 war has changed the dynamic of the West completely and left the world wondering about the third great war. The world coming together for Ukraine – praying, protesting, and speaking up – has awakened all the sleeping souls of the civilized world that had transcended to the sky in a slumber of salvation. The language of fighting back has roared again in parts of the world where the jargon had dried up of Third World words like 

 – primarily because the sense of security is so naturally inherited that it never occurred, even by chance, that someone somewhere could be born without it.

Not even once do I condone what’s happening in Ukraine, but neither do I not resent the coverage that has failed 

, and all other countries that I have no idea about because they were never important enough for the civilized ears and eyes to be heard or seen – or has only covered the round-table meetings offering more round-table meetings for peace, stones pelted, resources wasted away, a child shying away from the camera in the heart of mountains, or a bombing aimed at neutralizing the destroyers of peace and perceived terrorists.

This war has starkly reaffirmed the hypocrisy of the current world order; what lies beneath the silk of civilization is 

, and years of confidence that come with 

 In the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, there have been other wars going on for decades now – wars of colour which are fought on the eastern soil, wars waged by the civilized world itself or at least prolonged by it.

The guardians of the West take the highest 

 seats while decrying whataboutism when the other wars are talked about – least worried about years of war crimes, starvation, and army aggression that have been taking place in the tens of countries, more worried about how such discourses could feed into the hands of Russia. 40 days of this war have resulted in more sanctions and actions than decades of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and multiple wars – implying the superiority of the Western soil over any other, the sanctity of the Western blood over the Eastern blood.

All that I have said so far is known to most people, has been debated, and is, in the least, dispassionate. However, the apathy that has lingered towards the East and its ever-deteriorating sense of security has erupted to stir the world if not its order – the common and the mundane if not the rulers and the elites. If not defiance and resistance, what remains of survival for those already alienated by the world? The Russia-Ukraine war has started passionate discussions on “

occupied peoples’ right to armed resistance

”; there have been rounds of applause for making 

 cocktails; there are now heroes born out of ordinary people who defend their soil. It’s bravery when you hurl petrol bombs at one of the world’s mightiest army giants. You stand against the oppressor; the world stands with you. 

Our terrorism is your courage when you have blue eyes and blonde hair.

Blue-Eyed Privileges and Dichotomy of Wars

Thirty-one years down the lane of time, on the night of 23rd February in 1991, the quiet hamlets of 

, witnessed the dread of military occupation at its zenith. The personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force 

 broke into the residency of the villagers on the pretext of a search operation for militants who had opened fire on the forces. Men from the twin villages were forced out of their houses, interrogated, and tortured, while women and children remained inside. Overnight, the two villages were turned into the sites of mass rape and brutal torture by the Indian Armed Forces.

International Human Rights Organization reports that Indian army men belonging to the 

 entered settlements at Kunan and Poshpora in Kupwara on the night of February 23-24, 1991, and gang-raped a 

minimum of 23 and a maximum of 100 women of all ages

The incident soon rose from the night and turned into an open day discussion on various fronts. The claims of the village people, as witnesses and as victims, faced repudiation by the Government of India. The Press Council of India appointed a committee to investigate the incident. In grim opposition to the people of Kunan and Poshpora, the appointed committee stated the charges against the Indian army to be “

a massive hoax orchestrated by militant groups and their sympathizers and mentors in Kashmir and abroad as a part of a sustained and cleverly contrived strategy of psychological warfare and as an entry point for reinscribing Kashmir on the International Agenda as a Human Rights issue. The loose-ends and the contradictions in the story expose a tissue of lies by many persons at many levels

The Government of India turned down all the allegations following the investigation of the Press Council. A few months later, the case was closed.

In 2004, a victim again stepped forward, as a result of which, the State Human Rights Commission sought a reinvestigation of the case. In the following three years, more women joined the fight for a fair investigation, and in 2013, Srinagar High Court issued a notice to the Government. However, the court soon demoted the case and transferred it to Kupwara District Court, which ordered an investigation into the matter, months later.

