A new non-Uyghur head of the top university in China’s troubled northwest Xinjiang province, home to China’s Uyghur Muslim Turkic minority, is seen as an erosion of autonomy for the region, greater central government control and a possible downgrading of Uyghur academics’ prospects.

Chinese state media reported late last month that Yao Qiang had been appointed president of Xinjiang University, the region’s top institution in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the first president of the university from China’s Han majority since the 1950s after decades of Uyghur leadership of universities in the region

Yao, previously a professor at prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, had been serving as Xinjiang University’s vice-president since March 2019, with the position of university president remaining unfilled since 2018 after purges and detention of many Uyghur academics, including former Xinjiang University president Tashpolat Tiyip, a prominent Uyghur academic.

The crackdown in Xinjiang has been presented by Beijing as a bid to control Islamic extremism and terrorism within China. Academics and rights groups outside China have presented strong evidence of mass internments of Uyghurs since 2017 in which the Chinese government calls ‘vocational training’ centres.

Henryk Szadziewski of the United States-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) said Yao’s appointment came as a surprise, as a Uyghur head of the institution “is one of the benchmarks of the autonomy system” in the Xinjiang region.

“Under this system in much of the region it is usual to have a non-Han in an executive position and for the party secretaries to be Han, so this [change] is quite unprecedented,” he said.

Szadziewski told University World News the appointment also had a symbolic impact on higher education in Xinjiang beyond the institution’s own faculty and staff.

“Xinjiang University has wider impact beyond the campus, so it would be taken as quite a strong signal of the central government intervention into life in Xinjiang, a message of Beijing’s rule over non-Han peoples in the region.”

“It is most certainly significant. We’ve seen quite sustained pressure on Uyghur intellectuals and also beyond, artists and so on,” he said.

Abduweli Ayup, a linguist who ran Uyghur language schools in Kashgar in Xinjiang, said the head of the university was also an important leadership role in the region. “Xinjiang University is the core of academia in Xinjiang. Past university presidents are also top Uyghur scholars. But it is also an important political figure in Xinjiang.”

Naming a Han head at a time when so many prominent Uyghur academics are in detention, including some party loyalists among Uyghur academics, is a rejection of autonomy for the region.

“With so many Uyghur academics arrested, it means the Chinese government wants to monitor Uyghurs very strictly and implement their policy in a brutal way. There is no room for them to consider what local people think. They will do whatever they want,” Ayup said.

Erosion of Uyghur language teaching

Szadziewski said erosion of Uyghur language teaching had begun a decade ago with all classes at Xinjiang University and other universities in Xinjiang conducted in Chinese.

“This new appointment confirms the changes that have already happened so, over the years, there’s been a process of Sinification, moving towards teaching classes in Mandarin Chinese and installing patriotic education classes, to the point where the ability of the faculty to research subject matter reinforcing the distinctive Uyghur culture is under duress and many top scholars have disappeared.”

UHRP released a report last year that found hundreds of Uyghur academics and students, among them some two dozen scholars from Xinjiang University alone, have been interned in re-education camps since 2017.

Rachel Harris, professor of ethnomusicology at SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London who has worked with several Uyghur academics detained since 2017 said the appointment of a Han university president “is a very clear message to the Uyghur people that they no longer have an autonomous region and their culture is no longer valued”.

She noted that almost no information has filtered out on the fate of prominent academics, for example, Rahile Dawut, a leading expert on Uyghur folklore and traditions at Xinjiang University, whose work had previously been sponsored by the Chinese state. Dawut left Urumqi for Beijing in December 2017 and has not been heard from since.

Tashpolat Tiyip was Xinjiang University’s president from 2010, but his whereabouts is unknown since he was detained in 2017 while travelling to a conference in Germany. He was reportedly sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being convicted in camera on charges of separatism, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights which has called on the Chinese authorities to make public Tiyip’s current place of detention.

China has denied that Tiyip was secretly tried and sentenced to death saying last December that Tiyip was “suspected of corruption and bribery” and that the case was still ongoing. No new information has emerged since then.

