Himal Southasian Podcast Channel

Over the last many decades, India has taken pride in an election process that, while allowing close to a billion people to exercise their franchise, has always been largely free and fair. However, Narendra Modi’s government has taken a series of actions that have called the sanctity of the country's 2024 general elections into question. This includes a dubious scheme of electoral bonds that has allowed parties – Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party more than others – to raise funds from anonymous donors, as well as a reconstitution of the Election Commission that will likely favour the ruling party. The BJP has also dealt a hammer blow to the opposition by arresting two chief ministers on charges of corruption and freezing the largest opposition party’s assets. In this episode of State of Southasia, Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Aakar Patel on how hard-won gains in democratic processes including elections have been squandered by the Modi government at great cost to the Indian republic. They also discusswhat the opposition’s options are and what an unfree and unfair election in the world's largest democracy meansfor the rest of Southasia. State of Southasia releases a new interview every four weeks. Episode notes: Further reading from Himal’s archives: The enduring personality cult of Narendra Modi: https://www.himalmag.com/politics/christophe-jaffrelot-gujarat-narendra-modi-bharatiya-janata-party-hindu-nationalism With an unfree and unfair election, Pakistan prepares to repeat its past: https://www.himalmag.com/politics/pakistan-unfree-unfair-election-military-nawaz-sharif-imran-khan State of Southasia #02: Ayesha Siddiqa on Pakistan’s stormy election and its message for the military: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/ayesha-siddiqa-pakistan-election-2024-imran-khan-shebaz-sharif-pml-nawaz-military In Bangladesh’s sham election, the only real contest is geopolitical: https://www.himalmag.com/politics/geopolitics-us-europe-china-india-sheikh-hasina-awami-league-2024-bangladesh-election Prabir Purkayastha’s fight against two Emergencies in India – under Modi and Indira Gandhi Every vote counts in Kashmir: https://www.himalmag.com/reviews/prabir-purkayastha-newsclick-arrest-emergency-india-indira-gandhi-narendra-modi

This Southasian Conversation looks at the costs of Reliance's wildlife ambitions, featuring conservationist M D Madhusudan, environmental lawyer Shibani Ghosh and journalist M Rajshekhar in conversation with Roman Gautam, Editor of Himal Southasian. Led by Anant Ambani and supported by the Indian government, the Reliance conglomerate’s effort to shelter abused elephants has transmuted into an enormous wildlife centre – raising concerns over the sourcing of some animals as well as over India’s wildlife management. Here we dive deeper into the past and disturbing present of wildlife conservation in India and beyond. Read M Rajshekhar's story 'The costs of Reliance’s wildlife ambitions' here: https://www.himalmag.com/politics/reliance-ambani-anant-elephants-wildlife-vantara-radhe-krishna-trust-greens This online conversation was recorded on 4 April, 2024 at 7 PM IST. You can listen to this conversation on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube.

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the author Smriti Ravindra about her debut novel 'The Woman Who Climbed Trees' and the representation of the Madhesi community in the literary imagination of Nepal. The Nepali-Indian writer Smriti Ravindra is a Fulbright scholar and holds an MFA in creative writing from the North Carolina State University. Her fiction and journalism have been published in the United States and in India, and she is the author of The Woman Who Climbed Trees, a searing story of three generations of women and the challenges faced by them in traditional societies across India and Nepal. The novel begins with the story of a woman who climbed trees every night, and she gets labeled as a witch by her community. And the title also lets on, this is a story of women who break rules and will keep climbing trees despite the constraints of society weighing them down. With the lyrical use of folklore and mythology, Smriti Ravindra unravels the experiences of women who leave their parent’s homes after marriage, and in the process become strangers to their own selves, and outsiders in these settings. The story, set partly in the late 1980s and early 1990s of Kathmandu, also traces the major political transitions of Nepal, addressing questions of ethnicity and corruption, and in doing so, the book sheds light on the long-ignored topic of the Madhesi experience, particularly that of women, in Nepali literature – which we explore further in this conversation. This episode is now available on Soundcloud: on.soundcloud.com/tnv3Tfpg39EG4sPC8 Spotify: spoti.fi/498g4Gv Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3TxYgyF Youtube: youtu.be/bX4IvY311-0 himalmag.com/podcast/smriti-ravindra-the-woman-who-climbed-trees-madhesi-women-identity-nepal-literature *** Southasia Review of Books is a podcast and a monthly newsletter that threads together our latest reviews and literary essays, with curated reading lists and all things books-related from Himal’s extensive archive. A special reading list curated by Smriti Ravindra will be featured in this month’s Southasia Review of Books Newsletter. You can subscribe to Himal’s newsletters here: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters A new episode of the Southasia Review of Books Podcast will be available once every four weeks. If you like this episode, please share widely, rate, review, subscribe and download the show on your favourite podcast apps.