It was the India-wide movement following the excruciating 

 that gave an impetus to the case of Kunan and Poshpora, however, the inherent bias of the Indian national media towards the disputed territory never cared enough for the truth to be unveiled in this case. The enactment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 

 and the delays on the part of (then) state governments only made the wait longer and the chances of justice thinner.

In 2015 the Indian Armed force asking for a stay order against the directed investigation of mass rapes filed a petition in Srinagar High Court. In 2016, they moved the Supreme Court of India to order the withdrawal of the case altogether.

Kashmir, with a history of impunity for such cases, has remained the greatest challenge for India, with India making the greatest claims of all time, now more than ever. The Kunan and Poshpora case has seen proportionate ignorance from the first crucial medical examinations to the halted investigations. Three decades later, the files of mass rape soak dust in three courts, with chances of justice going from thin to zero. If 

India talks of winning the hearts of Kashmir, why not start by abolishing this impunity and delivering justice that has been delayed till denial

The Night of 23rd February 1991 – Kunan and Poshpora

One of the conceivably cherished inventions of humankind is the camera. Making its way in the eleventh century, with camera obscura; ancestor of the photographic camera, as it is labelled, the box with a mere hole and some light took a run through centuries to become a part of the mundane and the magic of everyday human life. At long last in the nineteenth century arose the notable leap that came to a head through the combination of the camera obscura with a material, that altered on exposure to light and preserved the image. This is how the earliest permanent photograph, 

 in the summer of 1826 at Saint-Loup-de-Varennes.

An art of lights and shadows flinging through a lens to capture a moment for the times ahead; and for its admirers, the penumbras of the eye preserved, photography encompasses all other art forms. Photography progressed to its modern form out of a rough-hewn process that used caustic chemicals and unwieldy cameras in a brief span of history. Interestingly, the first ‘cameras’ did not snap pictures, neither were they meant to do so. The camera obscura dates back to the time of the Arabic scholar and physicist 

, he used the camera obscura to demonstrate the formation of images on flat surfaces by light.

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce developed the first photographic image in 1827 using bitumen as the light-sensitive substance and a chemically polished metal alloy plate as the base. The procedure took him eight hours, presently believed to be several days, for exposure in the camera. Nonetheless, it was here that the basic principle of photography was born. The actual chemistry required to record an image was interpreted, soon after which, Niépce accompanied by 

 refined the process. In the following decade 

 process developed, which brought the exposure time down to a few minutes. In 1839, exclusive details concerning the process were made public. This procedure marked a breakthrough in practical photography and soon spread all over the US and Europe.

By the 1850s, pictorial processes evolved, and by the 1870s, dry plates replaced wet plates. The following century led to the refining of the chemicals and the machinery. Photographic prints progressed through a succession of cellulose nitrate roll films, simple linen rag papers, and resin-coated water-resistant paper while shifting from organic dyes to stable colour pigments. Over the decades, photography evolved step by step, and parallel to it, the camera, though with its fundamental principle unaltered, changed from olden to modern, with the brush up of the roll films. Camera formats were taken into hands by several companies that have perfected them up till this time. For instance, the 

Now, not less than two hundred years after Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s View from the Window at Le Gras, we can capture as many photographs as we want and record as many moments as we set our hearts over. All these montages of the time unknowingly travel hundreds of years back to tens and tons of people and when all the days nestled the chemistry of this artform in the darkest rooms under the brightest lights with dewy-eyed hours of passion and calm.

En route Polaroids: A History of Photography

Body image refers to the combination of a person’s perceived and ideal body image. This perception pronounces how a person sees themselves in their mind’s eye when they consider what they look like. There are varying degrees of how realistically a person may perceive their body image. Experts say this perception directly impacts how an individual treats their body. Better the perception, better the treatment to their body. However, of late, there has been a distortion of this perception by artificially manufactured ideas of chiselled bodies, otherwise called beauty standards.

