Tejas Harad

PhD student in communication and media studies at University of Pennsylvania; researching the discursive activities of anti-caste activists in the digital sphere. Founder and editor of The Satyashodhak (npub1rmg…4ycs).

About me: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/people/graduate-student/tejas-harad
Verified: https://thesatyashodhak.com/about-us/
Bookwyrm: https://books.theunseen.city/user/h_tejas

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npub1w5t6zsvn9dn9zj3j2z36qdn5pfp5dm7kxjtn8mhkh64q86ue5uesns66xt

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[email protected]

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nprofile1qqs829apgxfjkej3fge9pgaqxe6q5s6xaltrf9enammta2srawv6wvcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds8qz3mk

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1w5t6zsvn9dn9zj3j2z36qdn5pfp5dm7kxjtn8mhkh64q86ue5uesns66xt

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Last Notes

2026-07-21 07:43:20 UTC

The protest is the point. #CJP_Protests #India

2026-07-20 21:06:31 UTC

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The Indian political system has changed beyond recognition since 2014. Protests against UPA 2 government aren't comparable to protests against the BJP. People are confusing form with content, context and actors. Even if the tactics and demands are similar, the actors are completely reversed. And that changes the stakes. (2/2) #CJP_Protests

2026-07-20 21:05:57 UTC

Since the #CJP_Protests began, I have seen comparisons with the Anna Hazare protests of 2011. That comparison is totally valid considering the site of protest (Jantar Mantar), the tactics employed (hunger strike and other non-violent actions) and the demands centered on government failure and corruption. However, 2026 is not 2011. (1/2)

2026-07-20 19:26:48 UTC

Internet shutdown at Delhi Jantar Mantar protest march
https://www.medianama.com/2026/07/223-internet-shutdown-delhi-jantar-mantar-protest-march/

2026-07-20 13:38:26 UTC

You support a cause because there is discrimination, injustice, oppression. And at that point you don't care if the people suffering injustice are impeccable human beings. There is no such thing as a perfect victim.
Similarly, protest movements are never perfect. You may not like the tactics they use. You may not like their leaders. You may not like their rhetoric; they may not raise all the issues you care about. And so on. (1/2)

2026-07-19 18:05:27 UTC

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For sure.

2026-07-19 17:44:01 UTC

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The four year rule makes no sense for PhD students as the degree itself is five years. Many qualitative scholars require an additional year due to fieldwork, etc. How is the government clubbing master's and PhD students in the same basket?

2026-07-19 17:22:37 UTC

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Reminded me of my very old post about deleting Facebook. We had a heated discussion below it lol. We were all so young https://scatteredpillar.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/i-deleted-my-facebook-account/

2026-07-19 14:40:08 UTC

CJP protests are getting second lease of life. I suppose consciousness and awareness building takes time. And people also need a trigger, which emerged in the form of Sonam Wangchuk's weeks-long fast and deteriorating health. I hope this momentum continues and leads to the eventual fall of the Modi regime. #inquilab_zindabad

2026-07-12 14:26:33 UTC

So I have started using Kagi News every morning for quick news updates. But it still has limited categories in its public feed. Since the app is open source, can I request my programmer friends to add two categories? One is Maharashtra and second is Culture. I will be really really grateful!
https://github.com/kagisearch/kite-public

2026-07-12 06:14:58 UTC

प्रिया बापट आणि मुक्ता बर्वेचा 'आम्ही दोघी' चित्रपट पाहिला. मराठीतील अर्ध्यापेक्षा जास्त चित्रपट ब्राम्हणांनी, ब्राम्हणांबद्दल, ब्राम्हणांकरिता बनवलेले असतात त्यामुळे पाहायची इच्छा होत नाही. आता तुम्ही म्हणाल मुक्ताचं पात्र मुस्लीम आहे. पण तिचं मुस्लीमपण फक्त सरदेसाई कुटुंबाला पुरोगामी दाखवण्यापुरतं आहे. आणि त्या पात्राचा दुसरा उद्देश सावित्रीसाठी मॅनिक पिक्सी गर्ल म्हणून आहे.
एका सीनमध्ये कॅमेरा बापट आडनावाच्या नेमप्लेटवर एवढा रेंगाळतो विनाकारण. दिग्दर्शक जोशी, बाकी जवळजवळ अख्खी स्टारकास्ट ब्राम्हण. पात्रं सरदेसाई, बापट, देशपांडे. विषय ब्राम्हण महिलेचा स्वत्वाचा शोध ज्याला अजिबात काही सामाजिक कंगोरे नाहीत. कधी बदलणार मराठी सिनेसृष्टी?