In this episode of State of Southasia, Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Ayesha Siddiqa, a political and military analyst from Pakistan and currently a senior fellow at the department of war studies at King’s College in London. Siddiqa is also the author of Military Inc, a revelatory book about the Pakistan military’s economic activities and their fallout. Ayesha Siddiqa discusses the support for Imran Khan in Pakistan’s recent election, the formation of a new government under Shebaz Sharif and growing public disaffection with the military State of Southasia releases a new interview every four weeks.

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, the novelist V V Ganeshananthan joins host Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, to talk about the books that define her latest novel, Brotherless Night, and women’s writing on Sri Lanka’s long history of anti-Tamil violence. V V Ganeshananthan, also known as Sugi, is the author of the novels Brotherless Night (a New York Times Editors’ Choice) and Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. She also teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota, where she is an associate professor of English, and co-hosts the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast on Literary Hub, looking at the intersection of literature and the news. Brotherless Night, published in 2023, contends with the Sri Lankan civil war’s end by returning to its beginning through the voice of Sashi, a young Tamil woman growing up in the northern city of Jaffna. As violence unfolds around Sashi, her four brothers and their friends, they navigate the complexities and contradictions of seeking political liberation while confronting the cruelty of the Sri Lankan government, Indian peacekeepers and Tamil militant groups. As the book’s title lets on, there were huge costs to this war absorbed by young men in Sri Lanka’s north and east, but there’s also immense loss experienced by women - mothers, students, civilians and activists. Part of the success of Brotherless Night is that it’s not only an essential contribution to writings on Sri Lanka’s civil war, but it humanises the lived experiences of Tamil women and the ways in which they’ve been affected by anti-Tamil violence. Through Brotherless Night, Ganeshananthan poses urgent questions on whose stories are told and who gets to tell the stories and histories of conflict in Sri Lanka – which we explore further in this conversation. *** Southasia Review of Books is a podcast and a monthly newsletter that threads together our latest reviews and literary essays, with curated reading lists and all things books-related from Himal’s extensive archive. A special reading list curated by V V Ganeshananthan will be featured in this month’s Southasia Review of Books Newsletter. You can subscribe to Himal’s newsletters at bit.ly/HimalNewsletters. A new episode of the Southasia Review of Books Podcast will be available once every four weeks. If you like this episode, please share widely, rate, review, subscribe and download the show on your favourite podcast apps.

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia. Screen Southasia is a partnership between Himal Southasian and Film Southasia. In this Screen Southasia Q&A session, recorded on 5 February 2024, we speak with the filmmaker Jude Ratnam on his film 'Demons in Paradise' Synopsis Sri Lanka 1983 – Jude Ratnam is five years old. On a red train, he flees the massacre of Tamils instigated by the Pro-Sinhalese majoritarian government. Now a filmmaker, he takes the same train from South to North. As he advances, the traces of the violence of the 26-year-old war, which turned the Tamil fight for freedom into self-destructive terrorism pass before his eyes. He unveils the repressed memories of his compatriots, opening the door to a new era and making peace possible again. Demons in Paradise is the result of ten years of work. For the first time, a Tamil documentary filmmaker living in Sri Lanka is seeing the Civil war from the inside.

On 22 January 2024, as India’s prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Ram temple in Ayodhya, a 32-year old film was recirculated across India on social media platforms. Many Indians felt the need to watch and share the documentary Ram ke naam made by Anand Parwardhan in 1990. The film captured the mobilisation of hundreds of Hindu activists who were made to believe that Ram was born at the exact spot where the 16th century Babri Masjid stood and, as a result, wanted a temple built there instead of the mosque. The film was released in September 1992 just months before a group of militant Hindu activists illegally tore down the Babri Masjid. In this episode of State of Southasia, our assistant editor Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Patwardhan about the making of Ram ke naam, why India ignored its warnings about religious fundamentalism and what lessons it still holds three decades later. State of Southasia releases with a new interview every four weeks.