Beauty standards are specific bodily features, socially constructed images of physical attractiveness, therefore, modern-day references which is used to measure the perfectness of the human body. These include facial features, body structure, weight, shape, muscle structure, hair growth, and skin-related areas. These standards change with geographic regions and from culture to culture. In Asian countries, women with wider hips, ample breasts, average height, and curvaceous bodies are thought to be ideally feminine. In the West, these standards change to smaller hips, leaner bodies, and flatter chests with sharp jawlines. Likewise, men with broader shoulders, developed muscles, and taller height embody perfect masculine handsomeness standards. If not followed, we are judged for not living up to ‘perfection’, more often by ourselves, and pushed into a state of body inferiority. However, when soundly reflected upon, 

these beauty standards are unrealistic and flawed to the core

The evolution of makeup and cosmetic industries has made it possible to change certain features and take a larger control of one’s body, totally a personal choice, harmless until it becomes a necessary validation. But there are several physical features of the body that cannot be changed. There is a uniqueness in a person’s features that comes from genetic makeup. The notion of beauty standards makes the acceptance of this genetic uniqueness ‘ugly’. It is hard for people to believe that they can be different when the images in the media tell them that they should not exist at all. It is difficult not to end up comparing oneself when all that’s shoved into one’s face are chiselled faces, diamond-cut bodies and flawless skin. This can result in anxiety, anger, embarrassment, eating disorders, and even self-loathing resulting in problems with mental health, self-worth, and social, professional, and romantic relationships.

Historically, the supremacy of beauty standards has taken more toll on women, expected to look a certain way and stay in their roles. However, men have more often fallen prey to body dissatisfaction in the last few years. Men who are dissatisfied with their body image are more likely to suffer from depression and other anxiety disorders. With social media outlets like 

, men are also faced with unrealistic beauty standards. Men do not have the same pressure on their bodies that women do, but they still feel pressure due to societal expectations. They are seen as unattractive or ‘

The desire to look good is natural to human beings; however, it seems like society has given up on trying to make these beauty standards more attainable for people who don’t meet them by default. It is important for the overall well-being of an individual not to feel ashamed of themselves because they don’t fit the narrow definitions of what beauty should look like. A birthmark is not grotesque, clear skin is not perfect. No height is ‘

’. The standards of beauty are arbitrary.

Keeping Up with Beauty Standards: A Journey Nowhere?

“It’s November already. I am one year into my graduation. I haven’t been to university even once. Counting all the experiences that I could have had but didn’t, I take a sip of tea from my cup. Maybe I could have done more because I have had more time on my hands these days. Perhaps I could have read more books this year or learned something new. But I didn’t. Am I not capable? Am I not good at this? No, wait. It was a catastrophe, not an improvement break!”

We all have digressed from our usual patterns and lifestyle in the shift from offline to online mode. With everything on one single screen, it’s easier to lose the grip; we easily convince ourselves that we aren’t doing enough. From losing interest in our hobbies to almost losing our sanity, we have come a long way. Apart from taking so many lives and affecting every realm of human existence, the 

 has tested our mental and psychological limits. Reduced social interaction and contact, lesser activity and prolonged periods of isolation have wreaked havoc on every individual. Not to forget the deaths, the trauma, and the loss of livelihoods that have also crept in. With the crisis still on, we need to be kinder to ourselves and those around us to minimize further losses.

In the grind yourself culture, we’ve become conscious of how much we have or haven’t done, and the guilt trip has already begun for so many of us.

“I did absolutely nothing, and I have just wasted all my time.” / “It’s already been a week, and I haven’t completed this novel.” / “It’s been two days, and I haven’t completed my assignment.” / “My colleagues are already ahead of me, and I am still procrastinating to start the project.”

