Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
@namratapoddar.bsky.social
Author of BORDER LESS | Faculty at UCLA | Essays/nonfiction at Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, Longreads, LA Times, etc.
Interests include Decolonial —> storytelling, parenting, yoga, healing.
Writing 2nd book, a memoir.
Intermittently here.
Interests include Decolonial —> storytelling, parenting, yoga, healing.
Writing 2nd book, a memoir.
Intermittently here.
A lil from my Fall syllabus cuz if you ask me, it’s always a good time to read Arundhati Roy, more so on rainy winter evenings like these. This via her collection of essays, “The End of Imagination,” published in 1998. What changed, I often wonder. Yet a reminder of so much we can.
November 18, 2025 at 2:20 AM
A lil from my Fall syllabus cuz if you ask me, it’s always a good time to read Arundhati Roy, more so on rainy winter evenings like these. This via her collection of essays, “The End of Imagination,” published in 1998. What changed, I often wonder. Yet a reminder of so much we can.
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
California voters approved Prop. 50. Here's a look at the percentage of "yes" votes by county, with 25.1% precincts reporting as of Nov. 4, 8:18 p.m.
Voters approve Prop. 50, California redistricting, in a win for Democrats
Prop. 50, California's congressional redistricting measure, was on the ballot on a high-profile election day that saw Democratic wins in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere.
www.latimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 AM
California voters approved Prop. 50. Here's a look at the percentage of "yes" votes by county, with 25.1% precincts reporting as of Nov. 4, 8:18 p.m.
Literally every girlfriend and colleague today. Thanks for sharing, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, and reiterating for my desi community of STEM majors/advocates.
To the real DEI. 🤓🤎
To the real DEI. 🤓🤎
November 5, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Literally every girlfriend and colleague today. Thanks for sharing, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, and reiterating for my desi community of STEM majors/advocates.
To the real DEI. 🤓🤎
To the real DEI. 🤓🤎
Lord knows we can use a good news in the labyrinths of Power. Go, Zohran Mamdani! ❤️🤎
November 5, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Lord knows we can use a good news in the labyrinths of Power. Go, Zohran Mamdani! ❤️🤎
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
Who did this? I am dead 😂🤣🤣😂🤣🤣
October 20, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Who did this? I am dead 😂🤣🤣😂🤣🤣
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
Happy "PROFESSOR!!! CANVAS IS DOWN!!!" day to all academics who celebrate.
October 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Happy "PROFESSOR!!! CANVAS IS DOWN!!!" day to all academics who celebrate.
May your path exude light and abundance.
Diwali and New Year greetings to all marking the moment. 🙏🏽❤️
Diwali and New Year greetings to all marking the moment. 🙏🏽❤️
October 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
May your path exude light and abundance.
Diwali and New Year greetings to all marking the moment. 🙏🏽❤️
Diwali and New Year greetings to all marking the moment. 🙏🏽❤️
Dialogue over domination—may now be a fresher start to a newer road, a fresher relationship to power
— within a long winding road where so much seeks attention, accountability, repair… and righlty so. ❤️🩹
#permanentceasefirenow
— within a long winding road where so much seeks attention, accountability, repair… and righlty so. ❤️🩹
#permanentceasefirenow
October 9, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Dialogue over domination—may now be a fresher start to a newer road, a fresher relationship to power
— within a long winding road where so much seeks attention, accountability, repair… and righlty so. ❤️🩹
#permanentceasefirenow
— within a long winding road where so much seeks attention, accountability, repair… and righlty so. ❤️🩹
#permanentceasefirenow
birthday month’s highlight will never not be my lil guy & libra twin meanwhile this tee gift (with role models & the sun goddess aka TriShakti) & musings just becuz.
september, we’ll miss you! ♎️🌀
september, we’ll miss you! ♎️🌀
September 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
birthday month’s highlight will never not be my lil guy & libra twin meanwhile this tee gift (with role models & the sun goddess aka TriShakti) & musings just becuz.
september, we’ll miss you! ♎️🌀
september, we’ll miss you! ♎️🌀
I’m excited to offer this workshop @pw.org in October, & work with writers unbacked by large wallets, on ways to reach their readers.
