‘Bohot dikkat hai toh kal se kaam pe mat aaiyega’ Frontline heroes and ‘Angels of hope’, yet disposable
‘Humlog ko naukri dene ka arth hi kya hua? Isse acha, hum berozgar hi rehte’ [What is the point in giving us a job? It is better that we remain unemployed.] In a speech by an ASHA worker at a protest site in Kolkata. Earlier, there used to be a lot of delays, sometimes 8…
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‘The work of a saiyah has no value’ ASHAs and the Price of Invisible Care
“Last time when you gave him that injection, my son had a fever for so many days. I won’t send him again.” Sceptical remarks like these regarding vaccinations and medications are fairly common sentiments that ASHAs navigate routinely. We watched Mridula as she stood by the door, dispelling myths around vaccination, patiently explaining its side…
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Between Love and Loss: Discerning Bereavement and Healing – Sulagna Bhattacharya
Sulagna Bhattacharya is a research scholar in Development Economics at IIM Calcutta. She writes about Arshi’s deeply personal journey through grief, loss, and trauma after the sudden death of her maternal aunt, a mother figure, tracing how unresolved pain evolved into clinical depression and PTSD during adolescence. This account highlights her path toward healing through…
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End of Year Sabr List
Dear Reader, Thank you for following us on Sabr. We have had the delight of bringing something to you every month this year, with a minor break in August. Do drop us a line to tell us what you would like to see more of in 2026. Here is our end-of-year Sabr list for you,…
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Reflecting on 2025: Thinking with Care
As 2025 draws to a close, I take a few moments to pause and reflect on the diverse, messy, and ever-evolving terrain of care work and thinking with care. I share these reflections on Sabr, recognizing how my own thinking and writing on care has been mediated by quiet reflective spaces of writing entangled with…
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Recognition of women’s labour beyond tokenism: Anganwadi workers fight for dignity—Sayendri Panchadhyayi
The Anganwadi workers, formally known as Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, are at the forefront of staging a nationwide protest in pursuit of dignity, recognition, and a decent livelihood. In a bid to promote inclusive early childhood development, the Government of India (GoI) launched the Anganwadi Program in 1975 to oversee the nutritional requirements…
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Surrounded by People, Still Lonely: Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Emerging Adults in Kerala
Staying with our focus on mental health and well-being, Shaima and Devi from the Sabr Collaborative joined B. Harigovind for a conversation on loneliness and social isolation among emerging adults1 in Kerala (late teens to mid-twenties). B. Harigovind is a public health professional with a Master’s in Public Health and a B.Tech in Civil Engineering.…
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Towards Disability Justice – By Safareena Farhath
–Safareena writes for Sabr on “A Mother’s Journey through Care, Burnout, and Disability Advocacy” Motherhood changed the course of my life in ways I could never have imagined. My journey began in my early twenties with the birth of my first child—a child who would later be diagnosed with profound cerebral palsy. What followed was…
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World Mental Health Day
Greetings from the Sabr Collaborative on World Mental Health Day. This year, we are grappling with the question of mental health which members of the collaborative have encountered in myriad ways, but not directly and explicitly as a field of research and dialogue. Therefore, join us, as we take our first steps towards exploring mental…
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‘States’ of Hopelessness: Privatized Healthcare and Lives Entangled in Infrastructural Inequalities
‘My mother and my sister-in-law were lying unconscious on the hospital floor. The doctor said, ‘Take your brother from here or he will die’ I felt so helpless. That moment will stay with me forever. For so long as I live. I will never forget.’ Deepak (36, name anonymised) ‘Not everyone can afford treatment in…
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