backpac
Asian American Hate And A Call to Action
Reading Time: 4 minutes I spent the majority of my childhood with my grandparents. I spent my days having family dinners at their house and reading the mail to my grandpa, because he hadn’t learned to read English yet. My grandma taught me how to cook and properly taste food. She remains one of the most significant people […]
What Does Development Mean?
Reading Time: 2 minutes What Does Development Mean? Fifteen feet by fifteen feet – that was the size of the ice cream parlour. Fifteen feet by fifteen feet overlooking the Sardar Sarovar Dam, which promised a brisk tourist business. A dairy company had paid crores to lease it out from the government, and they would doubtless make every rupee […]
A year of Small Beginnings and a Heart Full of Gratefulness
Reading Time: 2 minutes A year of Small Beginnings and a Heart Full of Gratefulness 2020 started out with high expectations and many aspirational goals. Our small but growing team at BackPac was ready to gallop forward. with developing meaningful partnerships in all corners of the world. But while our team was busy preparing for the year ahead, the […]
Influencer Perpetuation of Unrealistic Beauty Standards on Instagram
Reading Time: 2 minutes Influencer Perpetuation of Unrealistic Beauty Standards on Instagram Instagram is a wildly popular social media platform with over one billion users and is home to many celebrities and influencers such as Kylie Jenner, Alexis Ren, Blac Chyna, and Madison Beer. Obviously, these are all beautiful women, but it begs the question: are they perpetuating […]
Actually, Being Trans Is Fabulous.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Have you ever heard of the Japanese transgender fish, also known as Kobudai? The Asian sheepshead wrasse is a member of the wrasse family and is known for changing gender at some point in its life. This is a normal biological process for this animal and nothing extraordinary. Then how is it so appalling when […]
What Really Killed Us In 2020? Discrimination.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been one of the years with the highest death rate between the years 1950-2020. When you take a look at everything that has happened this year, it looks pretty natural that the death rate has increased because of a pandemic. However, the pandemic is not the only factor […]
What’s A World Without Music?
Reading Time: 2 minutes They say you are what you listen to. The art forms I consume the most include music, movies, and illustrations – with music being number one. I listen to music all day and it is an integral part of my life- whether it is to pump me up for my workout, concentrate during work, or […]
Life Is Tough Animals Who Couldn’t Make It To Being Insta-Puppies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Insta-puppies and kittens across the world are having an amazing 2020! Their parents are spending more time working from home which means more cuddles, treats and selfies! However, 2020 has not been as fun and treat-filled for animals in the wild, at shelters, or in zoos, here’s why: Animals in the wild: Most tourists struggle […]
You Don’t Know You’re Privileged Till You Are Stripped of It
Reading Time: 2 minutes I grew up in a small town in eastern India (which by the way has a population of 1 million!), to an educated and upper middle class family. My family had lived there for over 40 years and my parents were well respected in the community. I lived inside my own bubble- attending the most prestigious […]