Oh, dry as dust really.

Dear 2022 Me: On Idealism, Institutions, and What You Couldn’t See  In 2022, you wrote about The Kashmir Files and the reactions it provoked. You were careful. Measured. You spoke of humanity over religion, empathy over aggression, pluralism over polarization. You believed the problem was division and that balance was the cure. You were not wrong. But you were not complete.  Back then, you wrote from outside the gates of Jawaharlal Nehru University. You defended an idea of the institution, not its lived texture. You defended pluralism because you believed it was under attack. You believed criticism of JNU was politically motivated, exaggerated, perhaps even malicious. You thought those calling it ideologically skewed were weaponizing narrative. You had not yet seen what sustained narrative power looks like from inside. You wrote that movies should unite, not divide. That communal colours such as saffron or green should not flood public spaces. You argued that empathy must be u...