More arrested than released

Ayup, who is now head of Uyghur Hjelp (Uyghur Help) in Norway, which documents Uyghur detainees and archives their testimonies, told University World News nothing is known about Tiyip or detained Kashgar University president Erkin Omer.

But the detention of Uyghur scholars continues; “it is very hard to get news out [of Xinjiang] but we are seeing some new names of those arrested.” These include Oblez Irhun, a historian based in Beijing where he was working in a publishing house, who was arrested this year.

Even though some have been released after three years in detention camps, “more have been arrested than released,” Ayup said, pointing to prominent Uyghur academic Gheyret Abdurahman, of the Academy of Social Sciences of Xinjiang, released this year.

“Most of those released were very old or sick,” said Ayup. A prominent academic, former professor at Xinjiang University, Abdukerim Rahman, passed away less than a year after release. Azat Sultan, former president of Xinjiang Normal University, was released and believed to be seriously ill, although exact dates of the release are unknown. Deaths are not reported officially, in part to prevent public mourning of prominent Uyghurs.

A number of doctors and academics from Xinjiang’s medical universities have been released since December 2019, including at least one released last month.

“We can conclude they were released because the government needs them. There is a shortage of doctors because of the detention of so many doctors and academics, so they were released after a two- to three-year period of indoctrination,” Ayup said, adding it could also be related to the outbreak of coronavirus in China and the need for medical personnel.

But Ayup also noted a new phase reported by those released from detention. “Scholars who have been in concentration camps for indoctrination are now being sentenced. Some cases are now coming to court,” including cases in the coming days, though in most cases charges are not made public.

Xinjiang University has been operating without a president in Tiyip’s absence, until the current appointment.

“The only difference over the past three years is that it’s been under a very tight political grip,” Harris noted. “This new appointment seems to have set the seal on this change of direction that, very clearly, there is no space for Uyghur academics who have a pride in their own culture. There is no room for them to be employed or to have positions of leadership.”

The central government is pushing to make things look normal, Szadziewski said.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if the fact that universities are up and running and going by the normal academic calendar is one of the ways to portray this,” he said, adding that it is unclear how many non-Han students are enrolling and what they are studying. Source: Alarm over choice of new leader for Xinjiang University

In reason years, there has been a definite rise of students pursuing their degrees online. With the ability to learn from a laptop from anywhere in the world with an internet connection, it is understandable why. Learning from the comfort of your computer screen can be appealing, but there is much to consider. Without a campus or physical classroom, the traditional student experience is vastly altered when it comes to online learning, so here is everything you need to know about getting a degree from a university online.

Better Access for Students

This is arguably one of the best parts of online education. This access is provided for students who may have been unable to move to their desired courses’ location or fit the university’s schedule. Every student deserves the opportunity to pursue the subject they want to, and online degrees give them that chance. For working students or students with families, the accessibility comes from the fact that they can integrate their studies into their everyday lives, no matter how busy they are. This is one of the main reasons students will be choosing an online degree, which should be celebrated.

There is Plenty of Communication

When thinking of online studies, it is understandable to picture a student sat alone at their computer with minimal interaction with those studying. While it is true that in-person meetings are reduced (although not always absent altogether), there is a definite sense of community when it comes to online degrees. In this age of technology, there are plenty of options online to communicate with other students and professors. The courses also generally involve one to one meetings with professors and instant messaging rooms between students to talk about their subjects and help each other. Group projects are also not omitted from online degrees; they would simply be organized on a group messaging system rather than in person. Universities tend to have their own online managing system, meaning no student is every alone in their studies.

They Include Vocational Courses

It is a myth that online degrees are not reserved for pure academic courses. There are plenty of students learning management, nursing, and more from their homes. There are plenty that specialize in employment areas like nursing, where you can find RN to MSN program and more. Plenty of students find their ways into the workplace just as well online as they do in a traditional university environment. With online, there are still many options for placements, so online students do receive just as much work experience.

They are Not Easy Degrees

Another myth about online degrees is that they are easier than traditional courses. This is simply not the case. The questions on the online courses, much like in ordinary universities, cannot be found on google – they take critical thought and original ideas to complete. The accomplishment of receiving an online degree is equal to one from a traditional university, and many employees also see it that way.

