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deepasivarajan.bsky.social
deepa sivarajan
@deepasivarajan.bsky.social
730 followers 280 following 180 posts
no pronouns, just my name. agender & tme. has long covid. works in #climate policy in washington state; views my own. #wbb & #woso fan. abolish caste & fuck hindutva. FREE PALESTINE

https://linktr.ee/deepasivarajan
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deepasivarajan.bsky.social
aboud managed to survive and get back to his parents and siblings, who are also still alive. but when they made it back to their village, they were faced by the complete obliteration of their neighborhood. their house, their neighbor's houses - all bombed to rubble
January 22, 2025 at 1:02 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
the morning of the ceasefire should have been one of joy and hope for my friend aboud in gaza. instead, in the hours leading up to it (saturday night for me), he was sending me recordings of him and his friends being shelled and shot at by israeli soldiers

www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-fun...
January 22, 2025 at 12:52 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
aboud also gave me permission to share the message he sent when the news of the ceasefire was announced. the joy is mixed with immense pain because of all that they lost & will continue to lose under occupation. please, please don't stop helping & fighting for palestinian liberation
two whatsapp messages 1: "Indeed, I, my mother, and my little sister survived this Holocaust, but I suffered a lot. I survived, my friends." 2: "On Sunday there will be a ceasefire, I can't believe that I survived this holocaust with Zeina and my mother, I still can't believe that 15 months we have been exterminated and dying and now we have reached the end of this war. I am crying I don't know what to say but I will write a book explaining everything all my sorrows and pains and my longing for my life before the war, for my destroyed home and for many of my family members that I lost. Please stay by my side even if the war ends so that we can turn the chapters of pain into hope. I love you a big hug leave me so I can cry a little on my pillow 💔"
January 16, 2025 at 8:27 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
we have surpassed our first goal of $1k out of $5k for aboud's birthday to help his family in gaza - thank you to everyone who has helped!

however, we still have a ways to go. aboud still needs thousands of dollars to evacuate to egypt for eye surgery. please give at oldcowcreative.com & share!
Aboud's Birthday Gift-O-Meter $1,169 raised so far! Thank you! Visit OldCowCreative.com and honor Aboud's birthday by helping give $5,000 for his family of five to survive in Gaza, Palestine. The preceding text is on a square slide with a pale yellow background with a scattering of tiny stars in faded teal, mustard, and pink. The title is written in a pine green brush-stroke font that is outlined in tangerine red. In the center of the slide is a large cupcake. To the left is a scale of dollar amounts labeled in green with horizontal arrows in tangerine pointing to the cupcake. There are arrows for every thousand dollars with $0 at the bottom and $5,000 at the top of the cupcake. Until approximately a little more than a fifth above the one-thousand dollar mark the cupcake holder is a bright mustard tan color. The rest of the cupcake holder and frosting is in faded colors to indicate that those dollar amounts have not been reached yet. To the right of the cupcake is a pale peach orange swoopy call-out box outlined in green. The amount raised is written in a black brush stroke font inside the box. Just below the box Thank you is written in a tangerine sans serif font following the concave curve of a swoop. The info about the fundraiser is centered below the cupcake. Old Cow Creative dot com is written in a pine green sans serif font and the rest of the text is in a black sans serif font.
January 16, 2025 at 8:23 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
we have art that you can buy to help aboud's campaign (all proceeds go to him): ceramics by old cow creative studio, aboud's poetry chapbook, and stickers designed by independent artists pocketsizedquasar and lexx specifically for his campaign!

