A chapter from my journey as the Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Kerala—an experience that taught me not just about leadership, but about silence, misrepresentation, and resilience in academic spaces. Life has a strange way of surprising—sometimes even shocking—us. Just when we think we’ve figured things out, it throws in an unexpected twist. What I’m about to share is one such turn in my own story. It wasn’t something I planned or even saw coming. It unfolded in the shadows, shaped by people I didn’t know, and spread by others who confused drama for truth. Caught up in a story that erased what was real, they played along in a quiet betrayal. And there I was, completely unaware—unguarded—never imagining the poison silently gathering behind me. Flashback— A few years ago, when I was the Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of Kerala, I came across the announcement of a conference on Women’s Studies organized by one of India’s reputed i...