I come from the city of Cuttack, Odisha which is on the eastern coast of India. Betwixt the rivers Kathajodi and Mahanadi, the city of Cuttack is home to diverse communities, rich in cultural history and a seafood connoisseur’s dreamland. Being a coastal city, Cuttack has its own share of troubles, with constantly being marred by devastating cyclones every year. Despite this, the strength and solidarity of the citizens is exemplary. Every year, we host one of the largest open-air fairs called the “Baliyatra” where people from all parts of India come together to celebrate unity in diversity. Looking back, I cannot think of a better place than Cuttack and a better school than Stewart School, Cuttack that could provide me with this intellectual and social development.
As a small-town boy, travelling to Delhi for my undergraduate education was both exciting and terrifying. However, the community at Delhi University’s, Shri Ram College of Commerce (and my friends in the hostel!) provided a safe space for me to settle down and helped me grow my leadership abilities. Below is a picture from “Ecostasy”, the fest hosted by my favorite student-organization in the college “The Economics Society” that I had the privilege of leading in my second year of undergraduate studies.
Leaving SRCC in 2015, I had the opportunity to be part of the intellectual community at the University of Hyderabad, pursuing a Masters in Economics. This was a true watershed moment in my life, being sensitized to many issues concerning student life, especially addressing issues of caste-discrimination. Here, I had the chance to take part in the activities of the Progressive Theatre group, a group of iron-willed students who used art as way of speaking truth to power. We organized many street plays and I wrote and acted for some of these plays. From the rehearsals for these performances to the discussions about writing about social issues, the group provided an inclusive experience. Below is a clip from one of these plays “Azaadi ek Bhram”, which is a satire that asks questions about what freedom means in a democratic country and how our idea of freedom should not be limited to only some groups.
Since starting my PhD Career at the University of Utah, I have had less time and scope to devote attention to developing my interests in writing and public speaking for the wider community. However, where possible I have tried to involve myself with graduate student bodies such as the Heterodox Economics Student Association which I had the privilege of leading in my second year. We organized a discussion session on Infometrics where Professor Amos Golan from the American University discussed his work and organized online events for students of the department to participate in during the peak pandemic period.
Of course no society or human being is perfect. But to not give a chance to become better versions of ourself would be wrong. Coming from India, I embrace both its magnificence in being home to probably the most diverse communities and question many of our shortcomings. But I will forever be optimistic about being part of a community that holds empathy as one of its core values. I am truly privileged to have the experience of growing up in India and travelling for studies to the US, both places which encourage and celebrate diversity. To borrow a line from a Hindi song: “Desh mera rangrezi hai babu, ghaat ghaat yahan ghat ta jadoo” (dear sir, my country is a dyer, at every nook and corner there is magic happening here).
Swayamsiddha Sarangi 