Pothikkettu is a monthly editorial that ‘wraps up’ the issue for our readers. This issue introduces episode 2 of our ‘Reimagining Education’ podcast season and shares a ‘top 5’ of Ala’s most-read articles in the past year.
Dear Readers,
Be it the recent contestations over teaching and administrative appointments, NEET exams, the New Educational Policy, or the long-standing topic of reservations, higher education is a hotspot of political engagements, enforcement, and dissent in India. For this issue of Ala, we are excited to present the second episode of season 3 of our podcast series, ‘Reimagining Education’, which traces some of these conversations from the regional lens of Kerala. The podcast rounds out Ala’s growing body of contributors who are thinking about education. Quite unlike episode 1 with Divya Kannan, which took a historical perspective on how missionary-run schools shaped modern education in India, episode 2 with Amal Pullarkkat dives into the thick of the present. Drawing from the gamut of his experiences as a student, union leader, researcher and now a teacher in Kerala’s educational system, Ala editor Deepti Sreeram engages Amal in a grounded conversation beyond abstract pronouncements of ‘crisis’ in higher education. The topics they cover include the disappearance of spaces for political engagement and dissent on campus, the distinct institutional challenges facing central and state universities, and the perpetuation of social inequalities in higher education. Enjoy listening!
It is a matter of shared excitement when our contributors are republished or find new avenues for their work, and this happens quite often! The latest addition to this list is Anjana—Himal Magazine published an edited English version of her Malayalam piece on Ala analysing M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s oeuvre. We encourage all our contributors to let us know of such achievements so we can share more good news in future Pothikkettus!
Before we leave you to it, here is a ‘top 5’ of Ala’s articles that were most viewed in 2024 to help you get started on browsing Ala’s rich archive from the past five years:
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Watching ‘Malabari Films’ in Bihar: Gulf Migration and Transregional Connections – Nehal Ahmed, January 2024
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Cilmem Mappilem: Qualifying the Mappila Representation in Popular Malayalam Cinema – Ahnas Muhammed, May 2024
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A Snapshot of History: Vasco da Gama in Calicut, 1498 – B. Prabu, May 2021
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Malayalam Cinema’s Other: Soft-porn and the Stardom of Shakeela – Darshana Mini, July 2019
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Mythical, Conventional, or Lost Histories: The Islamic and Cultural Heritage of Tirurangadi – Muhammad Sadik K, January 2024.
Until next month,