Time Management is Essential

What students have to learn when studying their degree online is the ability to manage their time wisely. This skill either comes naturally or with experience. When studying in a normal university, students would be given a definite schedule that they must adhere to. With online study, however, it is up to the students to keep up with their workload and not fall behind, which is a great responsibility. The outcome of this is that those who study online will have attained more responsibility with their time.

Connections Require Effort

Aside from the education, friendships made, and work experience acquired, there is one important part of a university that requires communication: connections. To find the right job after completing their studies, students need to have met enough people. The statement that it is who you know is true, and students of online study may feel they might suffer from not making as many connections as they will not see their professors and peers daily. This is partly true, but it does not mean that connections are unattainable, just that they will require more effort to obtain. As an online student, making connections will mean scheduling meetings with the tutor often, being active in the student group chats, and even having a face messaging system to talk to peers.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to online study – some true, some not – but it is the case that online degrees are worthy of thinking about.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a very common health condition and it’s been reported in people of all ages. It’s described as a ringing in the ears, but tinnitus can also sound like roaring, hissing, clicking, and buzzing. If you’re a victim of tinnitus, you know that it can cause distress. The annoying sounds come and go, but they’re there all the time. At times, you feel isolated, which can lead to depression. Patients showcase different reactions, which explains why certain misconceptions have emerged about the condition. It’s paramount to understand the facts because you’ll be in a better position to deal with the issue. In what follows, we’ll present the three most common misconceptions regarding tinnitus.

#1 Tinnitus is a disease

People wrongly assume that tinnitus is a disease when, in reality, it’s a symptom of an underlying health condition. More often than not, tinnitus is caused by a disease that impacts the inner ear, such as inner ear hair cell damage. What happens is that the frail hairs in the inner ear start to move due to the action of sound waves and trigger an electrical signal to the brain, which interprets it as a sound. Keep in mind that various illnesses can cause tinnitus. Less common causes include but aren’t limited to head and neck trauma, Meniere’s disease, and stress and anxiety. Almost everyone can experience ringing in the ears.

#2 There’s nothing you can do about tinnitus

In spite of the fact that tinnitus is a complex condition, it’s treatable. So, you don’t have to live with it. Schedule an appointment with your doctor and see what can be done in your case. For instance, tinnitus retraining therapy leverages sound therapy and direct counselling to make the condition more manageable. Other proven ways of decreasing the distressing sounds are ear protection, relaxation techniques, Zen tones, and tinnitus counseling. There is no cure for tinnitus, regrettably. The treatment options help reduce the perceived intensity of the sounds, not to mention their omnipresence.

#3 Only people with hearing loss will experience tinnitus

It’s commonly believed that only people suffering from hearing loss can experience tinnitus. The fact is that only 30 percent of people affected by hearing loss experience a ringing in the ears. It’s possible to get tinnitus without having hearing loss. As mentioned earlier, the health condition can affect virtually anyone, making it impossible to live a normal life. The quality of life decreases significantly. For some, it’s not possible to enjoy good health and wellbeing. Others find it difficult to concentrate and maintain focus. If you’re a tinnitus sufferer, seek medical attention right away. Most importantly, avoid anything that can make your tinnitus worse, such as listening to loud music.

To sum up, misconceptions arise when we rely on hearsay instead of factual evidence. Getting a good understanding about the truth surrounding tinnitus will empower you to make better decisions in terms of treatment. False information is circulating around, which is why you need to be careful and not trust just any source.

With converting their lesson plans for both in-person and online learning, you wouldn’t think teachers have time to go from ordinary to extraordinary. However, you’d be mistaken. Excellence in education is something instructors take seriously. 

Here are ten ways educators are making waves this year. Let’s take a few moments to celebrate their impressive achievements. 

1. Winning Dedicated Teacher Awards 

Dedication — what is it? According to the dictionary, it’s the act of remaining committed to a cause or purpose. In the educational world, it means putting student learning and welfare first. 

