Aswini Ashok

The mathematical projections of MGR University indicate 1.5 lakh covid-19 patients in Chennai by mid-July and a peak in October. Going by the fact that the Varsity’s projections on Chennai have been proved right so far, it is best to brace ourselves to deal with the crisis as it is about to knock every one of our homes. This is my own account observing the crisis from close quarters which might help to understand how the system works.   Getting tested: This is the first of the many hardships, a patient (and their family) faces. There are as many ways to stop you from getting tested. On developing any symptoms, if you approach a private clinic, the doctor will mostly convince it is just viral fever and to follow the medications. But, make sure to get your symptoms handwritten by the doctor on your prescription. Private labs are very specific about this. A valid prescription is mandatory to get an appointment. They charge 4500Rs. But, an additional charge for home sample collection. ...

It may be in the best of interests when the PM asked everyone to stay put in their respective locations when the lockdown was declared. But, things had gone astray ever since. Especially that of the stranded migrant workers. While the rich had the privilege to fly back on the last day, it is always the poor and underprivileged who bears the wrath of any difficult measures being taken in the country. The recent decision by the central govt. advising the state governments to take necessary measures to transit the migrant workers shall be commended only for being better late than never. Labor ministry sources indicate there could be as many as 2 million migrant workers in the country. The government should have been more sensitive in dealing with a crisis of this magnitude. At least 25 people have died walking hundreds of km in the last one month alone. While some were lucky enough to have made it to their villages, the sight of people walking all the way in highways with constantl...

There is a constant acquisition that Indian men look for a well-educated, good-looking, decent, family girl who can make round rotis. For the uninitiated, this may sound alarming, but, trust me, no Indian girl finds it remotely disturbing. We know this is how it works and have no qualms moving on without wasting a second. In my honest opinion, the above ad is at least straight forward, how much ever problematic it is. It warns women beforehand. But, there are quite a whole lot of ‘educated’ ‘decent’ ‘family’ men who have perfectly mastered the art of masquerading their sexism as wokeness. This is where women get confused because they are always trained to see any remote resemblance of good as benevolence. So, this piece is basically to alert my fellow sisters from such latent sexism and swipe away the first chance they get. And, to my fellow Indian men that we are indeed aware of your silly tactics. 1. It is OK to prefer working woman and be honest about it. But, make sure ...

           I was waiting for the bus when a policeman came and started inspecting the platform 5 feet away from me. Only then I realized there was a man lying there motionless. I am not sure whether he spotted him on his usual rounds or someone called for the police. Initially I thought it was yet another drunkard scenario, which we are quite used to in Chennai, but, in Bangalore, I have never seen such scenes mostly. Thanks to their more liberal and streamlined ways of selling liquor. It turned out that the man could not waken up even after sprinkling water on his face. The police used the local boys and seized a small packet of something (possibly condom) from his pockets. The boys giggled and threw it. Meanwhile, he called someone and a police van reached there within minutes. All the people passing by stopped their vehicles and observed the scene, jamming the traffic in their own ways. I enquired a lady next to me and she said that the man was declar...

Disclaimer: Based on inputs from "அணு  உலை  அறிவோம்" by J.Prabhakaran., and other sources.  Contains disturbing pictures. Read at own risk. With massive increase in the awareness among common people and widespread reach of media in the form of print, visual and social, the importance delivered to protests concerning environmental impacts have become stupendous. One may argue that with the growing agitation the country will turn zero tolerant to any kind of development project, which will only make the country’s growth spiral backwards. But it is equally important to value and understand the livelihood and emotions of the people and to be a responsible citizen to realize the real cost we pay for every development without rubbishing off the demands of the under privileged in the name of the greater interest of the nation and to equally develop the standard of living of common people without creating a valley between them and nation’s development. The term ‘developm...

There is a wonderful analogy called “Rooster Coop” in the book “The White Tiger”. It is basically how the Roosters in the butcher shop tied in a wire mesh, keep seeing its fellow roosters getting butchered right before them and knowing very well that their time is just around the corner. We Indians can patent this theory for having its wide application in every typical Indian thing. One such example is how we all get trapped in the same coop at the so called marriageable age. We are all roosters seeing our friends and foes of our age or even less getting hitched one by one. And we know we will be dragged to the butchery platform anytime around.             The only difference being the roosters inside the cage watches the dying rooster with dead beat horror but we enjoy the free food and the celebration when our fellow rooster is getting hitched. And the Rooster Coop is supported from the inside. Every now and then you hear y...