It is a totally natural human trait to strive to become a better person, learn more, and improve. Still, the notion of 

 has somewhere blended itself so profoundly in everything we do that the checkpoint needs to be made bigger and thicker so that we identify it before we collapse under the thrust of our own limits. Be it jobs, crafts, art, business, or academia, the notion of perfectibility keeps pushing us, and the supremacy of numbers drives us more and more, but it’s usually after damage is done, we realize that there’s a limit to the core of humanness and every action that sprouts from it.

What started as a pandemic is ending up as a 

 for us. We often compare our current capability to before, totally forgetting or maybe ignoring what we have come across and witnessed. Mental fatigue is as 

 as physical. Just because the body didn’t move, exhaustion cannot be denied. Time is needed to process all that’s been going on. In a work culture that only wants more and more from us, we need to set a boundary ourselves. We cannot fight these mighty waves with our pre-pandemic buckets. We haven’t seen something like this before, and it will have its impact. We deserve a rest, a mental rest. These times have pulled our hair strand by strand, scalped each one of us, each one of us went through something, and we all went through it together. Lack of focus, inability to concentrate, doubled waves of procrastination, and slightest will to communicate are just a few things showing up slowly and slowly. We have been affected, and that needs a kinder acceptance.

We need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened

The pandemic was a catastrophe; it was no adventure. It’s not a measuring gauge. These times are testing our limits, not defining our capabilities. Changed patterns – professional, emotional, psychological, mental – are okay. We went through a fire; burns are meant to itch. Seek help, call out, don’t beat yourself up for a cup of tea and a break. Waves will settle. Prioritize your mental health over the race of numbers, learn to create a balance. You are not meant to carry the whole world on your shoulders with crippling anxiety. Take your time; we are all struggling. This is not the final call; this is a 

Life Style: A Cup of Progress and A Guilt Trip

With access to mobile phones, the internet and cameras, the desire to influence others has seen a stark rise. With new trends showing up every day, social media has become a platform of infinite talent. From education and fashion to news and entertainment, everything now is one click away. However, with everything good, something worse has also seen a rise. Poverty porn, a relatively unaddressed issue, seems to have become a passion for many. Poverty porn is any type of media — photographed, filmed or written which exploits the poor’s condition to engender sympathy for sales, increasing donations or support for a given cause. The concept first originated in the 1980s, which happens to be an era age of immense charity campaigns. Though some campaigns were successful in raising money for charity, the media used what the critics called an “

”. An emaciated child in mother’s lap, women feeding on garbage heaps, a beggar with their hands stretched out and an infinite pool of similar images pops up if one does a Google search. The practice once exclusive to 

 and similar organisations has become a tool for clout, with people intentionally or unintentionally hyping it.

From the biggest cities to the smallest slums, we can see 

 congested with posts showcasing the miserable lives of underprivileged people. This is done in the form of write-ups, films and photographs. The unchecked fact being whether it was consented to by the protagonist or not. The social media industry has opened gateways to emerging artists to present their work and skills publicly. Beginner documentarians and photographers of the developing countries have taken to social media to attract employers and audiences, and poverty porn has re-established itself. While in some cities the poor charge money for pictures and stories, no such thing exists in villages and small towns and consent remains unchecked. What needs to be clearly underlined is that consent is not just asking a person to take their pictures or videos, it’s clearly making known to them how these pictures and videos would be portrayed and manipulated. Sensationalism in such media distorts reality and exposes the plight of a person only to satisfy the passion of the privileged. It disregards the right to privacy and exposes the already vulnerable to predation.

The starving child image is seen as unethical because it comes dangerously close to being pornographic, it exhibits the human body and soul in all its nakedness, without any respect for the person involved

.” It’s easier to make underprivileged children smile when clicked owing to their natural innocence, without delving deeper into the issue and understanding the menace that one is sustaining. With arts like street photography becoming so popular, such media cascades everywhere on the internet. Triggering a lull of sympathy in the minds of people, this imagery caters to the coveted clout of the privileged and the powerful.

