X is for
This week we are trying to take care of our friends, keeping a check on our mental health and organising to fight a bigoted discriminatory act in India. It’s overwhelming and frustrating and patriotic in every way.
In Mumbai, where we had large numbers come out on the street there is a sense of catharsis but also helplessness. It is a long battle and life gets in the way, there are jobs to be kept, emails to be sent and dinner to be cooked and governments count on this to weaken us, distract us or lose steam. It’s hard not to feel guilty about all the things you could do/should do but don’t let that deter you from doing anything. You can’t fight every battle, you are a person. I can show up to a protest, I can march, I can share information but I can’t change the bigoted opinions of everyone close/related to me. I have tried and failed. But that’s okay. Keep doing whatever you can do, just don’t let it break you down.
As a sign at the protest said, “the people in power have not heard the people’s voice for generations and it is much louder than they care to remember.”
I know this is an X themed column, so X is for xenophobia and this week, X is for The xx.
Get Sharanya’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
The quintessential indie band that was once considered a sign of hipster tastes. I’m not particularly familiar with their entire discography but I credit them for the creating a song so generic and recognisable, it works over anything — cooking shows, empowering montages, general elections. I’m talking about The Intro, of course. But my connection to The xx is also the summer of 2016, that I spent listening to Jamie XX’s I Know There’s Gonna Be Good Times on loop. It feels me with nostalgia for a time I spent high with my friends lying in air-conditioned rooms feeling unbelievably chill.
Here is a terrible photo of my view as a short person watching The xx live at Primavera, 2017.
Sharanya S is a writer, podcast producer and an overall positive person. You can find me at @Sharanya_S on Twitter and at @sharutakespictures on Instagram.