2026-07-06 18:52:14 UTC

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Ah, thanks for this quick bio.

2026-06-28 09:25:34 UTC

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That's true. You've to fuck around to find out sadly.

2026-06-27 23:22:59 UTC

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Today I am switching to Quirkos, which charges just $5 a month and offers basically the same functionality. Also, since I am in post-coursework phase now, I will be doing coding more regularly now.

2026-06-27 23:21:42 UTC

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I was using Delve primarily because it had cloud support and you could work directly in a browser.

2026-06-27 23:21:09 UTC

I paid Delve — a qualitative data analysis software — $18 a month for many months even though I wasn't really using it much. I feel so stupid in hindsight.

2026-06-27 16:56:17 UTC

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I just started learning Telugu using a phone app. Have been watching movies and listening to music for a while but thought should take a more traditional approach as well.

2026-06-20 13:03:06 UTC

A good feature on TikTok shop and the pitfalls of fast consumption https://youtu.be/VAebgjNtw-g

2026-06-14 16:19:11 UTC

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Google recently announced that its search engine too will function like a chatbot. What this means is that these technology companies will use the content from across the web but send no traffic to actual websites. Policymakers need to step in to prevent this exploitation of content producers. (3/3)

2026-06-14 16:18:53 UTC

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AI chatbots cannot function without the real-time content production on the web. But the producers themselves are neither acknowledged nor compensated for their labor. This is a terribly unjust set-up. (2/3)

2026-06-14 16:18:32 UTC

When the first AI chatbots were launched, the companies had relied on historical data to train their models. But as these services aim to assist people in solving their day-to-day problems on an ongoing basis, they have to scrape the web in real time. These models cannot exist without that real-time content produced by a range of professionals and amateurs such as journalists, artists, researchers, public institutions and social media users. (1/3)

2026-06-14 15:05:43 UTC

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yes, for sure.

2026-06-14 13:31:24 UTC

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Yes. It has a lot to do with caste though.

2026-06-14 13:30:31 UTC

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No, even the middle class.

2026-06-13 09:43:07 UTC

Indians want their domestic workers to be like robots — efficient, punctual, submissive, disciplined. They can't fathom it when they discover workers too have agency, which, in whatever limited way, they decide to exercise in certain circumstances.

2026-06-13 02:03:42 UTC

This is what Indian upper castes strive for — how they can become rich enough to turn Bahujans into their serfs.
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/740/332/224/806/898/original/7e882165f13788f1.png

2026-06-07 08:05:30 UTC

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Controversy and crackdown that appears unjustified leads to more anger and more publicity for the movement. The BJP might be playing cautious at this point. But we can only make conjectures. We will never know the actual thinking of the government.

2026-06-07 02:48:36 UTC

I get why people are comparing Cockroach Janata Party with the India Against Corruption protests of 2011. The organizational tactics and the issues raised are the same. But the similarity ends there. The CJP — at least at this initial stage — is far more organic (that is, bottom-up) and it is in opposition to the BJP. The India Against Corruption movement, intentionally or unintentionally, benefited the BJP. The CJP will only damage it. How much, is an open question though.

2026-05-29 06:02:13 UTC

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I actually have a lot of ongoing projects already. Two research papers, two upcoming conferences, dissertation proposal etc. It's just that on a day-to-day basis I don't have anything. I need to think in terms of weeks and months as far as my projects are concerned, not days. So I need to wake up everyday and will myself to work. I guess it feels challenging also because it is a transitional period right now.

2026-05-28 04:55:26 UTC

How greed brought down Byju Raveendran's empire from $22 billion to zero
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/byjus-collapse-byju-raveendran-singapore-contempt-debt-greed-jail-term-india-edtech-companies-2918153-2026-05-28

2026-05-27 08:38:18 UTC

I tried watching the Hindi TV show Sapney vs Everyone. It was too slow for me.

2026-05-27 08:37:19 UTC

What they say about post-coursework life is true I guess. Been just a month and my life already feels so unstructured.