All avid social media users have been witnesses of poverty porn and contributed to it in one way or the other, even if it’s just by looking past it like any other pop culture term on the table. The issue roots in ignoring this vicious cause of clout and the inability to bring forth accountability. Through easy access to a global audience, poverty is now sold in millions. Under the pretense of charitable goals, which actually need to be achieved without objectifying suffering, poverty porn has become a tool for exploitation. To simplify, it is convenient to capitalize on the miseries of the underprivileged for creating a false narrative that focuses more on the messiahs than the actual cause of poverty; it has thus turned poverty into a commodity.

A Subtle link Between Poverty Porn and Social Media Clout

. The victim was admitted to a hospital in 

 and then shifted to Safdarjung hospital in 

The police and the state had initially denied any rape, and the sections of media that tried to uncover the incident were intimidated. Following allegations that the victim’s body was cremated without the consent of her family in the early hours of September 30, a public outcry was triggered. On October 11, 2020, the 

 took over the probe and confirmed that the victim was gang-raped and murdered.

 died of burn injuries, three months after she was raped. According to the complaint filed by the victim on August 15, 2020, she was raped by a man who had come to the village to guard an orchard.

The girl was being forced by the uncle of the accused to withdraw the case. A video of the girl shot at a government hospital in Bulandshahr showed the girl saying that she had set herself on fire after threats from the family of the accused. A relative and two friends of the accused were arrested by the police after the victim’s father alleged that they set her on fire. The incident followed weeks after the Hathras gang rape and murder.

, in a horrible incident four men raped two 

, the accused posing as policemen also threatened the victims to upload the photos of the incident on social media platforms if they failed to pay a total of Rs. 65,000.

Days after the distressing incident, Goa Chief Minister 

’s remarks sparked public outrage. The Chief Minister had said that parents needed to introspect why the minors were on the beach late at night. The remarks sparked a row about the liberty and safety of women in the state in particular, and in the country in general.

While the world is moving forward, leaders in 

 have left no stone unturned to blame victims, their families, and communities when such incidents are taking place at an unstoppable rate.

 was allegedly raped, murdered, and forcibly cremated in Delhi’s 

 village. The girl had left her home in the evening to fetch water from a watercooler at a nearby crematorium. Half an hour later, the crematorium’s priest and the three other accused told the girl’s parents that she was electrocuted and convinced them to cremate the body without informing the police. Protests over sexual assault took place in the capital and social media platforms were flooded post the incident. The victim’s family has alleged that she was raped and murdered while fetching water from the crematorium. Owing to the hasty cremation, the medical board has reported that it’s unable to move forward because only charred remains of the victim’s body could be recovered. Further investigations are underway.

In the first eight months of 2021 as against the corresponding period of the last year, the country has seen 

 in the complaints of crimes against women, as per a report by 

 complaints regarding molestation or the offense of outraging the modesty of women, 

 complaints of rape and attempt to rape, followed by 

 complaints of cybercrimes, reports the commission.

, the capital alone has seen a rise in crimes against women by 

 compared to 2020 according to the data shared by 

. The data shows that the rape cases saw an increase of 

 from 580 till June 15 last year to 833 this year and molestation jumped by 

Articles by Taizeem Bilal

Blue-Eyed Privileges and Dichotomy of Wars

The Night of 23rd February 1991 – Kunan and Poshpora

En route Polaroids: A History of Photography

Keeping Up with Beauty Standards: A Journey Nowhere?

Life Style: A Cup of Progress and A Guilt Trip

A Subtle link Between Poverty Porn and Social Media Clout

Sexual Violence against Women — Four Rape Incidents that Shook the Country: From Hathras to Delhi

Blue-Eyed Privileges and Dichotomy of Wars

The Night of 23rd February 1991 – Kunan and Poshpora

En route Polaroids: A History of Photography

Keeping Up with Beauty Standards: A Journey Nowhere?

Life Style: A Cup of Progress and A Guilt Trip

A Subtle link Between Poverty Porn and Social Media Clout

Sexual Violence against Women — Four Rape Incidents that Shook the Country: From Hathras to Delhi