oldcowcreative.com/collections/...
You can send monetary gifts and purchase art with all sales donated for Aboud's Birthday! "Birds and Olives" is a home-printed chapbook featuring nine original poems by Gazan poet Aboud Al-Najjar, translated from Arabic to English by Aboud. Stickers. Palestinian Sunbird by pocketsizedquasar [pocket sized quasar written without spaces] and Mountain Gazelle by Lexx OldCowCreative.com The preceding text is on a square slide with a pale yellow background with a scattering of tiny stars in faded teal, mustard, and pink. To the left of the text about the chapbook is a rounded rectangle photo of four copies of a chapbook with a colorful cover spread across a black surface. The title is "Birds and Olives: Poetry by Aboud Al-Najjar", and the cover background is of lines quoted from one of his poems in the sky behind Levant sparrowhawks and a leafy olive branch made from paper and fabric. To the right of the text about stickers are images of the two stickers. One is a square with a Palestinian sunbird sitting perched on olive branches. It is a small black and blue songbird with a teal-turquoise shimmer on its head and upper wings. The background is a faded scene of a beach at sunset in the colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, black, and white. The artist’s signature “@pocketsizedquasar” is written over one of the branches on the bottom left. The second sticker is art of a Palestinian Mountain Gazelle with a keffiyeh draped around its neck. Behind the gazelle is a Palestinian flag with Free Palestine written in the black and white stripes of the flag to the right of the gazelle's face. The sticker has a narrow white background that follows the irregular shape of the gazelle and flag. Aboud's birthday is written in a pine green brush-stroke font that is outlined in tangerine red. The rest of the heading is in a tangerine red sans serif font. The main text is in a black sans serif font.
January 9, 2025 at 4:06 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
it's aboud's birthday! he should be celebrating in the safety and warmth of his home in gaza surrounded by his loved ones, but instead he and his family are living in a tent and struggling to survive day to day.

please help us send aboud a gift to help them! multiple options at oldcowcreative.com
Let's wish Aboud a Happy Birthday! To honor his birthday on January 8th, let's gift his family of five five-thousand dollars to survive in Gaza, Palestine. Visit OldCowCreative.com to: - Buy Aboud's poetry chapbook, - Buy Palestine-themed stickers, - Donate to Aboud's GoFundMe, and - Become a monthly donor to his and Rozan's ongoing fundraiser. The preceding text is on a square slide with a pale yellow background with a scattering of tiny stars in faded teal, mustard, and pink. Next to the list of four ways to donate are graphics of sprinkle-covered cupcakes with corresponding images on top. The first has orange frosting with a photo of a few stacked copies of "Birds and Olives: Poetry by Aboud Al-Najjar". The second has green frosting with images of two stickers, a square drawing of a Palestinian Sunbird by pocketsizedquasar and a shape that follows a drawing of a Palestinian Mountain Gazelle in front of a Palestinian flag by Lexx. The third cupcake has red frosting and a photo of Aboud in a mortar board graduation cap and gown. The fourth has blue frosting and photos of Rozan facing away from the camera and Aboud smiling towards it. The heading is in a pine green brush-stroke font that is outlined in tangerine. The main text is in a black sans serif font.
January 9, 2025 at 4:02 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
it's christmas eve and aboud & his family haven't been able to find any food, so they are eating grasses & greens that aboud found by the side of the road 😔

can you help us raise $550 usd to help pay off the debt that's already overdue & get them more food?
www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-fun...
WhatsApp conversation Deepa: hi Aboud, how are you doing? have you been able to find any food today? Aboud: Hi Deepa, Thank you for your question and feeling us. I couldn't buy food today, but I did manage to pick up some green plants and grass for my mother to cook over the fire. The exact matter remains a mystery. It's okay, the war will end one day and peace will prevail, but will we survive and come out of this war alive?
December 25, 2024 at 2:56 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
you can give directly to aboud's gofundme, or there are also multiple art pieces for sale - including a gorgeous hand-thrown mug, two beautiful stickers, & aboud's poetry chapbook - the proceeds of which all go to aboud & his partner rozan

oldcowcreative.com/collections/...
Light brown ceramic hand-thrown mug that has speckles of a darker brown, with the words "free free Palestine" written in cursive in white The painting is of Palestine sunbird sitting perched on olive branches. It is a small black and blue songbird with a teal-turquoise shimmer on its head and upper wings. In the background is a faded scene of a beach at sunset in the colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, black, and white. The artist’s signature “@pocketsizedquasar” is written over one of the branches on the bottom left. A light brown Palestinian mountain gazelle wearing a black and white keffiyah around its neck. Behind it is a Palestinian flag with the words "free Palestine" written on it. Four copies of a home-printed chapbook with a colorful cover. The title is "Birds and Olives: Poetry by Aboud Al-Najjar", and the background is of lines quoted from one of his poems over abstract art of olive branches and a bird.
December 23, 2024 at 5:34 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
well this just about sums it up
"The Biden administration's lost opportunity is that it viewed Dobbs as a political moment to gain advances for the Democratic Party," said Tracy Weitz, the director of the Center on Health, Risk, and Society at American University. "It did not take this seriously as a public health crisis."
December 21, 2024 at 3:02 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
and now we have a new sticker for december, designed by the amazing lexx, of a palestinian mountain gazelle wearing a keffiyah! same pricing and shipping as the sunbird sticker

oldcowcreative.com/products/fre...
A light brown Palestinian mountain gazelle wearing a black and white keffiyah around its neck. Behind it is a Palestinian flag with the words "free Palestine" written on it.
December 18, 2024 at 6:41 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
then we have our beautiful november sticker of a palestinian sunbird on an olive branch, designed by the wonderful pocketsizedquasar on instagram!

