Karnataka Woman at Oxford University Forced to Quit as Students’ Union President Over ‘Racist’ Posts

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Just five days after she was elected as the first Indian woman president of the Oxford University Students Union, a 22-year-old student from Karnataka was forced to step down after some of her old social media posts were termed as “anti-Semitic” and “racist”, leading to outrage.

Despite issuing an open letter of apology for “unintentionally” hurting sentiments, Rashmi Saman, who hails from Udupi and was elected on February 11, was forced to resign, Indian Express reported.

The Oxford Students Union Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE) and Oxford LGBTQ Campaign accused her of hurting the sentiments of various communities and insisted that she step down from her new post.

CRAE said Saman’s post were “racially insensitive” and she refused to acknowledge the “the harm caused by her actions” when questioned.

“I wish to ask a question to all who termed me insensitive and racist citing my social media posts of the past. Are you being sensitive when you judge a person’s worth based on social media captions of a non-native English speaking teenager that were posted years before the person formed convictions on issues of race? They were the posts of a teenager who just had access to the world of social media. I again reiterate my apology to those genuinely hurt for my ignorance but not to those with malicious intent,” Saman was quoted in the report as saying.

According to Indian Express, Saman is now weighing her options and is likely to take legal action against one university faculty member who allegedly put up a photo of her mother alongside a ‘Jai Shri Ram’ poster and suggested that the family has Islamophobic tendencies.

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Lewis Carroll Death Anniversary: Here are Some of the Author’s Greatest Works

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January 14, 2021 marks 123rd death anniversary of English writer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson also known as Lewis Carroll. Lewis was born on January 27, 1832, in Daresbury, Cheshire, England.

Lewis was the eldest son and third child of the Rev. Charles Dodgson and Frances Jane Lutwidge. He grew up in isolated villages in the English countryside with his ten siblings. The writer who gave the world much of muchness through one of his greatest works Alice in Wonderland went to Christ Church, a constituent college of Oxford University. Besides being a captivating writer, Lewis also excelled in the study of classics and mathematics. He received several honours for his work in mathematics and held positions as a senior student and a lecturer in Christ College.

Let us look at some of Lewis’ greatest works:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

This fantasy fiction was written for children. The book was published in 1865 and its illustrations were done by British artist John Tenniel. Alice in Wonderland is a story about a girl named Alice who falls into a rabbit hole that transfers her into a magical world of smiling cats, talking animals and a fancy tea party with the mad hatter.

Through the looking Glass

A sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There was published in December 1871 after the first book was well-received by the readers. This novel describes some more adventures of protagonist Alice as she transfers to another mystical world through a mirror. This world is ruled by some illogical behaviour, chess boards and chess pieces.

It is also in the end of this novel that we find out who inspired Lewis to write this classic. A boat beneath a sunny sky, the poem that comes at the end of this novel is an acrostic that spells out Alice Pleasance Liddell, who was an acquaintance and photography subject of Lewis.

The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits

Published in 1876, this poem is quite similar to his previous works in terms of its nonsensical elements. The poem is about a sea voyage of a bellman, boots, barrister, broker, billiard marker, banker, beaver, baker, and butcher and their search for the elusive and abstract snark.

Sylvie and Bruno

This novel along with its sequel Sylvie and Bruno Concluded were Lewis’ last novels. Sylvie and Bruno were published in 1889. The book took its readers to two different worlds, one real and another fantastical.

Sylvie and Bruno Concluded

The last novel of Lewis came out in 1893 and has the typical writing style of the British writer. There are fairies and other fantastical creatures in Elfland described in this novel. The novel traces the journey of two siblings Sylvie and her little brother Bruno.



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