Anil Varghese and Nawal Kishore Kumar discuss Bihar’s caste survey and its implications for affirmative action In October 2023, the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, released the results of a caste survey of his state – a landmark development given that India has not had a comprehensive count of its caste composition since 1931, and pushed through despite resistance from the central government under the Bharatiya Janata Party. Bihar’s survey found that over two-thirds of the state’s population of 130 million belonged to oppressed castes, establishing an essential fact in the wider battle for expanded affirmative action for oppressed communities. The results of Bihar’s caste count will likely trigger more such exercises in other parts of India. In this edition of Himal Interviews, our Editor, Roman Gautam, interviews Anil Varghese and Nawal Kishore Kumar of Forward Press, a Delhi-based publishing house and website dedicated to anti-caste thought and caste emancipation. Varghese is the editor-in-chief of Forward Press, while Kumar is the Hindi editor. Varghese and Kumar also collaborated on an article for Himal Southasian, titled ‘India needs a caste census – and Southasia does too’, published on 13 January. Why has a country-wide caste census in India been delayed for so long? How might Bihar’s survey results impact the representation of oppressed castes in all spheres of Indian public life?

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. We are in the process of upgrading and improving our podcast offerings, including experimenting with different formats. We will continue to bring you news and analysis. Please stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. In this episode, we talk about two key members pulling out of the opposition-led India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) months before elections, fisticuffs in Maldives’ Parliament, Pakistan accusing India of targeted assassinations, Nepal’s National Assembly poll results, the Taliban detaining an Afghan poet, Sri Lanka’s passage of the Online Safety Bill, India’s plans to fence the Myanmar border and Hindus being given leave to pray in the Gyanvapi Mosque.

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about escalating tensions between the Maldives and India, national elections in Bangladesh and Bhutan, justice for Bilkis Bano and the inauguration of Ram Mandir, PTI losing its cricket bat symbol, the continuation of Operation 1027 despite a China-brokered ceasefire, Nepal’s former cricket captain receiving an 8 year sentence for rape, Iran launching a missile attack on Balochistan, the new Dhaka-Kathmandu bus service and escalating dengue cases in Bangladesh.  Episode Notes: Himal’s future is in your hands! Become a member to support our work: http://www.himalmag.com/membership Share your feedback with this survey: https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false

Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza has killed over 20,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 50,000 others since the 7 October attack by Hamas. While India strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Israel, India recently voted in favour of several draft resolutions in the United Nations that criticised Israel’s conduct in Gaza and supported aid for Palestinian civilians, after initially abstaining on a resolution that had called for an immediate humanitarian truce and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza strip. This signifies that deeper shifts have taken place in India’s approach to Israel. For most of independent India’s history, New Delhi had no diplomatic relations with Israel. Today, Indian and Israeli flags are displayed together at rallies demonstrating solidarity with Israel. India and Israel under Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu have developed a significant military partnership and growing economic ties. In a review essay on Azad Essa’s Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel, for Himal Southasian, Rohan Venkat explores the ideological convergence of Hindutva and Zionism, and the consequences for Kashmir and Palestine – and argues there is much more driving India and Israel’s deepening ties. Rohan Venkat is a Non-Resident Visiting Scholar and Consulting Editor at the Centre for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania. He writes India Inside Out, a newsletter on Indian politics, foreign policy and history. In this edition of Himal Interviews, Rohan Venkat talks about how the most potent commonality between India and Israel isn’t in the trade and defence ties they have been building over the past three decades. Instead, Rohan explores how the ideological movements that lie at the core of India and Israel’s political leadership today serve to justify the excesses of both states, and the wider implications of this for Southasia. Rohan Venkat’s recommendations: Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel by Azad Essa Pluto Press (February 2023) The Evolution of India’s Israel Policy: Continuity, Change, and Compromise Since 1922 by Nicolas Blarel. Oxford University Press (January 2015) India’s Israel Policy by P R Kumaraswamy. Columbia University Press (July 2010) The Ezra Klein Show by The New York Times Minor Detail Adania Shibli. Fitzcarraldo Editions and New Directions Publishing (June 2017) The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado. Ecco (June 2007)