Fee waivers available for writers underrepresented in publishing. & a discounted fee for all, if you enroll by September 7. Join me. 🤎
www.pw.org/content/work...
Fee waivers available for writers underrepresented in publishing. & a discounted fee for all, if you enroll by September 7. Join me. 🤎
www.pw.org/content/work...
August 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
I’m excited to offer this workshop @pw.org in October, & work with writers unbacked by large wallets, on ways to reach their readers.
Fee waivers available for writers underrepresented in publishing. & a discounted fee for all, if you enroll by September 7. Join me. 🤎
www.pw.org/content/work...
Fee waivers available for writers underrepresented in publishing. & a discounted fee for all, if you enroll by September 7. Join me. 🤎
www.pw.org/content/work...
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
BREAKING: Federal agents in plain clothes and unmarked cars tried to snatch 1st graders from LA elementary schools—told staff they had “parental consent.”
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
June 10, 2025 at 12:17 AM
BREAKING: Federal agents in plain clothes and unmarked cars tried to snatch 1st graders from LA elementary schools—told staff they had “parental consent.”
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
What a time, Good Goddess.
And yet, the solidarity all around.
And yet, the solidarity all around.
June 9, 2025 at 9:07 PM
What a time, Good Goddess.
And yet, the solidarity all around.
And yet, the solidarity all around.
Morning walk today. The ancestors said, abundance is our natural state. But I was taught for much of my education to reject everything they said, even if mama Nature confirms otherwise.
And while this migrant knows Return is a fantasy, these days, I re-member, I reconsider, I reintegrate. 🪷🌳🤎
And while this migrant knows Return is a fantasy, these days, I re-member, I reconsider, I reintegrate. 🪷🌳🤎
June 6, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Morning walk today. The ancestors said, abundance is our natural state. But I was taught for much of my education to reject everything they said, even if mama Nature confirms otherwise.
And while this migrant knows Return is a fantasy, these days, I re-member, I reconsider, I reintegrate. 🪷🌳🤎
And while this migrant knows Return is a fantasy, these days, I re-member, I reconsider, I reintegrate. 🪷🌳🤎
The classroom and the page within our deeply violent, deeply unequal world are admittedly privileged spaces, but I would neither continue to write nor teach if I didn’t firmly believe in their potential for Change.
Here, a tired, content face after my last seminar, & *few books taught for the AY.
Here, a tired, content face after my last seminar, & *few books taught for the AY.
June 3, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The classroom and the page within our deeply violent, deeply unequal world are admittedly privileged spaces, but I would neither continue to write nor teach if I didn’t firmly believe in their potential for Change.
Here, a tired, content face after my last seminar, & *few books taught for the AY.
Here, a tired, content face after my last seminar, & *few books taught for the AY.
Rarely into social trends but sometimes I can’t entirely resist. And reiterate (via IG).
Rested weekend. 💫
Rested weekend. 💫
May 30, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Rarely into social trends but sometimes I can’t entirely resist. And reiterate (via IG).
Rested weekend. 💫
Rested weekend. 💫
What a loss for the literary world, and all of us decolonizing the mind.
Rest in power, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. 🖤🤎
Rest in power, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. 🖤🤎
May 29, 2025 at 4:18 AM
What a loss for the literary world, and all of us decolonizing the mind.
Rest in power, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. 🖤🤎
Rest in power, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. 🖤🤎
A lil beauty from Rajasthan and the Thar Desert (with issues like any other place!) for whoever needs it. I’ll never not love my ancestral land’s colors, hospitality, and most of all, its stories within stories within stories.
From our Cali high desert to the Thar. 💞
From our Cali high desert to the Thar. 💞
May 28, 2025 at 8:23 PM
A lil beauty from Rajasthan and the Thar Desert (with issues like any other place!) for whoever needs it. I’ll never not love my ancestral land’s colors, hospitality, and most of all, its stories within stories within stories.
From our Cali high desert to the Thar. 💞
From our Cali high desert to the Thar. 💞
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
"The implications for Indian students are profound. With 788 Indian nationals currently enrolled at Harvard, many now face a precarious situation — risking deportation or being forced to transfer if the government’s actions are upheld."
indiawest.com/harvard-vs-t...
indiawest.com/harvard-vs-t...
