Nonfiction
200th Anniversary of Greek Independence Day
The Greek Independence Day, which falls on the 25th of March 2021, marks the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution. Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish occupation for 400 years, and in March 1821, began their revolt. This War of Independence established Greece as an independent state. An underground secret […]
14 April 2021
The Invisibles: Reflections of an Overseas International Student
Anonymous. As semester one 2021 began, campus grounds awoke from almost a year of dormancy, filling up again with sights, sounds and students. Social media timelines flooded with summery snapshots of students on South Lawn, or hugging the University’s teddy bear mascot. Some official University accounts even started pushing the #RediscoverUnimelb hashtag, urging students to […]
13 April 2021
Can the Subaltern Internet?
The Fundamental Right to the Internet Cw: mentions of refugees in detention and police violence. Towards the end of a catastrophic 2020 and start of 2021, I’ve built some beautiful and unexpected friendships. If you stop by Lincoln Square at 6 pm on weekdays, you will see a fairly large group of people (including me) […]
23 March 2021
‘Can we get a cheer for systemic oppression’: Talking racism within the VCA
The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, are one of the most influential art schools in the Southern Hemisphere. Graduates have gone on to become recognisable faces of screen and stage, to have artistic works displayed in major global exhibitions and to perform on the circuit of esteemed opera […]
8 March 2021
In Defense of Taylor Swift’s reputation
I wish I could say that my first time listening to a Taylor Swift song was ~an experience so divine, it was like no other~ but that wouldn’t be true. The first time I heard her music, I was at my cousin’s house, who, like most other rich pre-teen girls in India, really, realllly wanted […]
5 March 2021
Perfectionism
Ten years ago, when I was a little pre-teen, writing was easy. Words flew on paper with the grace of a sailor navigating the ocean by the North Star. I wrote stories about princesses and their knights, blog pieces advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in India and articles about the forgotten mysteries […]
5 March 2021
Ordinary Joys
Ever since my brother, my sister and I were small, my dad had a vision for us to become surfers. He had a shimmering dream of his three kids gliding down the face of waves out at sea, perfectly executing 360 degree turns with the grace and power of Kelly Slater. He has tried hard […]
5 March 2021
Overpopulation: Not a People Problem
content warning: racism, mentions of eugenics and genocide Overpopulation can be defined as an excess of people on the planet, and the assumed environmental, social and/or economic collapse that results. It is often followed by ideas and actions about curbing such population dilemmas. So, why is this idea an issue? Overpopulation is a difficult discussion, […]
5 March 2021
Social Media: The Age of Distraction
“TV’s ‘real’ agenda is to be ‘liked,’ because if you like what you’re seeing, you’ll stay tuned. TV is completely unabashed about this; it’s its sole raison.” The American author and cultural critic David Foster Wallace uttered these words in the early ’90s. Wallace was a staunch critic of the materialism of Western culture. He […]
5 March 2021
Art Musing: Monumental Questions
content warning: colonialism, racism, civil war Looking beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 may well be known as the year of the monument. In previous years, there had been little international debate surrounding the continued presence of colonial monuments—a representation of a bygone and problematic history. Indeed, in 1927, writer Robert Musil famously proclaimed […]
5 March 2021