January 2024 - Updates and analysis from around the region Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about truckers protesting India’s proposed hit and run laws, Pakistan’s Election Commission rejecting Imran Khan’s nomination for upcoming elections, India’s Space Research Organisation launching a rocket to study black holes, Nobel laureate Muhammed Yunus being convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws, protests in Balochistan, the resumption of work on a Chinese-funded deep seawater port in Myanmar, Sri Lanka’s moratorium on Chinese research vessels, the deaths of two protesters in Kathmandu and the closure of the UNHCR office in Sri Lanka. Episode Notes: Become a Himal member to support our work: http://www.himalmag.com/membership Share your feedback with this survey. https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false

December 2023 - Updates and analysis from around the region Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about flooding in Tamil Nadu, the mass suspension of India’s opposition MPs and key bills passed in the Lok Sabha, Imran Khan using AI to participate in a virtual Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally, a large Bangladesh Nationalist Party rally ahead of Bangladesh’s elections, Maldives ending a hydrographic survey of India, 56 Sri Lankans being held captive at the Thai-Myanmar border, Bhutan’s upcoming national assembly elections, Myanmar overtaking Afghanistan as the world’s largest opium producer and a landmark decision on caste discrimination in Nepal. Episode Notes: Himal’s future is in your hands! Become a member to support our work: http://www.himalmag.com/membership Share your feedback with this survey: https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly known as COP28, was held from 30 November to 12 December in Dubai. This year the main focus was global progress on the Paris Agreement, a crucial legally binding climate change deal signed by the parties in 2015. For Southasia, the conference was primarily about finding financial assistance for their communities, who face the worst impacts of climate change and have the highest adaptation costs. At the end of COP28, participants agreed to transition away from fossil fuels for the first time. Another milestone was the establishment of a loss and damage fund to help countries vulnerable to climate change. However, many participants said the language of the agreement did not go far enough and left too many loopholes to ensure the delivery of commitments on climate change. Developing countries were also left disappointed by a lack of financial support to mitigate the impacts of climate change In this edition of Himal Interviews, Assistant Editor Nayantara Narayanan interviews Simon Evans, deputy editor and senior policy editor at Carbon Brief. Simon covers climate and energy policy and closely followed the negotiations in Dubai during COP28 and spoke to Himal Southasian about historical carbon emissions and what they indicate about the impact of colonialism on climate change.

Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on 7 January. In the run up to the elections, there have been escalating protests led by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party calling for Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to resign and transfer power to a non-partisan caretaker government to ensure a free and fair election. Historically, Bangladesh’s elections have been marred by violence and crackdowns on political opposition. This election has already seen a number of BNP party members and supporters being arrested by the Awami League government, and there are now calls from political opposition to boycott the election altogether. In this edition of Himal Interviews, Assistant Editor Nayantara Narayanan interviews Himal Southasian contributor Anupam Debashis Roy on Bangladesh’s elections, the crackdown on political opposition and the impact of US-imposed visa restrictions. What is the atmosphere in Bangladesh like in the run-up to parliamentary elections? Anupam Debashis Roy’s reading list: Bangladesh’s blueprint for engineering an election - Ali Riaz Is Awami League heading towards a Pyrrhic victory? - Mahfuz Anam The Election Commission’s credibility problem - Badiul Alam Majumdar We are heading towards another one-sided election - Badiul Alam Majumdar Has BNP served its supporters well? - Mahfuz Anam More than meets the eye: Essays on Bangladeshi politics - Ali Riaz

December 2023 - Updates and analysis from around the region Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about Uttar Pradesh’s halal ban, Myanmar’s armed groups exposing the weakness of the military junta, the US uncovering a foiled assassination plot targeting the founder of Sikhs for Justice, an ongoing sit-in at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Maldives’ former president Abdullah Yameen forming a new political party, the extension of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor to Sri Lanka, Pakistan application to BRICS, the release of founding editor of The Kashmir Walla Fahad Shah and pro-monarchy protests tapping into public discontent with Nepal’s government. Episode Notes: Become a member to support our work. Sign up for the Southasiasphere newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes. Aung Kaung Myat’s reading list: Burma: Insurgency and the politics of ethnicity - Martin Smith Making enemies: War and state building in Burma - Mary P Callahan Myanmar’s enemy within: Buddhist violence and the making of a Muslim ‘Other’ - Francis Wade