2026-05-24 04:16:21 UTC

Indians lead UK exit wave as Britain's migration crackdown begins to bite
https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/indians-lead-uk-exit-wave-as-britain-s-migration-crackdown-begins-to-bite-126052200275_1.html

2026-05-23 05:23:19 UTC

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The challenge of course is how to sustain this energy. The CJP supporters will soon realize that all issues are political, including sanitation, roads, jobs and education. Once these issues are made to wrestle with questions of caste, class and gender, the movement may fragment. Or mature! Only time will tell what direction it takes. (4/4)

2026-05-23 05:22:53 UTC

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It is difficult not to be impressed by the energy shown by the youth and even children. If I have to go by the few videos I encountered on Instagram, they truly feel the CJP not just speaks for them but it is theirs. (3/4)

2026-05-23 05:22:36 UTC

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Habermasian politics is about confronting differences and reaching for a consensus. The CJP enthusiasts so far have shown inclination towards issues that do not immediately divide people such as sanitation, roads, jobs and education. (2/4)

2026-05-23 05:22:10 UTC

The sudden, catastrophic rise of the Cockroach Janata Party shows that people are hungry for political participation, more so in the current moment when there is a widespread resentment against the BJP. The existing political parties so far have failed to tap into this energy. (1/4)

2026-05-19 19:14:28 UTC

What the actual science says about "brain rot" https://youtu.be/tdIUMkXxtHg

2026-05-18 13:48:12 UTC

Census 2027: Over 11 lakh households in Maharashtra complete self-enumeration https://share.google/vCij9ka1YLyA4QBmY

2026-05-18 13:37:24 UTC

This is true about India too as far as anti-caste movement is concerned. The rise of Modi is a result of upper-caste counter-mobilization against whatever progress India made as a liberal democracy for a few decades post independence. https://mastodon.social/@tzimmer_history/116595812661758705

2026-05-18 09:35:43 UTC

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The bottom line is that salaried work or informal work in itself should not be understood as either good or bad. We need to look at the actual work conditions to assess the quality of work.

2026-05-18 09:33:30 UTC

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I spent last two weeks in my hometown and since we are building a new house, I had to deal with a lot of traders and service providers such as tiles supplier, window maker, plumber, tiles mason and so on. The owners of these enterprises have a lot of flexibility in terms of their work arrangements and earn a lot. The workers under them, on the other hand, labor under exploitative conditions.

2026-05-18 09:09:52 UTC

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I must say that salaried jobs are not necessarily better than other type of employment, especially in terms of work satisfaction — more so in the Indian context.

2026-05-18 09:03:15 UTC

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"The most common salaried occupation in India is working as salespersons in retail shops. Shop salespeople account for about 7% of salaried jobs in India, and they are those who run retail grocery stores, pharmaceutical and medicine shops, and clothing stores."
Interesting!

2026-05-18 08:59:48 UTC

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Compare India's figure with that of China and Brazil. Such massive difference!
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/594/755/408/042/697/original/01af7eb33282035d.jpg

2026-05-18 08:55:04 UTC

"Salaried employment is associated with higher wages, better job security and higher skilled work. However, salaried workers are a minority in India's workforce, and salaried employment in India does not look the same for all workers."
https://www.dataforindia.com/salaried-jobs/

2026-05-17 13:36:40 UTC

“A lot of us go to watch Reels to relax after a long day. But for influencers, even social media is market research. They are always ‘on’.”
The kids are not alright: Here's why content creators are experience influencer fatigue
https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/i-want-to-log-out-why-content-creators-are-getting-tired-of-influencing-23630792

2026-05-16 10:32:41 UTC

India’s Influencer Marketing market to reach Rs 4,500-5,000 Cr by 2027: Report
https://www.socialsamosa.com/report/indias-influencer-marketing-market-11835455

2026-05-16 01:36:25 UTC

CBI nabs alleged mastermind behind NEET-UG 2026 chemistry paper leak
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cbi-nabs-alleged-mastermind-behind-neet-ug-2026-chemistry-paper-leak/article70983707.ece

2026-05-16 01:31:33 UTC

‘A passion, but also a gamble’: why India’s gen Z are cashing in on the trend for secondhand fashion https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/14/india-gen-z-trend-secondhand-fashion-jobs

2026-05-16 00:29:07 UTC

If AI can translate instantly, why learn another language? https://theconversation.com/if-ai-can-translate-instantly-why-learn-another-language-280310

2026-05-15 09:54:03 UTC

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Stree

2026-05-15 07:02:48 UTC

Remember The Sleazy VHS and How It Slipped Past Censorship?
Great essay by Ishita Tiwary
https://thethirdeyeportal.in/structure/pleasure-danger-censorship-video-film-ishita-tiwary-sleaze-vhs/

2026-05-14 04:39:49 UTC

The one change that worked: I felt like an outsider in my village – until I found a simple way to connect https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/the-one-change-that-worked-i-felt-like-an-outsider-in-my-village-until-i-found-a-simple-way-to-connect

2026-05-08 08:15:43 UTC

Am waiting for a bus on the way to my hometown and it's 39° Celsius here. Damn!

