NAZARIYA 2021 the Newsletter of the Department of History Lady Shri Ram College for Women University of Delhi
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Volume 6, Issue 1 NAZARIYA 2021 The Newsletter of the Department of History Lady Shri Ram College for Women University of Delhi IN THIS ISSUE Skeletons Outside Our Closets : How to Look at Confederate Monuments The Forgotten Tribes of Andaman Islands Politically Polarised : The Indian Case The Sakhi Trope in Bharatnatyam History through a Fissionable Lens : 35 Years of the Chernobyl Disaster Memes, Games and Our Department's Event Overview for 2021 Volume 6, Issue 1 NAZARIYA 2021 The Newsletter of the Department of History Lady Shri Ram College for Women University of Delhi COVID AIN'T GONE YET Limit meetings and non-essential travels Stop hand shakes and use non-contact greeting methods Use video conferencing instead Clean hands at the door and schedule of face-to-face meetings. regular hand washing reminders Don't stress your eyes and ears in Disinfect surfaces like doorknobs, terms of online screen-time. For tables, and desks regularly urgent conversations, use short calls and voice notes on messenger apps. Avoid touching your face and cover your coughs and sneezes Suspend all non-essential Increase ventilation by opening travels and windows or adjusting air conditioning trips. Stay home if... Take care of your emotional and You are feeling sick You have a sick mental well-being family member at Outbreaks are a stressful and anxious time home for everyone. We're here to support you! Reach out to [email protected] anytime. SOURCE : MHA.GOV.IN, CDC.GOV Volume 6, Issue 1 NAZARIYA 2021 6 Years of Nazariya Contents A Note from the The Forgotten Tribes of 01 Editor-in-Chief Andaman Islands : The 21 Story of the Jarawas An Introduction to the GUNJAN MITRA 02 Editorial Team History through a Fissionable Lens : Skeletons Outside Our 24 35 Years of The Chernobyl Disaster Closets : How to Look at ANUSHKA SAXENA 05 Confederate Monuments RIYA SHANKAR SHARMA 29 Nazariya 2021's Voices Taliban's War 08 Against Women PRIYDARSHINI YADAV Interviews with the Speakers 43 of Maazi-o-Mustaqbil 2021 Hear Me, My Love The Information 11 ANUSHKA SAXENA 76 Conundrum PAVITRA MISHRA The Sakhi Trope in 12 Bharatnatyam SOOKTHI KAV 78 Galore Courtly Love 15 and Queerness The Department's Year : SOUMYA SWAIN 85 An Overview Politically Polarised : 18 The Indian Case 99 Answers and Credits KATYAYNI CHAMPAWAT Reader's Advisory : The views expressed by Contributing Writers, as well as the statements and answers given by the speakers during their interviews (as transcribed herewith), do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of History, LSR College, its faculty, the Editorial Board of Nazariya, or of the student body, and are solely their intellectual property. 01 Volume 6, Issue 1 A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF You can build a prison of stone and steel, but you merely present the prisoner with a challenge. Any truly determined man will find a way out. But love, love is the perfect prison. Inescapable." -Wilson Fisk, Daredevil, S3E2, 41:33 Love manifests itself differently for different people. Some find it in a partner, and some, in god and faith. Some even find it in a piece of chocolate. But I... I find it in pen and paper. There is something uniquely satisfying about being able to mold quill and ink into words and sentences, and Nazariya, the esteemed Newsletter of LSR's History Department, allows us to do just that. In my three years working for Nazariya, first as a correspondent enjoying the guidance of some brilliant seniors, then as a sub-editor experiencing the best of both worlds, and finally as an evolving Editor-in-Chief, I have learned so much. I do not know how to measure or gauge my level of preparedness when it comes to stepping into a more professional editorial world, but I do know that my team and I have worked diligently to produce work that hopefully meets professional standards. In many ways, Nazariya is the Art, and my team, they're the Artists. If I have to say a few words regarding the current issue of Nazariya, I'd like to talk about its vivid representations. From photo-stories and op-eds to poetry and more, the guiding vision of this edition is to make space for diverse expressions and student empowerment. So I hope that when you read this issue, you are able to see and hear clearly, the bright ideas and strong voices peering through the confines of a global pandemic and an online presence, toiling to reach out to your heart, stimulate your mind and touch your soul. At the least let it present to you, arguments and imagery like never before. With that, I introduce you to Nazariya, Volume 6, Edition 1. Let there be light, let there be freedom, let there be empowerment! Anushka Saxena (3B) 02 Volume 6, Issue 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EDITORIAL TEAM The 2021 Editorial Team for Nazariya comprises of an Editor-in-Chief, three Sub-Editors, five Correspondents and an Illustrator. SUB-EDITORS Sookthi Kav is a student of 2B. Her main interests are in South Indian social and cultural history, but she'll read anything you give her as long as it's interesting enough. In her free time, she likes to read, dance, and listen to classical music. Pavitra Mishra is a student of 2B at the LSR History Department. Riya S. Sharma is a student of 2B. She likes to write, debate and drink too much coffee. During quarantine, she has been spending her time either listening to angsty alternative music while missing Delhi or trying to fathom postcolonial queer literature. She also enjoys a good trek along Shimla’s chilly, scenic trails and cycling. 