Confessions of a Social Worker

9 Jan 2026,  Manchester, UK  Everyone has a story about Schengen Visa. About the number of documents to submit. About unclear instructions. About their kanjoos travel approvals. I had these too, and this time, acquired a new one.  Cover image created using AI (ChatGPT), based on the themes of the blog I was in Manchester to submit my bundle of documents to Country X (not naming it for now). I had an early appointment so I woke up even earlier, wore my favourite winter clothes and matching bindi, so that my visa photo would look nice!  I reached the centre on time thanks to P's driving and I was impressed by how efficient the service was. Within 30 mins, I was already out, now, frantically deciding whether I should walk to the station or take a cab to catch the fastest train back to Leeds that only runs hourly. And then, I got a call from a private number.  It was from the centre informing me that my biometrics weren't clear and that they needed to take it again....

  Conferencing in a (poly)crisis: A hydrofeminist’s reflections from Development Studies Association (DSA) 2025, Bath Conference Theme: Navigating (poly)crisis: dangers and opportunities in development Blog Theme: Where menstrual cycles, celebrity scholars, new friendships, broken bus systems, and feminist economics all came together! Post-conference note : I’m more convinced than ever that the development studies and social scientists/ feminist economists need to engage more deeply with Civil and Public Health Engineering. As someone based in Civil Engineering, I’ve heard and seen the reverse happening for a very long time already! It’s always great to see the development sector deep dive into social justice, gender equality, and universal access, with newer theories/ explanations/ associations. However, in my brief interactions, I noticed that many still had no idea how WASH/public health engineering works, for example, water contamination can be geogenic, not just anth...

  A feminist, rights-based, clarity-oriented guide for honest conversations to navigate arranged marriage chats! Inspired by lived experience. For women seeking clarity, not conformity. Hi! I’m Spurthi. I’m 35, happily married to Prashanth - whom I met through an arranged marriage set-up. Though, I prefer calling it an assisted marriage (you’ll soon see why). I'm from the town of Venkatapuram, Hyderabad. I studied engineering, transitioned into social work through my education in Mumbai, and worked for several years in Delhi. At the time, my radical feminist views made me hyper-aware/ woke, but also left me heartbroken and lonely - especially while trying to date in a city-bro/ macho world. 😅 Thanks to my mother’s relentless and loving efforts to find someone who could match my gullible-feisty-sweet-enthu personality, I found Prashanth - a genuinely kind human, who is now my best friend and forever partner. Sidenote: Do NOT even consider marriage without sorting your own life f...

 “I was admitted to the hospital because of my toe’s inspection” Sudha Bai said, just the day before yesterday, while sitting at my parents’ house. Sudha Bai—my father’s younger sister, my chinnattha—has always been a powerful presence in my life. Her son, Ramu (technically, Ram Bava), chuckled and corrected her, “ Oh mother! It’s infection, not inspection. ” “ Right. That. Inspection. They would have amputated my leg if it was from inside. But since it was outside, I escaped ,” she replied, brushing it off like she always did—with that casual, matter-of-fact tone she reserved for everything intense in her life. That was her way. That was her. No drama, no fuss, just clarity. Even when it came to pain. Especially when it came to pain. That was true of most people on my dad’s side, but Sudha Bai embodied it. (Tx Chat GPT for helping recreate some memories. Unfortunate that I dont have any pictures of us) Her signature expression was "maaari".  It rolled off her tongue in coun...