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about armed groups challenging the military junta across Chin, Shan and Rakhine states, Sri Lanka’s budget for 2024, the collapse of a tunnel in Uttarkashi, Nepal’s TikTok ban, garment factory workers’ strikes in Bangladesh, earthquakes in Nepal, the chequered legacy of Indian tycoon Subrata Roy, the International Cricket Council’s suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket for government interference, and over 170,000 Afghan refugees fleeing Pakistan after a deportation order. This week, Himal Southasian interviews Sanaa Alimia, Assistant Professor at the Aga Khan University and the author of Refugee Cities, a history of Afghan migration to Pakistan since the 1970s, in light of Pakistan’s deportation order impacting Afghan refugees. Episode Notes: Himal’s future is in your hands! Become a member to support our work: http://www.himalmag.com/membership Sign up for the Southasiasphere newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes: https://himalmag.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=2c748501e0 Share your feedback with this survey: https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false Sanaa Alimia’s reading list: Anila Daulatzai on refugee regimes Conversation with Paniz Musawi Natanzi Floating upwards from history: Afghan women’s experience of displacement - Saba Gul Khattak Gender, sexuality and Islam under the shadow of empire - Sadia Toor Making Reliable Persons: Managing Descent and Genealogical Computation in Pakistan - Zehra Hashmi

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. In this episode, we talk about Apple’s alerts warning of potential state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting Indian opposition leaders and journalists, an explosion in Kerala targeting a Jehovah’s Witness convention, Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan, advances by armed groups battling Myanmar’s military junta in Shan state, arrests and deaths of Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists following a three-day blockade in Bangladesh, the launch of an India-Bangladesh railway link and the incoming Maldivian president Mohammed Muizzu’s plan to evict Indian troops within a week of his inauguration. In this episode, Himal Southasian interviews Daniel Bosley, a journalist and blogger working on the Maldives, about the recently held Maldivian presidential elections (interview begins at 10:27). Episode Notes: Himal’s future is in your hands! Become a member to support our work. http://www.himalmag.com/membership Sign up for the Southasiasphere newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes: https://himalmag.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=2c748501e0 Share your feedback with this survey: https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false Daniel Bosley’s reading list: The Costliest Pearl: China’s struggle for India’s Ocean Stealing Paradise

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. In this episode, we talk about fresh scrutiny on the Adani group in the wake of recent reporting, Pakistan’s deportation order impacting Afghan refugees, the release of two rights activists in Bangladesh on bail, China replacing the name ‘Tibet’ with the Chinese romanised name ‘Xizang’ on official documents, India’s Supreme Court declining to legalise same-sex marriage, Southasian deaths and repatriation efforts in Israel and Gaza, an air strike on a camp for the internally displaced in Myanmar’s Kachin state, and the reopening of an old sea route between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna peninsula. For this episode, we also interview Najibullah Sadid, an expert on water resources and the environment, to discuss the devastating recent earthquakes in Herat as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Episode Notes: Himal’s future is in your hands! Become a member to support our work: http://www.himalmag.com/membership Sign up for the Southasiasphere newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes: https://himalmag.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=2c748501e0 Share your feedback with this survey: https://us3.list-manage.com/survey?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=ba236fbe73&attribution=false Najibullah Sadid’s Reading list: The Natural Resources in Afghanistan: Geographic and geologic perspectives on centuries of conflict - John F Shroder: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128001356/natural-resources-in-afghanistan Devastating earthquakes hit Afghanistan - Science in Action by BBC World Service: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4scy Afghanistan earthquakes in Herat province: Situation report 15-16 October 2023 - Reliefweb: https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-earthquakes-herat-province-health-situation-report-no-8-15-16-october-2023

