The new decade is upon us with what we hope and believe are greener pastures. With over a week of it lost, I think it’s safe to assume that the resolution makers have tried and failed yet again in their yearly rituals and are searching for the next ‘it’ thing to obsess over. With a year’s worth of Issues behind us, what do we look forward to in the coming year? Where do we stand in the big picture: are we really a common platform for all or an alienated cult?
The number one question that has been a constant through all our discussions is, ‘Will people contribute without us running behind them to do it?’. So, we decided that the 13th issue would be the one where we finally put that question to its test and evaluate ourselves and in the process you, the “contributor”. Our first clue should’ve been the countless stories of unluckiness that surround the number 13. But the rationalists in us decided to ignore that and go ahead with it anyway. I believe this is what people call hope or in this case, false-hope. When we decided that we would not approach people for content in this issue and instead let them ‘Speak Up’ themselves, we were expecting the worst and decided to name it the ‘Blank issue’ as an inside joke. Trust me when I say this, you did not disappoint our assumption at all. Good job!
There are hundreds of slogans like, “Voice out your opinions!”, “Azadi!”, “Save the planet!”, and more about issues that hardly make it to the top of our list of “Things that require an Asprin (or maybe two) to figure out”. Right now, I will not urge you to speak up, for your chance to do so has gone by already and you either did not bother to notice it or you decided that you were too busy for it. So the one thing that you can do at this point is to listen.
Listen, to Lamiya Huda (you’ve been doing it for so long, once more shouldn’t hurt) as she speaks of ‘Chaiwallahs'(you-know-who) and her right to belong. Listen to Anamika Matthew, as she talks about the magic of the streets as they unify the masses, resonating their voices to the multitudes.
Shreyas Baindur is back with another history lesson about the “WCFA clubs” (Yes, they did exist back in days of yore). His rating system might jog your memory of the good old days. If you’re still in doubt I’d suggest you authenticate the existence of said club from nearby hermits.
If you’re one of the lucky few who make it through to the end, you would have noticed the ghosts lurking in the grey areas muttering Latinized incantations that would confuse the smartest of the Popes. They’re here, standing guard, for those of us still brave enough to open our minds and clear out the gibberish. So, what are you waiting for?
-Adithi Srinivas
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