Harvard Vs Trump: Court Stops Ban, Hundreds Of Indian Students In Crossfire - IndiaWest Journal News
Harvard Vs Trump: Court Stops Ban, Hundreds Of Indian Students In Crossfire.
indiawest.com
May 25, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"The implications for Indian students are profound. With 788 Indian nationals currently enrolled at Harvard, many now face a precarious situation — risking deportation or being forced to transfer if the government’s actions are upheld."
indiawest.com/harvard-vs-t...
indiawest.com/harvard-vs-t...
Cuz everyday is Earth Day. 🤎
May 23, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Cuz everyday is Earth Day. 🤎
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
Trump cut nearly $3 billion in the first 100 days.
Cancer is the #2 killer of people.
Anyway, MAGA.
www.axios.com/2025/05/19/n...
Cancer is the #2 killer of people.
Anyway, MAGA.
www.axios.com/2025/05/19/n...
NIH funding cuts put current and future cancer patients at risk
Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the U.S.
www.axios.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Trump cut nearly $3 billion in the first 100 days.
Cancer is the #2 killer of people.
Anyway, MAGA.
www.axios.com/2025/05/19/n...
Cancer is the #2 killer of people.
Anyway, MAGA.
www.axios.com/2025/05/19/n...
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
happy for Khalil of course but i must say, "lawful permanent resident not charged with any crimes, imprisoned by president's stormtroopers for having forbidden opinions about US-abetted genocide, briefly allowed to touch his child" is a hell of a thing to find oneself feeling joy and relief about
A HAPPY UPDATE! Mahmoud Khalil was allowed a "contact" visit—without plexiglass divider—with his wife and newborn son this morning before his immigration hearing, ACLU tells me, so I think we can safely assume that he was finally able to hold his child for the first time.
NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's attorneys urgently ask Judge Farbiarz to order ICE to permit Khalil to hold his newborn son today "for the most elementary human reasons." ICE has so far denied the request, despite his wife and child having made the 1,500-mile trip. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
May 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
happy for Khalil of course but i must say, "lawful permanent resident not charged with any crimes, imprisoned by president's stormtroopers for having forbidden opinions about US-abetted genocide, briefly allowed to touch his child" is a hell of a thing to find oneself feeling joy and relief about
Reposted by Namrata Poddar 🪷🪬
"Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children in Gaza who have been treated for malnutrition this year..."
Israel starving Palestinians is a war crime.
www.latimes.com/world-nation...
Israel starving Palestinians is a war crime.
www.latimes.com/world-nation...
Gaza's main hospital is overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition
More than 9,000 children in the Gaza Strip have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the United Nations Children's Fund, widely known as UNICEF.
www.latimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 6:42 PM
"Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children in Gaza who have been treated for malnutrition this year..."
Israel starving Palestinians is a war crime.
www.latimes.com/world-nation...
Israel starving Palestinians is a war crime.
www.latimes.com/world-nation...
So exciting! Can’t wait to read and huge congrats to Mushtaq and Bhasthi. ❤️💫
‘This was the book the judges really loved, right from our first reading’
We're delighted to announce that the winner of the #InternationalBooker2025 is Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi.
Here's everything you need to know about the book: thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...
We're delighted to announce that the winner of the #InternationalBooker2025 is Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi.
Here's everything you need to know about the book: thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...
May 21, 2025 at 12:04 AM
So exciting! Can’t wait to read and huge congrats to Mushtaq and Bhasthi. ❤️💫
Among the many fierce mother figures I’m surrounded by, a *glimpse into this lineage too—cuz I’d be lost without its emotional inheritance. And working at repaying my debt. ✍🏽🌀
#MothersDay2025 #BookSky
#MothersDay2025 #BookSky
May 10, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Among the many fierce mother figures I’m surrounded by, a *glimpse into this lineage too—cuz I’d be lost without its emotional inheritance. And working at repaying my debt. ✍🏽🌀
#MothersDay2025 #BookSky
#MothersDay2025 #BookSky