All around the world, educators embrace this ideal. Ahmed Saya from the Cordova School in Pakistan received the Dedicated Teacher Award for 2019. He began his career way back in grade-9 to finance his studies. He quickly realized that teaching is not a profession, but rather, a passion that comes from within. 

2. Innovating New Techniques 

Innovators challenge the limits of what’s possible and encourage others to create bold solutions. Such educators invite their students to take risks while collaborating with their fellow learners. 

Past grand prize winners of the Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Awards include Susan Barkdoll of California and Kristina Glass of Louisiana. Winners receive a $1,500 honorarium and a year’s subscription to The Henry Ford’s educational products and select merchandise.

3. Getting Global 

What could your favorite teacher do with $1,000,000? They could probably open a school in many areas. The Global Teacher Prize is presented annually to an exceptional teacher who made an outstanding contribution to the profession. 

This year, they have narrowed the selection down to ten finalists. One of these is Carlos Mazzone, who teaches computer science in areas of high unemployment and also published several bestselling books on programming. He and his colleagues continue to carve pathways out of poverty for those they teach. 

4. Making the Hall of Fame 

The hall of fame isn’t only for baseball players. Pearson is a big name in the educational world, and they sponsor the National Teaching Awards in conjunction with the Teaching Awards Trust. 

Their mission is to raise the teaching profession’s profile and highlight the positive impact instructors and administrators have in our society. They celebrate exceptional educators for challenging students to learn and forming liaisons with parents and local leaders to create a more vibrant community. 

5. Earning Teacher of the Year 

You might have heard of the teacher of the year awards. The Washington Post established their version of this coveted prize to recognize educators who exemplify excellence in their profession. They don’t stop at the classroom — they recognize principals, too. 

Finalists encourage creative and quality instruction and contribute in a substantive way to improving education in the Washington, D.C., area. The winners of this year’s contest will be announced in April of 2021. 

6. Inspiring Future Leaders

The Sanford Teaching Awards seek to reward inspirational teaching based upon set criteria. Teachers in any pre-K through grade-12 school in the United States may apply — it doesn’t matter if they teach in a public, private or charter school. 

They seek educators who continually expand on current instructional practices to support student engagement and reflect on what works and what doesn’t. They emphasize professional development and strive to continue to learn and grow to expand their art. 

7. Biting the Big Apple 

Teachers in New York City faced multiple challenges this past year. Unfortunately, the roller coaster ride hasn’t stopped yet, with new restrictions looming in some areas. 

However, exceptional educators always get the job done. Teachers like Laura Blau continue encouraging their students to engage in critical thinking and creating artwork. Many of her student’s creations now grace the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Capitol. 

8. Helping Higher Education 

K-12 teachers do a lot, but they don’t complete the educational portrait. Higher education instructors also go above and beyond to elevate the student experience, and the University of North Carolina system strives to recognize their efforts. 

Past winners include Ameena Batada, an instructor at UNC Asheville. She teaches public health and uses a combination of first-person inquiry and classroom community collaborative efforts to inspire students to see existing problems in a new light. She considers her students and herself to share a learning journey. 

9. Embracing Excellence

What does excellence in teaching look like? To Professor Michael Young, recipient of the John W. Rowe Excellence in Teaching Award, it entails setting high standards coupled with a sense of humor to ease stress. 

Young uses a guided-discovery approach to introduce new content, then uses discussion and questioning to deepen their knowledge. He challenges them to look at subjects from fresh perspectives and tailor materials to each learner’s stage. 

10. Varying Their Diets 

Apples have long stood as a symbol of the teaching profession, and the Golden Apple Awards strive to reward teachers who often go unrecognized in their efforts to build more educated communities. The award for educators goes back to 1986, and founders Mike and Patricia Koldyke recently began recognizing outstanding administrators, too. 

Teachers win through nomination — if you know of an exceptional educator, you can suggest them through the website. Eligible teachers work in Pre-K through grade-3 in a public or private school in Illinois. 

Educators Are Making Waves in These 10 Ways

Educators are making waves in these ten ways in 2020 and beyond. If you know an exceptional teacher, consider nominating them for one of the above rewards. 