In this episode, we talk about the Delhi Police raid on the office of the Indian news outlet Newsclick as well as numerous journalists’ homes; and debates around delimitation and the women’s reservation bill in India’s parliament. In “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we talk about the presidential election results in the Maldives, the reimposition of an internet ban in strife-torn Manipur, the BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s Islamophobic language in the Indian parliament, concerns over the Online Safety Bill and antiterrorism legislation in Sri Lanka, price controls impacting farmers in Myanmar and a recent massacre of resistance fighters in the country, and brewing controversy around elections for the position of the World Health Organisation’s South Asia regional director. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the novel “The Laughter” by Sonora Jha. Episode Notes: BJP highlights NYT report linking NewsClick to China, targets Congress for defending news site: https://scroll.in/latest/1053926/bjp-highlights-nyt-report-linking-newsclick-to-china-targets-congress-for-defending-news-site A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a U.S. Tech Mogul: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/europe/neville-roy-singham-china-propaganda.html The Maldives’ ruling party is fighting itself and the opposition in the race for president: https://www.himalmag.com/maldives-presidential-election-ibrahim-solih-mohamed-nasheed-abdulla-yameen-mdp-ppm/ G20 summit in Delhi, new allegations on the Easter Sunday bombings, the return of Nawaz Sharif and more: https://www.himalmag.com/g20-summit-delhi-2023-easter-sunday-attack-nipah-kerala-bangladesh-dengue-nawaz-sharif-jawan/ 2023 Half-Yearly Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Events in India: https://hindutvawatch.org/hate-speech-events-india/ He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/26/india-monu-manesar-viligante-social-media/ The Bajaur bombing, India’s ban on rice exports, violence in Haryana and Gurugram and more: https://www.himalmag.com/bajaur-bombing-india-ban-rice-exports-communal-violence-haryana-gurugram-nuh-2023-rahul-gandhi-defamation/ Proposed Online Safety Bill: Sparking concerns over freedom of expression: https://www.themorning.lk/articles/kJoknFck7KnJZNZA6iG0 Myanmar junta slaps struggling farmers with price controls: https://www.irrawaddy.com/business/myanmar-junta-slaps-struggling-farmers-with-price-controls.html The Laughter: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sonora-jha/the-laughter/ Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks.

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about the G20 summit in Delhi and allegations in a recent documentary by the UK’s Channel 4 News about government involvement in Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. In “Around Southasia in 5 minutes” we talk about ransomware attacks impacting Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan government data, the rollout of Bhutan’s digital identification system, outbreaks of dengue in Bangladesh and of the Nipah virus in Kerala, new remittance rules impacting migrant workers in Myanmar, the Editors Guild of India’s fact-finding report on Manipur and FIRs against the guild filed by the Manipur police, and former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s imminent return to the country ahead of elections. For “Bookmarked”, we talk about Hindi action-thriller Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Atlee. Episode notes: Sri Lanka’s Easter bombing verdict is reshaping politics and power: https://www.himalmag.com/srilanka-easter-bombing-verdict-politics-and-power/ Nepal’s biometric future: https://www.himalmag.com/biometric-future-identification-nepal-2022/ Unpacking Digital Bangladesh: https://www.himalmag.com/unpacking-digital-bangladesh-2021/ What’s really behind Jammu and Kashmir’s new family ID?: https://www.himalmag.com/behind-jammu-and-kashmir-new-family-id-surveillance/ Climate change in Bangladesh is driving a dengue outbreak in winter: https://www.himalmag.com/climate-change-dengue-outbreak-in-winter-bangladesh/ Election season in the Maldives and Pakistan, economic boycotts in Haryana, increased pressure on Pushpa Kamal Dahal and more: https://www.himalmag.com/pakistan-national-elections-2023-nuh-violence-jaranwala-incident-ceylon-electricity-board-manipur-internet-ban-pushpa-kamal-dahal/ The political fallout of violence in Manipur, Bangladesh’s economic crisis, the crackdown on PTI supporters and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-manipur-bangladesh-economic-crisis-crackdown-pti-supporters/ Violence in Manipur, Imran Khan’s arrest, the Karnataka elections and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-in-manipur-imran-khans-arrest-adani-myanmar-karnataka-election/ ‘Jawan’ treads with caution in an India on edge: https://www.himalmag.com/jawan-shah-rukh-khan-atlee-politics-gender-modi-india-pathaan/

