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Musing about Success
This week I spoke to two individuals on the topic of success. The first, a mother of two in her late forties, for her the concept of success had much to do with her husband and her children, “ultimately, if our children are settled and are good human beings then my life has been successful.”…
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Planting the Seed of a Growth Mindset
The core of our beliefs rest in two types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. In this post I will be putting forth some of my learnings on how to nurture the growth mindset. When I say “growth mindset” I mean the conviction that my passions, skills, talents, can be developed further.…
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I Shall Emerge!
Kawahigashi Hekigoto (1873-1937), Japanese poet and haiku pioneer writes: 初雷や ふるふが如き 雛の壇 Hatsu-rai ya/ Furuu ga gotoki/ Hina no dan The first thunder Is likely to shake The tiered doll stand. I feel that way about spring. As the heads of the first crocuses crown on my street I want to let out a guttural shriek, a…
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Scratching at Layers of Patriarchal Sedimentation
During my research on the ghazal, I discovered that the work done by several women poets in the eighteenth and nineteenth century had been removed from written history. Women had systematically been excluded from several anthologies. In Urdu, as oral poetry started being complied and printed, the biographies penned by poet and historian Altaf Hussain…
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On Reading “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros
I am currently reading The House on Mango Street (2004) by Sandra Cisneros. It came recommended by a friend’s daughter; she read it as part of her English Literature syllabus in Grade 8. Well firstly, I am absolutely delighted that this young bright student recommended this book to me. Secondly, how fabulous that a book…
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Let’s Get Organized
It was 1996, Dr. Jacob in college, pointed out: “What after the wedding?”, we were in an invigorating lecture on Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. According to him, the real story was to unfold after Edmund and Fanny were married and “settled” into the mansion. We all disliked Fanny Price declaring her prudish. We also…
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Top 5 books I read in 2018
It is almost the end of the year and a good time to reflect on the best books I read in 2018. I try to read as many books as my age, this year had the ambitious 39 figure. I managed to read 33. Falling short of my goal by 6 books, but then it…
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English Pronunciation in a Global World: with Dr. Rupp, Futurelearn, and VU
I am absolutely delighted that I will be a mentor and facilitator in this ingenious course that Dr. Laura Rupp has created. What a great way to learn and grow; please do take a look. Details: Join the Futurelearn course ‘English Pronunciation in a Global World‘ developed by the Faculty of Humanities of Vrije Universiteit…
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Field Notes on “Diversity sensitive education, the International Classroom and the Mixed Classroom” for Talent, Diversity and Internationalisation
At the Vrije Universiteit (VU), the International Office along with the LEARN! Academy offers the “Mixed Classroom in Practice” – a cutting-edge workshop that provides a hands-on, bottom-up approach to pedagogical diversity training. I am one of the facilitators of this workshop. I had worked on a project to explain why we use the term…