Source: Are Hong Kong’s teachers radicalising youth? Ex-leader and lawmaker clash over accusation | South China Morning Post

Anonymous is searching everywhere for these predators, whether they are Hollywood, the halls of Congress, or your neighborhood.

By Anonymous

Greetings citizens of the world. This is a message from anonymous, regarding the fight against child trafficking worldwide.

In the past few years, the issue of child trafficking has finally started to receive the attention that it deserves, but unfortunately, this problem has also been politicized in a way that makes this issue seem more abstract and far away than it actually is. In many online circles, this discussion has devolved into a guessing game about which celebrity might be an abuser behind closed doors, with speculation being shared as if it is fact.

Indeed, the past few years have shown us that Hollywood is a cesspool of predatory behavior and that the rich and famous can often get away with horrific abuses because they are seemingly above the law. The case of Jeffrey Epstein shows us that there are many world leaders, even princes, who view pedophilia as some sort of hobby. These stories have shocked the collective conscience in a way, and sparked outrage against what many see as an “elite cabal” of abusive pedophiles, but it isn’t that simple. Epstein’s criminal network was certainly an example of an elite pedophile cabal, but his operation was only one small piece of the puzzle, a microcosm of a cultural problem that our species has been ignoring for generations.

Let’s not forget that your child is far more likely to be abused by someone they know, such as a family member or friend, or maybe even a pastor, teacher, or other authority figure. Sadly, the people that we trust with our children, are the most likely to commit abuse, and these types of situations are what represent the overwhelming majority of cases.

The rampant abuse that takes place in the Catholic Church has been public knowledge for a long time, but now as the perpetrators are finally being held accountable in courts outside of the church, we are beginning to learn how deep their criminal activity went. Earlier this year, a former high-ranking Catholic Cardinal was exposed as a pedophile and child trafficker, who pimped out unwilling children to other clergymen from his New Jersey beach house. Former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, is said to have managed a “sex cabal” in the 1980s, in which alter boys were groomed to be abused by pedophile priests. He is not alone either, this type of behavior is widespread in any environment where people have enough power to receive protection from the legal system and access to young and vulnerable children.

There are many trusted political institutions that facilitate child trafficking as well, like foster homes and immigration agencies. In 2018, it was revealed that nearly 1,500 immigrant children were lost in government arranged foster homes. Some of the children are still unaccounted for, but those that were found were kept in horrible conditions. In many of these cases, children were sent to homes with pedophiles where they were sexually assaulted, and in other cases, they were held as slaves. Dozens of children from this group, some as young as 14, were sold as slaves to Trillium Farms egg factories in Ohio, where they were subjected to constant abuse and forced to work with no pay.

Child charities should also not be ignored in the fight against child trafficking, as many of these organizations are highly suspect, and have already been exposed for their corruption. Last year, Peter John Dalglish, former United Nations adviser and founder of the Street Kids International charity, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for abusing children. Two young children, ages 12 and 14, were “rescued” from the home in Nepal where he was staying at the time of his arrest. The United Nations, in general, has a very bad track record with keeping children safe in their overseas missions, and at times it seems that their mission is actually to abuse and terrorize these children.

A report from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), indicated that “peacekeepers” working in Haiti were guilty of raping Haitian women at an alarming rate. The report also indicated that a large number of the victims were underage.

According to the report, there were 231 people in Haiti who claimed they were sexually violated by UN peacekeepers, and were forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for food and supplies that were intended as relief packages. Last year, the New York Times reported that UN forces have “fathered” hundreds of children in Haiti, and many of the mothers were extremely young and left to fend for themselves.

Former United Nations official Andrew MacLeod has estimated that the organization has employed at least 3,300 pedophiles that they know of, and suggested that at least 60,000 cases of sexual assault have been perpetrated by staff members of the United Nations over the past decade.

“There are tens of thousands of aid workers around the world with pedophile tendencies, but if you wear a Unicef T-shirt nobody will ask what you’re up to,” he said.

Some of the world’s largest multinational corporations such as DynCorp and Halliburton were exposed as major players in the global human trafficking market. These companies did not work alone, but cooperated with each other through various subsidiaries and had the luxury of government protection.

