'The Anatomy of an Award'
'The Anatomy of an Award' While scrolling through messages in a common group we both belonged to, I paused at a photograph of her receiving an award, beaming in a silken saree, with the person giving the award appearing more grateful than the one receiving it. Behind them stood the bespectacled, turban clad Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The stage felt disproportionately large with just two occupants, as the MOC tucked into a corner urged an unseen audience to offer a resounding round of applause- the thunder echoing even without a single pair of hands in sight. A tap later, a stream of congratulatory messages followed. Drawn in by the moment, I added mine too. There are reasons to feel proud if one’s head of the institution is felicitated with such deafening applause, as seen in the video, and with such generous remarks as read in the endless reactions to this wonderful news. At the same time, I felt a quiet sadness that I could not see what others so clearly did- in fact, what mo...