By Munraj Chawla

A New-born’s Future

9 weeks ago, my nephew was born. Today, I met him for the very first time. This large gap in time wasn’t because of some weird cultural thing, or because of my aversion to babies, but purely down to the fact that SCA takes up every waking moment of my life and so I just hadn’t had the chance to meet him. I got a lot of stick from my family because of this but I guess that’s not a unique phenomenon, merely a staple for the life of an SCA student. 

Meeting my nephew for the first time, alongside the knowledge that in a month’s time this decade will be over, caused me to imagine what the future would look like for him and myself. With that, here is my list of things I hope the years 2020 – 2029 bring: 

I should also specify that this list is operating under the assumption that nothing insane in the world happens like a nuclear war or another sexually-assaulting, buffoon of a president. 

1. A strong effort from every country to reverse the climate crisis, so that my nephew doesn’t have to grow up in a world wher- … actually, just so that my nephew can grow up in a world.  

1. No university fees would mean my nephew wouldn’t have the same £50,000 student loan debt that I have hanging over his head.

1. Tolerance and respect so that however my nephew might want to live, identify, love and so on, he wouldn’t have to fear what telling people would mean. I’ve already mentioned that even though I look like I have my religious shit together, I’m not actually practicing. That hasn’t stopped me being on the receiving end of the racial abuse and, not to sound like how my father sounds when he talks to me, but I truly hope my nephew never has to experience what I did.

1. Good health. I grew up with asthma, an allergy to nuts, lentils and chickpeas, and an autoimmune disease. None of these things have ever stopped me from living my life the way I want to, but they have limited me. I’ll never know what it’s like to have my hunger satisfied by a Snickers bar, for example. So, I hope my nephew doesn’t have to live with something that he feels limits him, or makes feel embarrassed or like a burden. Not that I feel like that. Of course. 

1. Number 5 is just for me. At SCA I have struggled with imposter syndrome since before I even started. Naturally, I want to be successful in my career over the next ten years, win some awards and rise up the ranks. I especially want to make work that I’m actually proud of. But more than that, I hope I get to a point where my success leads to me feeling like I deserve it. 

The end of a year always brings about an air of hope and with a new decade on the horizon, I’m filled with optimism even more than usual. 

Song of the SCAB: Ooyy – Pink Mirrors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIS9s1-jZSA