When suspicion was brought upon these companies it was swept under the rug by government officials. Even high-ranking members of the establishment such as Donald Rumsfeld were implicit in covering up this scandal. On March 11th, 2005, he was questioned by Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and he admitted on the record that the allegations did have credibility, but he pushed the blame off onto a few “rogue” employees.

If the goal is to end child trafficking, then we need to look deeper than a few celebrities or politicians that we have disagreements with. We need to look at many of the institutions that we put our faith and trust in, and even the family members, friends, and community leaders that we look up to. Anonymous is searching everywhere for these predators, whether they are Hollywood, the halls of Congress, or your neighborhood.

We are Anonymous!

We are Legion!

We do not forgive!

We do not forget!

Expect us.

Source: Anewspost.com

Source: Anonymous Message On The Worldwide Fight Against Child Trafficking – Activist Post

Nine other students at St. Mary Catholic School in Pickering have come forward to say their yearbook profiles were also tampered with.

Source: More Pickering high school yearbook profiles tampered with: Cops | Toronto Sun

“Natkhat makes you confront the reality that most women in this country live on a day to day basis and how we are bringing up children and how if we want to see a change, we have to bring up our children differently.” –  Vidya Balan

Natkhatis a 2020 Indian short film directed by Shaan Vyas, and written by Vyas and Annukampa Harsh. It is co-produced by and stars Vidya Balan as a doting mother who tries to educate her son Sonu on gender bias and misogyny through her bedtime stories. 

It is no secret that India’s gender inequality problems have led to millions of “unwanted girls.” In an interesting twist of casting, the Natkhat producers selected a female child actor, Sanika Patel, for the main role of Sonu. The Global Search for Education invited Producer and Actor Vidya Balan, Writer and Director Shaan Vyas, Writer Annukampa Harsh, Associate Producer Sanaya Irani Zohrabi, and Producer Ronnie Screwvala to talk about their acclaimed film.

“We realized that gender inequality is not conscious. Most times, it’s unconscious.” – Shaan Vyas

What inspired you to create this movie and what’s been the reaction from audiences so far? 

Vidya Balan: When this film came to my attention, it called out to me because it’s so powerful, it’s the reality of the women in our country, the way women are treated – so I just felt that if in a 30-minute short film you are able to tell this story, I thought it was an outstanding idea. The reactions have been fabulous. Natkhat makes you confront the reality that most women in this country live on a day to day basis, how we are bringing up children, and how if we want to see a change, we have to bring up our children differently. 

Shaan Vyas:  In 2018, there was a spate of cases in India about female oppression. One such case was a horrid gang rape which triggered a lot of anger in me and to channelize that, I wrote a story about parenting being a possible starting point for a solution. But my first draft of the screenplay was very dry because I was writing about masculinity from the point of view of a man and through that, about female oppression. Annukampa Harsh came on board at that point to infuse the story with female energy. Thus Natkhat took shape. We always set out to write a film knowing that the Indian masses are really smart viewers and one can’t underestimate them. And they not just related to it, but the film also made them check their own entitlement in parts. 

Sanaya Irani Zohrani: Shaan pitched the screenplay to me and after my first read, I was sure this film had to be made for every man, woman, teacher, student, parent, and child. It not only addresses issues that need to be addressed today but also presents a very important solution for a better tomorrow, that being parenting. The early reactions and reviews have been overwhelming and heartening. I have received countless calls and messages from fathers and mothers across India, emotional and grateful as the film led to important living room conversations they never thought they’d have or never knew how to initiate with their children, parents, family, and friends.

India’s gender inequality problems have led to millions of “unwanted girls”. Can you elaborate on the kinds of conversations you hope this story might lead to? 

Vidya Balan: Natkhat deals with toxic masculinity…patriarchy in a very intimate way. We are not talking about it as a concept, we are talking about the real experience in this woman’s life and how the child observes the men around him and begins to imitate their behavior and this is how the sense of entitlement and sense of privilege gets passed down through generations. These boys end up being men who perpetuate this gender inequality and its atrocities that women are subjected to. So I think the conversation is really around parenting, about how parenting is key.