03 Volume 6, Issue 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EDITORIAL TEAM CORRESPONDENTS AND ILLUSTRATOR Katyayni Champawat, one of our correspondents from 2A, is a dedicated individual who aspires to travel and interact with diverse cultures across the globe. She has a deep interest in international relations and administration, and holds the notion strong in her head, that, "the power to educate , agitate and organize is something to pursue and not to lose faith in." In her free time, you can find her outdoors- exploring a monument or a cafe with her friends. Priyanka Maurya, one of our correspondents and a student of 2B, comes from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She loves to interact with new people and learn about distinct cultures. She wants to develop her leadership skills, teamwork abilities, and expand her horizons through exposure to institutional processes and diverse perspectives. The editorial team provides her a platform to work towards her personal growth. Gunjan Mitra, one of our correspondents and a student of 2B, is a firm believer in conservation of nature, more specifically, marine conservation. She is a Rescue certified Scuba Diver from P.A.D.I. She enjoys travelling and photography, and hopes to be able to explore the history, culture and languages of people from all over the world. 04 Volume 6, Issue 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EDITORIAL TEAM CORRESPONDENTS AND ILLUSTRATOR Soumya Swain is a student of 2B, and a correspondent with the editorial board. She is passionate about subaltern and queer histories, and also enjoys film and literary theory. Priydarshini Yadav, one of our correspondents from 2B, describes her interests as table tennis, tribal cultures, classical dances and exploring different contours of history, especially food heritage. Archana Singh, our Illustrator, is a student of 2A. Her day starts thinking about colour and ends with cribbing about lack of colour, and this is how her life process goes on! You'll always find a thousand-watt smile plastered on her face, sometimes for no reason. Her friends say that she has the super power of radiating their day with happiness. She's the one who always speaks her mind but is always on mute too! 05 Volume 6, Issue 1 SKELETONS OUTSIDE OUR CLOSET : HOW TO LOOK AT CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS R I Y A S H A N K A R S H A R M A ( 2 B ) The image on the left is a slight glimpse into the protests that engulfed the USA after the death of civilian George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on 25th May, 2020. The death of an unarmed Black man triggered large-scale protests condemning police brutality and also demanding a stern reflection on institutional racism in the US. The tools adopted by citizens to express their disappointment were diverse, including vandalism targeted towards certain memorials placed in public view. In May 2020, the disheartening words “Cops Ran Us Over” and “BLM” (short for Black Lives Matter) could be seen scrawled underneath the imposing monument to Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Virginia. The words “spiritual genocide” in black spray paint, along with red handprints, stained the sides of a Confederate monument on the University of Mississippi campus. The anger thus, was largely targeted towards Confederate memorabilia and controversial historical A protestor tapes himself to the Colorado figures - statues of Christopher Columbus, Robert E. Soldiers Monument in front of the Colorado Lee, Jacksonville Light Infantry were defaced State Capitol. Photo by : Michael Ciaglo. countrywide. However, 2020 is not the first time that Confederate statues have come under fire. The presence of Confederate monuments across America has been challenged for years, and some of the monuments targeted were already under consideration for removal. In 2017, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia voted for the removal of pro-slavery Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s statue from a park. The decision had unprecedented ramifications - white supremacist leaders, members of the Ku Klux Klan, and supporters bearing Nazi flags gathered in Charlottesville under the banner of a “Unite the Right” rally.