Simply Me

Hello everyone, my name is Suchitra. I graduated in May 2009 with a Ph.D. from a top university in the United States. I was in India between June-September 2008 to collect data for my dissertation research project. I am pleased with the fact that I will be using my Western education to study the lives of Indian women – back to my roots.

My love and admiration for India of course supersedes mere geography. It is a love I cannot quite describe but manifests itself in the most surprising of ways like when I watch an India vs. Pakistan cricket match, watch the Lead India video, watch all those Incredible India videos, watch little acts of kindness – ordinary miracles really of everyday lives among Indians, read stories about exceptional acts by people, extraordinary achievements of Indian women, and so on. Those are moments, I shed tears of pride at my countrymen and women, a majority of who beat the odds to survive just one more day, just one more challenge, just one more hurdle toward a better life, and a better future. While I have an extreme love for my country of birth, I am not blind to the adversities and other issues that plague this great nation. Female feticide, abysmal levels of poverty in a country claiming to play a major role in the 21st century, dysfunctional governmental bodies, nonexistent infrastructure, I can go on.

In this blog, I hope to write my unedited comments on the social world around me, as I experience it. More specifically, this blog has been started with the first and most important objective of providing information to interested folks about my dissertation research project and its progress. Additionally, I hope to…

1. Update readers about the progress of my other research projects

2. Upload pictures, videos and comments on issues pertaining to my favorite city, Pune, where I lived (and where my parents and sister continue to live) for about 15 years.

3. Write about India related topics and my observations, and

4. Include anything else that I think relates to my personal or professional interests that might also be of interest to my readers.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you find some food for thought. Do not forget to leave comments.

Note: I would like to thank the anonymous photographers whose images adorn my page header. I found them through a search for Pune on Google Images.