Shaan Vyas: We realized that gender inequality is not conscious. Most times, it’s unconscious. It’s built into us evolutionarily to think that men are physically stronger than women, and as an intelligent race, it’s ironic that we took that physical inequality and made it into so much more. Growing up, a child looks at the world around him and even with the most gender-unbiased care, he will only see a male-dominated world. Our leaders are all male, our cops, army men, people in positions of power are all male. In India, on TV, our sports stars and cricketers are all males. Change doesn’t happen overnight and the starting point is to make people have conversations about this issue not just with each other, but with their own selves too. 

Sanaya Irani Zohrabi: Does a story have the power to change us? Natkhat with its story within a story has proven that powerful storytelling can definitely lead to conversation and change. After all, we are our stories and our future. 

Annukampa Harsh: Conversations lead to understanding and empathy, and that is the way for real change to take place. Laws and punitive systems only create fear of repercussions, not true reform. Prenatal sex-determination tests might be illegal in India but that has not eradicated female infanticide. For the birth of a girl child to be as celebratory as that of a boy, the dowry system along with other patriarchal practices needs to go, which will then not make a girl a “liability” for families. When a girl will be seen as an equal to a boy, in her abilities as well as her breadwinning capacity, we will no longer see the birth of “unwanted girls”. 

“Conversations lead to understanding and empathy, and that is the way for real change to take place.” – Annukampa Harsh

What was your thought process in casting Sanika Patel in the main role? What has been the reaction to having the main boy character played by a girl? 

Vidya Balan: Shaan cast Sanika and I think it’s fabulous casting. He hit gold with Sanika, she is such a bright girl and I will never forget how one night when we were shooting, she was falling asleep and she had to give me queues because it was my closeup…the child was struggling to keep her eyes open but she still gave me the queues without a single mistake. She is special.

Annukampa Harsh: I was scrolling through Instagram when I came across an uncredited post of a little girl reciting a powerful poem by Sohanlal Dwivediji. Not only was this child’s command over the Hindi language flawless, but her recitation style was also beautifully fiery and strong! I instantly began searching for this girl, and through the comments section discovered her uncle, traced her and was on a call with her within the next hour. I instinctively knew she was our Sonu, and I texted Shaan within moments of “discovering” this child – Sanika Patel. 

Shaan Vyas: Sanika was mesmerizing: extremely emotive and expressive. And the cherry on the cake was that she could remember long passages of poetry with ease: a dream come true for a director. However, this was a girl. Annukampa then called me up and began persuading me to consider this girl for Sonu. She added that since I was anxious about teaching a boy the very things he’s not meant to do, this casting decision will solve that problem, while also bringing a little girl’s sensitivity during Sonu’s scenes with other girls. She mentioned that classical films frequently applied such gender-fluid casting. She had cracked it, and I was convinced: this one little decision changed the course of the film entirely. 

Annukampa Harsh: The audience’s reaction to Sanika has been beautiful. For a large section of the viewers, quite a few moments in our film stand out for being highly disturbing. To learn that a girl played a pivotal role in these scenes has proved redemptive and cathartic for many. Also, being able to successfully “fool” audiences into believing that Sanika is a boy throughout the run-time of the film has been a huge achievement for Shaan and us. Training her, and all the other first-time actors, required a long process of workshopping and preparation, and all that work has finally paid off.  

I understand that the crew was selected with gender equality in mind as well. What was your process? How challenging was it to achieve that balance on this film in particular?

Shaan Vyas: It actually was not very difficult because there is an abundance of talented crew available, irrespective of gender. A filmmaking process goes through a few storytellers, each of whom deserves as much credit as the director. Starting from the writer to the casting director to the DOP to the editor and eventually to the sound and music teams. Each of these departments has the opportunity to tell the written story in their own language. What we achieved was a balanced perspective of storytellers. 

“Creativity and imagination will always thrive and find its way.” – Ronnie Screwvala

Films have become even more important as a resource to address global issues and present perspectives on societal challenges. In many countries, funding for the arts is being cut. How do we foster creativity and imagination without art?