2026-05-04 18:35:39 UTC

Disappointed with election results in India.

2026-04-21 01:58:49 UTC

Any read is an airport read if you read it at the airport.

2026-04-21 00:34:26 UTC

We celebrated Phule-Ambedkar Jayanti at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday. It was a lot of fun. The program was attended by about 70 people — a great turnout!
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/439/877/109/661/244/original/b799df33ea0f915c.jpg
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/439/877/108/925/000/original/a537265feea1b78e.jpg
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/116/439/877/107/574/961/original/fa9620b0d1f8ade5.jpg

2026-04-21 00:00:48 UTC

Am going to the UK for a conference this week.

2026-04-20 22:37:28 UTC

With Sambata and Sanju Rathod topping hip-hop and pop charts respectively, Marathi music is doing quite well right now.

2025-04-16 00:30:54 UTC

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She went on to apply the same race science to study castes in Maharashtra. Her legacy is complicated https://direct.mit.edu/posc/article-abstract/30/1/137/108143/Racializing-a-New-Nation-German-Coloniality-and

2025-04-14 22:45:25 UTC

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In 2023, I had the fortune of visiting the house where he lived, in Pune, which has now been turned into a museum called Phule Wada.
https://assets.newsie.social/media_attachments/files/114/338/733/162/259/707/original/01fe19679abe2164.jpg

2025-04-14 22:41:51 UTC

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Phule was a contemporary of Frederick Douglass; in many ways their life paralleled each other. Like Douglass, Phule was a great orator and gave many speeches in his life against the caste system and Brahmin hegemony. He had keenly followed the anti-slavery struggle in the United States; he named his first major book 'Slavery' and dedicated it to the anti-slavery activists in the US.

2025-04-14 22:36:14 UTC

On April 11, Indians celebrated the birth anniversary of the great 19th-century social reformer Jotirao Phule. If anyone wants a quick intro to who he was, I had written this short piece in 2018 https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/11/28/remembering-jotiba-phule-mahatma-fought-against-brahmin-hegemony

2025-04-14 15:21:00 UTC

How India’s middle-class debt crisis is threatening growth https://www.ft.com/content/8f278011-bb0a-4ef3-a4da-8ce063f5bd64

2024-11-23 14:24:11 UTC

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Very happy about the Jharkhand results though. Some balance in the universe.

2024-11-23 14:07:44 UTC

Really disappointed with assembly election results in Maharashtra.

2024-11-22 02:30:48 UTC

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Is town square an ideal type or did it actually exist in the Canadian or American history?

2024-11-21 13:11:59 UTC

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Will the Modi government take cognizance of these charges and open an independent investigation or shield Adani as it has always done?

2024-11-21 13:08:45 UTC

‘Numero Uno’: US takes aim at Gautam Adani
https://www.ft.com/content/d9e3f97e-fe76-44e8-a437-9c40cead32bc

2024-11-19 22:58:28 UTC

Can people host their own instances/servers on BlueSky?

2024-11-18 15:49:01 UTC

I just realized my posts are set to disappear past one week here but am not sure if bridgy can ensure that for my BlueSky mirror account. So I have decided to sever the link.

2024-11-18 01:13:04 UTC

Are Biscoff cookies the Parle-G biscuits of the West?

2024-08-05 10:11:29 UTC

B'desh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns, leaves country
https://news.rediff.com/commentary/2024/aug/05/bdesh-pm-sheikh-hasina-resigns-leaves-country/0ebeb70961f59b52e98f82af873bdf8b

2024-07-08 02:01:54 UTC

'Miracles' and hope: Stampede spotlights India's craze for godmen
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/miracles-hope-stampede-spotlights-indias-craze-godmen-2024-07-07/

2024-07-04 01:32:13 UTC

Social media app Koo to shut down as acquisition talks fail
https://scroll.in/latest/1070130/social-media-app-koo-to-shut-down-as-acquisition-talks-fail