A neurodivergent born and bred Londoner with Punjabi, East African heritage. A writer. A researcher. An historian in the making.
GKSihat (she/her)
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Substack this May:
📜 How a medieval dispute fuelled centuries of conflict in Italy.
📚 Why the books we reread become mirrors and companions.
✍️ The Tre Corone: three Florentines who shaped the Renaissance.
💭 On curated lives, impossible routines, and self-optimisation.
🔗 gksihat.substack.com
I've been really struggling this month, to the point where even the thought of going out made me want to hide under my desk. Without knowing that, Han somehow made our catch-up extra special. We talked and laughed and they even surprised me with a bouquet of flowers just because...
JLF starts today. I’m in London, but as a carer, student, and freelancer, travelling to the British Library to sit through 8hrs of talks 2 days in a row isn’t feasible. But thanks to technology, I get to enjoy the live stream, plus recordings of all the talks I miss. Feeling very grateful today!
May was all about:
📚 Tuition
🤝 Meetings
📖 Research
✍️ Finishing assignments
🌡️ Attempting to survive the heat
👨👩👧👦 Family
So it was really lovely to end the month in Oxford, catching up with my big sister, getting plenty of cuddles from my nephews, picking up some new books, and meeting a new friend.
Today's post is all about the idea of 'staying in your lane' and why I refuse to listen, thoughts triggered by one ignorant comment at this month's history festival.
Read it here: gksihat.substack.com/p/history-do...
Substack has been a great place to write the past six weeks! Check out my latest personal posts here:
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/one-for-so...
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/the-day-a-...
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/the-cost-o...
And my history focused posts:
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/from-giott...
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/borrowed-p...
✨ gksihat.substack.com/p/touching-t...
Mary Cassatt redefined the way women were seen in art. She painted women as thinkers, observers, workers, and individuals with inner lives. She challenged the art world.
Check out the latest instalment of my Female Artists series, Painting the New Woman here:
gksihat.com/mary-cassatt/
Sister Plautilla Nelli painted one of the largest Last Suppers in Renaissance Florence, signing it not with her name, but: Orate Pro Pictora (Pray for the paintress). Her story isn’t just about art. It’s about what gets built when women are shut out.
Read here: gksihat.com/plautilla-ne...
2026 is all about celebrating female artists over on my Substack and website. To end the first half of the year, I've welcomed the first of two incredible guest contributors. Welcome @artherstory.bsky.social, talking all about Catharina van Hemessen!
gksihat.com/catharina-va...
Guest Post from Erika Gaffney of Art Herstory – celebrating women artists of centuries past! Visit https://artherstory.net for more.