Vidya Balan: There is so much scope for creative art today because all you need is a mobile phone. You can write, you can sing, you can dance, you can paint and you can put it out there – and you can bring about a change even at a time when funds are being cut in the current scenario which is understandable because healthcare is the primary concern. I feel creativity and art can change the world and it can happen even through a mobile phone today, and therefore I don’t see any barriers.

Shaan Vyas: Humanity is going through an existential crisis right now and I keep wondering what role a film has to play in a world which is scrounging for basic necessities of life. Isn’t film a luxury? I recently got the answer to this question when someone wise told me that the world needs to be thanking filmmakers to keep us sane during a global crisis. To make people laugh and feel things. To see sense in fiction amidst the craziness of reality.

Ronnie Screwvala: Creativity and imagination will always thrive and find its way. These are crucial in any and all fields and industries regardless of global issues, challenges, and funding. Even if countries and the arts face restrictions in funding, it is imagination and creativity along with innovation and technology that will continue advancing and bridging the gaps in new and disruptive ways.

Top Row: C.M. Rubin, Annukampa Harsh, Shaan Vyas

Bottom Row:  Vidya Balan, Ronnie Screwvala, Sanaya Irani Zohrabi

Thank you to our 800 plus global contributors, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, researchers, business leaders, students and thought leaders from every domain for sharing your perspectives on the future of learning with The Global Search for Education each month.

C. M. Rubin (Cathy) is the Founder of CMRubinWorld, an online publishing company focused on the future of global learning, and the co-founder of Planet Classroom. She is the author of three best-selling books and two widely read online series. Rubin received 3 Upton Sinclair Awards for “The Global Search for Education.” The series, which advocates for Youth, was launched in 2010 and brings together distinguished thought leaders from around the world to explore the key education issues faced by nations.

Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld

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Mental health disorders are prevalent these days. Often, families are in a lot of pain when a beloved one suffers a mental health condition. Whether it’s depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorders, these illnesses can interfere with someone’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. A mental health disorder can have a serious impact on someone’s life. Luckily, there is hope! There are many different treatments you can use for mental health conditions. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for help.

Psychotherapy for mental health disorders 

Psychotherapy is also known for talk therapy. It’s a common treatment for mental health disorders, and it involves talking with a professional about your concerns. Talk therapy is often done one-on-one and in a group of people or with your family members. Group talk therapy is sometimes helpful, but not everyone can feel free to discuss their problems in front of others. Sometimes, a mental health disorder can come up with behavioral changes. This type of therapy can also be useful for those who just got through a divorce, grief, the loss of a loved one, or other challenging life situations. At Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center, you’ll have the occasion to receive the highest quality rehab program to treat your mental health disorder or substance abuse. It’s essential to treat both conditions simultaneously so that the recovery can be successful.

Medication

Prescription medicine is another well-known treatment method for mental health disorders. However, not many people know that medications can make changes to brains involved in emotions and suffering. Medicines will not cure psychiatric issues, but they can help for a short period. More specifically, they can improve your mood for a couple of months, but after a while, your body and mind are likely to become immune to this method. However, medicines might work well in parallel with other treatments. Your doctor will help you with recommendations and share any side effects.

Self-help support

Self-help is another way to treat your mental conditions. You can ask for help from your friends, well-known resources, and follow many tips to learn how to manage your condition. It’s also helpful to help with feelings of loneliness, isolation, and self-confidence. 

Sport

There are so many different types of therapies for people to use for treating their mental health disorders. It can include exercise, such as yoga, running, and playing different outdoor games. Physical activity can be so beneficial for someone’s overall health. Creative therapies are also beneficial, including music, movement, painting, or writing. Stimulating your brain to enjoy the little things is the most beneficial thing you can do to diminish your mental health disorders. 

Things to consider

Mental health disorders can come from many resources, including childhood. Traumas are very common in humans and can prevent them from enjoying their lives. Not being confident about yourself is the first sign of trying to seek treatment. Sometimes, people end up taking their lives because of their depressions or sadness. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You may think that you know what’s best for you, but being aware of your mental health condition can save your life.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/self-care-isn-t-selfish-signage-2821823/