The Professor Challenged Me
What appears rude, crude or too strict to us, during our student days, are perhaps blessings in disguise. Hemashri pays her tribute to one such professor, in the weekly...
Prayers, Process, and Reforms: Some Things do Not Change for Ordinary People
The state administrative service is rife with arbitrariness and discrimination. Hemashri recounts how her study leave prayer for a higher study to JNU, New Delhi, was not granted, while...
Caught Between Files and Life: Diagnosis of a Restless Bureaucrat
Hemashri recounts the harrowing incident of a wrong decision by the government, when her father, a mid-level police officer had to face tough times. It took its toll on...
Her Ozymandias and Mine!
One class by a teacher was so different. Hemashri talks about her daughter’s and her experiences of studying Ozymandias, three decades away, from their respective teachers and the stark...
Toilet Trauma: Do Indian Women have the Right to Pee With Dignity?
There are no proper women’s toilets at public places. Will it sound very odd if we start an agitation for proper lady’s toilet, now? We live in a world...
Of Midnight Knocks, Uncouth and Lecherous Men
A midnight knock in a Circuit House had scared Hemashri. She was about to raise an alarm to punish the drunkard. But, other incidents crowded her mind. She tells...
Sugar and Spice but Everything is not so Nice!
Hemashri shares two experiences that speak volumes about the work environment in a government office, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths. Even retirement age for Supreme Court...
Will Things Ever Change for a Girl?
Here’s a case study of Maya (name changed), her trials and tribulations, in office and at her in-law’s place. Hemashri takes a hard look at the life of this...
An Ode to my Mentor
Indian bureaucracy thrives on sycophancy and who would be the most favourite officer depends on how flexible an officer can be to please some people. However, whenever there was...
Wonder why we are distanced from Wall-mates at Workplaces!
In offices, we are often a wall away from our wall-mates. But, each of us seems to be walled within our small selves, seldom helping each other, agonises Hemashri,...