Elsa Lycias Joel holds a doctorate in Biotechnology, writes for national dailies, lifestyle and political magazines. She has a keen interest in sociocultural, environmental and health challenges facing humanity, especially women.
‘Boys will be boys. They make mistakes’. What does this statement convey? That nobody should be held accountable for their sudden fetishes or perversions towards women? Come on, display some of that social consciousness that is bandied about so much in official and international speeches about how Indian women are revered as goddesses.
An iconic white-domed building aka The Sathyabama University (TSU) stands tall on the sweat, blood and happy tears of a visionary who also nurtured an ambitious heart.
Born as Hema to Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, (a theatre actor and classical singer) and Shevanti in 1929, this icon we call Lata Mangeshkar started singing at the age of 5 and honed her skills under the able guidance of Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan, established and famous singers of that time. There’s something about a voice that’s personal, and the nightingale that just flew away had a voice that touches us in a place that’s as personal as the place from which that voice has issued. The ecstasy of surrender that she inspired even as a five year old influenced and mentored a wide generation of younger female singers.
Come Christmas and everyone has a bit of a tree decorating tradition in our homes, inside or in our gardens. When the Christmas tree is real, it feels merrier to make it glow like a bride. One look at the tree and our hearts swell with gratitude for life and peace.
Thank you for taking the time to explore my work, ideas and influences. First of all, my overall research interest as a Social Historian, is the experiences of historically marginalized people: enslaved Africans, indentured Asians (in particular Indians), left behind men and boys, women (including enslaved women and household workers).
How many of us have grandparents or older people around and still consider ourselves lucky about the same or try spending time with them? Or do we behave as if we just lost our senses or consciousness while having senior citizens around because any conversation with them might end up with a long line of Told-You-So’s!
Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel I am not a staunch feminist and I don’t wake up to antagonize men. Reiterating this has become a habit as part of explaining why I…
By Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel Kalaignar’s political ambitions have trickled down to the third generation for good. Tamil Nadu knows of Muthuvel Karunanidhi (popularly referred to as ‘Kalaignar’ – Artist),…
By Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel As we celebrate Buddha purnima (on 26th May, 2021), I am reminded of a great quote — ‘Women are the sun of the family.’ With…
By Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel One day I decided to keep aside so many things that mattered a lot to me. This was no small step for me, a free-spirited…