you can pay on a sliding scale from $3-5; free shipping within the u.s. and $2 for international shipping

oldcowcreative.com/products/pal...
The painting is of Palestine sunbird sitting perched on olive branches. It is a small black and blue songbird with a teal-turquoise shimmer on its head and upper wings. In the background is a faded scene of a beach at sunset in the colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, black, and white. The artist’s signature “@pocketsizedquasar” is written over one of the branches on the bottom left.
December 18, 2024 at 6:40 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
last, but absolutely not least, we have "birds & olives", aboud's poetry chapbook that he himself translated from arabic into english!

these are home-printed and also priced on a sliding scale from $10-$20 USD, available only within the u.s.

oldcowcreative.com/products/bir...
Four copies of a home-printed chapbook with a colorful cover. The title is "Birds and Olives: Poetry by Aboud Al-Najjar", and the background is of lines quoted from one of his poems over abstract art of olive branches and a bird.
December 10, 2024 at 4:06 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
and now we have a new sticker for december, designed by the amazing lexx, of a palestinian mountain gazelle wearing a keffiyah! same pricing and shipping as the sunbird sticker

oldcowcreative.com/products/fre...
A light brown Palestinian mountain gazelle wearing a black and white keffiyah around its neck. Behind it is a Palestinian flag with the words "free Palestine" written on it.
December 10, 2024 at 4:06 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
then we have our beautiful november sticker of a palestinian sunbird on an olive branch, designed by the wonderful pocketsizedquasar on instagram!

you can pay on a sliding scale from $3-5; free shipping within the u.s. and $2 for international shipping

oldcowcreative.com/products/pal...
The painting is of Palestine sunbird sitting perched on olive branches. It is a small black and blue songbird with a teal-turquoise shimmer on its head and upper wings. In the background is a faded scene of a beach at sunset in the colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, black, and white. The artist’s signature “@pocketsizedquasar” is written over one of the branches on the bottom left.
December 10, 2024 at 4:06 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
OR we also have beautiful art gifts that you can buy individually! all of the proceeds are split between aboud's family & his partner rozan's family

firstly, there is this gorgeous ceramic mug for $45, made by river, the owner of old cow creative; u.s. only

oldcowcreative.com/products/xl-...
Light brown ceramic hand-thrown mug that has speckles of a darker brown, with the words "free free Palestine" written in cursive in white
December 10, 2024 at 4:06 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
it looks like it may have now been deleted?
410 error message saying that the author deleted this Medium story
December 2, 2024 at 9:18 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
now, ashtar has launched a global call to action for a new set of monologues compiled in 2024, as well as another play called "letters to gaza". there are lots of different ways to participate & amplify 👇🏽

www.instagram.com/ashtartheatre/
Instagram slide that reads: "Global Call for Collective Action Global Reading of both the new texts written by Gaza Monologues authors and Letters to Gaza From Nov 29, 2024, The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People onwards. For texts, donations, and resources: link in bio" How You Can Participate: Make it even bigger: tell your friends, family, COLLEAGUES, and the press about the call Perform or Read Publicly: Organise a reading or performance in your community Register Your Initiative WITH US: Use THE form (link in bio) AND REGISTER your reading or performance TO join our global solidarity network Donate: In lieu of purchasing copyrights for the Gaza Monologues, fundraise for the CAMPAIGNS for the Gaza Monologues Authors and ASHTAR tHEATRE (link in bio) Share Online: Film your reading, upload it online, and tag us on
November 29, 2024 at 10:24 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
shame on the biden administration for delaying funding to the climate justice alliance - but also shame on every other u.s. climate org that has stayed silent on palestinian liberation, allowing attacks like this on the few that have spoken up
The Biden administration is withholding federal funding from a climate justice group that supports a ceasefire in Gaza. The Climate Justice Alliance, a national coalition of more than 100 community environmental groups, was one of 11 grant-making organizations designated for Environmental Protection Agency funding under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Justice Alliance is the only group of the 11 grantees that has engaged publicly on issues related to Palestine — and the only one that hasn’t received its funding.
November 29, 2024 at 9:32 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
don't we all deserve to sleep in our own homes, to feel safe & warm instead of in a tent with flimsy plastic sheets for walls? the tent was the bare minimum.

