there exist invisible networks of loyalty-circles of "someone's persons"- who have achieved...

As we commemorate International Women's Day,  It's critical to consider the path towards gender parity and acknowledge the various experiences that women have worldwide. Despite advancements, a lot of women continue to be used and manipulated, frequently by members of the same society. Let's recognize the tenacity and fortitude of the fearless, honest, and hardworking women who face these obstacles head-on and overcome them. The Harsh Reality of Exploitation: Some women in our culture are subjected to manipulation and exploitation by their peers. These women frequently find themselves at the whim of cunning people who want to undercut their efforts and minimize their value, whether it's at the job, in social circles, or even in their own families. This kind of exploitation might include gaslighting, emotional blackmail, and even outright abuse. The Power of Resilience: The courageous and strong women among us do not allow such hardship to quiet or defeat them. They tak...

 I am very choosy about each and everything that I have; but I am the most fussiest when it comes to choosing friends. I do not have a huge gang of friends but the friends I have can topple a gang for me. I am selfless, sensitive and supportive towards all my friends no matter what. I am blessed with friends who make my life fulfilling and precious. You come across people who just pretend to be friends and never value the ones who consider them as their friends. If you are a true friend you will genuinely value and nurture the relation with utmost care and sincerity. You would do anything to see a smile on the face of your friend.  A true friend is one with whom you share a deep and meaningful bond that is based on trust, mutual respect, support and affection. True friendship transcends beyond the boundaries of time, distance and mere acquaintances. The connection that true friends share is genuine, enriching and enduring. True friends must be genuine and authentic with one an...

  To pray or not to pray is the choice of every individual but to respect the time of prayer cannot be the choice of an individual. It really shocks me to see majority of girls moving here and there in the University campus during the time of prayer. The prayer that we have is not a long prayer and yet these girls have the impudence to move around during the prayer time. I can understand that each one of us in a great hurry during the morning hours but that does not mean that we can insult the creator of the Universe.  Every university will have students who follow different religions and traditions. But the common factor among all these religions is that every one prays. Whether it is prayer done in isolation / in a crowd one must respect the hour pf prayer. It is one of the stepping stones to respecting a person. If you love and respect someone; you will definitely respect the time when the person prays without any objections / barriers. A university is the hub of knowledge ...

  Our experiences would be a waste if we do not use them. None of us just lands into the world with all the required knowledge. But each one of us goes through the process of 'living' life. These moments are the experiences which you had; yet we never take a lesson from our experiences. Unless and until we don't stop and look back into the experiences of the past we will never learn from those experiences. You are what your experiences have molded you into. If you are bitter / fussy / insecure /, it could be that you have faced such circumstances. But the strength lies in doing the opposite. If you had a toxic boss who ill treated you and showed no human concern towards you; would you also play the same boss or you would be the opposite. While reading this each one of us would respond by affirming that you will not be the same toxic boss. But does this really happen in the world? Only in rare cases; otherwise most of the time the same vicious chain continues. Why? Why? Why?...

 Forgiveness is difficult. By forgiving someone who wronged you, you try to inculcate patience and forbearance in your relations with others. The wound that one gets from others are very deep sometimes and we cannot ever think of forgiving that person who gave us those wounds and pain. But contrary to this what majority of us believe, is that forgiving someone is primarily an act which we perform within ourselves. At times, it is safer and healthier for a person to disconnect from the one that hurt you because he / she is not around you to be forgiven directly. But these factors are not the hurdles to forgiveness; the factors are internal. It is you who has to free your self from this anger. We are stuck in anger before we tread on the path to forgiveness. During this phase we plot for revenge, we think of inflicting all the pain and damage which was inflicted upon us. We are in the mode of 'An eye for an eye'. But as observed, revenge is the path of the ignorant. One is in com...

Teaching  no longer remains a noble profession despite being noble. The so called academicians are concerned about every other thing excluding teaching. Mostly no one is concerned how the teaching is progressing or have the students understood whatever is being taught. The ones who are concerned are just a handful academicians who put in every effort to impart knowledge to their classes. The students today are mostly people pleasers who hover like bees around the teacher trying to flatter her / him for marks. Many of them are highly irregular and still expect the teacher to give them marks for attendance.  Since I entered the field in 2005 as a teacher, I was full of remorse for the initial years because my students would not hover around me compared to my colleagues. Only the ones who genuinely understood my personality came to me. With time I realized that a popular teacher is not always a good teacher and a good teacher is not always popular. I fall in the category of not b...

 She felt as if she was sinking into an abyss. Her heart was screaming for help but there was no one who would lend a helping hand. Devastated and depressed she mechanically went ahead with her days; hoping for things to change. She was told that 'to be happy you must change'. Why? thought she. Why always me? Am I not wanted by anyone? Does no one love me? Where do I belong? This questions troubled her day and night. The question of her existence bothered her. For what dis she squander her life? For becoming depressed and losing herself in the process? She was told that what she did was not new. Every woman does it. This response made her realize that she was useless for them. She held no value whatsoever the situation. She continued with her monologue - No matter what, despite changing situations, the society still considers a woman as a burden and an unimportant person. Despite doing everything she still remains an outsider as a daughter in law. She must perform her duties to...