Editorial
In a time of swift bulldozer ‘justice’, media trials and the increasingly evident failure of the claims made by a once-thriving constitutional democracy, the real meaning of ‘education’ appears to a be tightly wound puzzle. What does it mean to be educated – a...
Power, Authority & Education
“The school is fundamentally an institution erected by society to do a certain specific work- to exercise a certain specific function in maintaining the life and advancing the welfare of society. The educational system which does not recognize that this fact entails...
Hajj Special: Face to Face with Fatima Muzaffar
Q) As someone undertaking the blessed pilgrimage of Hajj this year, In Sha Allah, what are your expectations? Ans 1: Alhamdullilah, on the first of July we are departing for Hajj. It is after a break of two years that Hajj has resumed for other countries. So In Sha...
Hajj Special: Face to Face with Rahmabi PV
writes from Makkah, sharing her experiences and expectations of Hajj this year. 1) As someone undertaking the blessed pilgrimage of Hajj this year, In Sha Allah, what are your expectations? Ans 1. Our dreams to perform Hajj were shattered twice when the Saudi...
Hajj Special: Face to Face with Dr Aishah Vaseem
Alhamdulillah, this year Allah SWT has honoured me by inviting to visit HIS house. For somany years I was waiting for this invitation....Alhamdulillah. Initially I was very excited but as the day of departure comes closer and closer, the excitement has been...
Aura Readers Club: West Bengal
On the 22nd of June, 2022, Aura Readers Club West Bengal organized the monthly virtual experts’ review meet of the June issue of Aura e-Magazine. A host of subject experts, professors, social activists and academics participated in the meeting to offer their valuable...
Study at Jawaharlal Nehru University
I am doing a Masters in Sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU and I completed my Bachelors in BA Sociology (Hons) from Miranda House, University of Delhi.I am doing a Masters in Sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU and I...
Studying in Japan
Studying Japanese will without a doubt enhance your experience here, enabling you to have more fulfilling social interactions and easily navigate your way around. However, knowing Japanese is not a prerequisite. There are several universities in Japan, including...
Ph.D. in US universities: A step by step process on how to apply
Studying at a top US university often seemed like an idea too far-fetched, almost unattainable to me. Despite my raging self-doubt and an absolute cluelessness about the entire application procedure, I nonetheless decided to give it a shot. Studying at a top US...
Bachelors of Unani Medicine and Surgery (B.U.M.S): An Opportunity for Science Students
The career opportunities after completion of BUMS are not just in India but also abroad. Many organisations and research institutions working in the manufacturing and research field abroad require professionals in this field. I am delighted to have the opportunity to...
Education with a Vision
“Universal education through schooling is not feasible. It would be no more feasible if it were attempted by means of alternative institutions built on the style of present schools. Neither new attitudes of teachers toward their pupils nor the proliferation of...
Experience of an Indian Muslim Woman
Dual and joint degree programs between Indian and foreign universities are on the rise for undergraduate and postgraduate levels for a wide range of subjects. The first such collaboration was between IIT Bombay and Monash University for research. The second is between...
National Achievement Survey 2021– Reading Between the Lines
The National Achievement Survey (NAS) is a largescale assessment of students of classes 3, 5, 8, and 10, conducted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India to obtain information about the learning achievement of students studying in State Government schools,...
Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama
“Let’s invite one another in. Maybe we can begin to fear less, make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases that unnecessarily divide us . Maybe we can embrace the ways we are the same. It is not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in...
Explainer: Education
Some things in life are so common that sometimes we fail to probe deeper into their meaning and significance. Education, learning, training and teaching are part of our everyday lives, so we rarely feel the need to define them and find out how their study and deeper...
The Greatest Women’s Emancipator in History
“When any of them is told about the birth of a female his face turns dark, and he is filled with suppressed anger, and he hides himself from people because of the bad news, thinking: should he keep the child despite disgrace, or should he bury it in dust? How evil is...
Salah: A Wonderful Act of Worship
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once narrated the story of a traveller who came to his mosque for Salah after a long journey. He had not taken bath or combed his hair while his body was covered by dust and dirt.A person will not be accepted in a civilized society unless...
Prostitution or Sex Work; Slavery or Choice?
In Gangubai Kathiawadi, the Bollywood film that garnered much applause for the lead actress for a ‘gritty’ role, there is one scene that has gone viral. The eponymous Gangubai is the lead character, a depiction of a historical figure Gangubai Harjeevandas, In Gangubai...
The Effects of Anger
Unconditional love strengthens children’s trust in parents. Their attachment to their parents is emotional. Unconditional love is the most difficult process. For unconditional love, it is necessary that there should not be even a hint of showing unkindness...
Contemporary Gender Discourse (LGBTQ+): Analysis, Appraisal and Beyond – Part I
(Dr Rizwan is Deputy Director, Center for Study and Research (CSR) New Delhi. Dr Alvi holds a PhD in Genetics and is interested in Bioethics and contemporary social trends. The article has been co-authored by them). Human history has never witnessed a more open and...
History of India and Historiography Part II
The most bewildering part is that as per Hindutva chronology, the Enlightened Age (which spans from 5000-3000 BC) is immediately followed by the ‘Dark Ages’ of Muslim rule (which began in 1000 CE). Ask them what happened in the intervening 4000 years, and their lips...
Six Ideas That Make You Happy
Mistakes can lead to success and happiness. That is why our scholars said that, for the mistake done against God, a good deed can lead its owner to Hell, and a bad deed can lead its owner to Paradise. Happiness has rules in it. If you can discover what it means, then...
The Message of a Falling Leaf
The beauty of Quranic guidance is that it diverts attention even towards those areas that are considered negligible, as is the case here. The Book takes the human consciousness from an inconsiderate situation to make it sensible and productive. Which of the events of...
Children’s Corner
Listen Listen Listen
Now come on all of you. Give one sentence in simple present tense starting with ‘I’. Our teacher said after explaining the grammar rules. Each one stood up and gave sentences like: “I am a student.”; “I am a girl.”; “I am a girl.” etc. Now it’s my turn. I stood up...
My Emotions
I Keep all my grief in my heart With no entry mark Whenever emotions are high I look back at things that make me cry Some grief I overcome And throw them out Some are still that hurt me a lot Losing my father an daughter Are the extreme shocks Passport of my father...
HERE I AM!
‘Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik!’ and with that Resonant Sound, I’m Onward Bound. For the Eternal Creator’s Sake! On the Journey of a Lifetime; A Pilgrimage, in Answer to a Call Divine. A Voyage of Discovery, A Mission of Self Recovery. With a Pure Heart, I Embark on a...
The Media Surveillance of Minority Life
For many vulnerable communities, like the Bengali-speaking, and particularly Muslim communities of Assam, or those migrants living on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi, forced evacuation and accusations of ‘encroachment’ has been the hallmark of their liminal, fragile...
Raising the Legal Age of Marriage to 21 for Women
The minimum age for women in India was for the first time prescribed in the Sarda Act (later renamed as Child Marriage Restraint Act). In the year 1978, by way of amendment, the age was raised for men and women: 21 and 18 respectively. The position remained the same...