now, after the torrents & wind two nights ago, the tent is broken, a wooden beam completely shattered, he & his family rained on since then.
inside of the tarp tent, where a wooden beam has broken in half and the tarp walls are sinking
November 26, 2024 at 4:23 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
when he got the tent, he was so excited. he sent me pictures of it & thanked everyone who raised the money profusely, despite the fact that he wouldn't need the tent if our country was not perpetuating this genocide upon his. he told me that his mother, sister, & he were crying with happiness
A large woodframe tent with tarp on the top and flimsy plastic sheets stapled to the sides
November 26, 2024 at 4:16 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
not only are palestinians more vulnerable to climate impacts because of poor infrastructure, resources, & lack of sovereignty over land, but israel's colonization is a key factor in that vulnerability

www.undp.org/papp/publica...
The Israeli occupation also directly affects the climate vulnerability at the community-level. With over 400 checkpoints or roadblocks in the West Bank, many villagers are cut-off from alternative water supplies. In the Gaza Strip, any attempts to build infrastructure (such as the construction of reservoirs to increase resilience to dry spells, or coastal defences) are severely hampered by Israeli restrictions on the importation of basic building materials. Indeed, these continuing restrictions compromise the ‘building back better’ principle of the Palestinian National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, which aspires to infrastructure improvements in the wake of the extensive damage from the 2008/2009 Israeli military offensive (Palestinian National Authority 2009: 14-15). [the following sentence is highlighted in yellow] So pervasive are the effects of the Israeli occupation on the climate vulnerability of Palestinian communities that the occupation – in and of itself – is considered here a ‘risk’ [end of highlighting], alongside environmental risks such as sea-level rise and altered rainfall patterns. Other non-environmental sources of climate vulnerability include livelihoods dependent on external factors (or limitations in the adaptive capacity of livelihood diversification), social divisions, weak social protection structures, inadequate physical infrastructure and weaknesses in governance capacity.
November 26, 2024 at 3:58 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
if you're not here there's still time, we're going to get started around 6:40pm! you know you want to hear aboud's rad poetry and buy one of these beautiful chapbooks, handmade ceramic cups, and/or stickers
Table with a bunch of colorful chapbooks, two handmade ceramic cups, and information on how to pay for them The same table now showing stickers and information on signing up to donate monthly
November 24, 2024 at 2:23 AM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
AND, we'll also be selling these two gorgeous handmade ceramic cups by gretchen siegrist clay at the event! all proceeds go to aboud's campaign

www.gretchensiegristclay.com
a handmade ceramic cup with red palestinian poppies and the words "poppies from bones" in decoration another handmade ceramic mug, this one with a design that features olives, leaves, and the words "from the river to the sea". the color scheme is the green, red, and black of the palestinian flag
November 22, 2024 at 8:18 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
"birds & olives", the chapbook of poetry by aboud al-najjar, looks so good! cover design by leslie, layout by @tshirt.bsky.social, and printing by sora

come get your copy at tomorrow's poetry reading! saturday 11/23 from 6-9pm at pipsqueak seattle (173 16th ave)
tockify.com/pipsqueak/de...
several copies of a home-printed chapbook titled "birds and olives: poetry by aboud al-najjar". the cover art features multicolored abstract art of a bird flying over an olive branch with words from one of aboud's poems in the background
November 22, 2024 at 5:51 PM
deepasivarajan.bsky.social
It never crossed my mind that the “Before” images imparted a wonderful impression of Gaza to people. If the images were special to me, it's due to my emotional attachment to specific spaces. Romanticizing life in Gaza is a grave injustice to our suffering — to the disfigured reality we have been trapped in for decades. However, you cannot fault Palestinians from Gaza who share photos and videos on social media of a prettier, safer reality which might give the impression that all was fab and dope! Compared to what we are attempting to survive, life in the besieged, poverty-stricken Gaza was tremendously better. Anything comes off well when compared to genocide.
November 22, 2024 at 10:07 AM