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about the blocking of The Kashmir Walla and the state of media freedom in Kashmir, and the pushback against China’s controversial new map plus Bhutan–China boundary talks.  In “Around Southasia in 5 minutes” we talk about caste atrocities in Uttar Pradesh, India’s path-breaking lunar and solar missions, the Taliban’s ban on women visiting national parks in Afghanistan and the death of the Afghan female YouTuber Hora Sadat, pushback from the Editor’s Guild of India against a proposed official fact-checking unit in Karnataka, an increase in HIV/AIDs cases in Sri Lanka, the deletion of acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman’s speeches from social media ahead of Bangladesh’s elections, and a controversial Supreme Court judgment on child marriage in Nepal.  For “Bookmarked”, we discuss Don’t expect anything, a short film directed by Didier Nusbaumer that led to Myanmar’s junta arresting the cast and director for insulting Buddhist monks. Episode notes: The Bajaur bombing, India’s ban on rice exports, violence in Haryana and Gurugram and more: https://www.himalmag.com/bajaur-bombing-india-ban-rice-exports-communal-violence-haryana-gurugram-nuh-2023-rahul-gandhi-defamation/ Memories of Galwan Valley: https://www.himalmag.com/memories-of-galwan-valley-2020/ The Doklam dispute, Rahul Gandhi’s conviction, repression of journalists in Bangladesh and beyond, and much more: https://www.himalmag.com/doklam-dispute-rahul-gandhi-conviction-repression-of-journalists-bangladesh/ Don’t expect anything!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRm4wZ5i2g

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out twice a month. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about upcoming elections in the Maldives and Pakistan, an economic boycott of Muslim traders in Haryana in the aftermath of communal violence, as well as communal violence targeting Christians in Pakistan’s Faisalabad. In “Around Southasia in Five Minutes”, we talk about how unpaid electricity bills are revealing corruption among the political establishment in Sri Lanka, even in the aftermath of economic crisis; the capsizing of a boat carrying Rohingya refugees off the coast of Myanmar; Manipur’s ongoing internet ban and Narendra Modi’s recent statement on the crisis in the state; continued calls to release lhotshampa political prisoners in Bhutan; fractures in Nepal’s ruling coalition amid corruption scandals; The Indian government’s attempt to impose Hindi-language bills on non-Hindi speaking states; and the funeral of the controversial Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in Bangladesh. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the second season of the Amazon Prime series Made in Heaven. Episode notes: The Maldives’ ruling party is fighting itself and the opposition in the race for president: https://www.himalmag.com/maldives-presidential-election-ibrahim-solih-mohamed-nasheed-abdulla-yameen-mdp-ppm/ The political fallout of violence in Manipur, Bangladesh’s economic crisis, the crackdown on PTI supporters and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-manipur-bangladesh-economic-crisis-crackdown-pti-supporters/ Violence in Manipur, Imran Khan’s arrest, the Karnataka elections and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-in-manipur-imran-khans-arrest-adani-myanmar-karnataka-election/ The Rohingya refugee crisis at sea, and beyond: https://www.himalmag.com/the-rohingya-refugee-crisis-at-sea-and-beyond-struggle-for-justice/ Modi’s US visit, Pakistani migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, Myanmar’s flower strike and more: https://www.himalmag.com/modi-us-visit-pakistani-migrant-deaths-in-the-mediterranean-myanmars-flower-strike/ Made in Heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lpxWzvII5k Sign up for Screen Southasia: https://himalmag.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=2d99bfd116

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about the recent suicide bomb attack on a political rally in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and crossborder terrorism between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the impact of India’s rice export ban in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, and communal violence in Haryana and Gurugram. In “Around Southasia in Five Minutes”, we talk about the suspension of the Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s defamation conviction, Sri Lanka’s ongoing healthcare crisis, the official secrets amendment bill introduced in Pakistan, the burning of musical instruments in Afghanistan, the suspension of Kashmiri journalists’ and activists’ passports, and the sentencing of the Bangladesh National Party leader Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida. For “Bookmarked” we discuss Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha, a Pakistani drama film that was recently released on YouTube due to the director being unable to screen it in Pakistan theatres. Episode notes: Taliban regime under siege, within and without: https://www.himalmag.com/himal-briefs-taliban-regime-under-siege-afghanistan-2022/ The Doklam dispute, Rahul Gandhi’s conviction, repression of journalists in Bangladesh and beyond, and much more: https://www.himalmag.com/doklam-dispute-rahul-gandhi-conviction-repression-of-journalists-bangladesh/ Sexual violence in Manipur, protests and repression in Bangladesh, Modi’s Paris visit and more: https://www.himalmag.com/sexual-violence-manipur-protests-bangladesh-dhaka-bnp-bypoll-modi-paris-visit-rafale-rohingya-refugees/ Sri Lanka’s exodus of healthcare workers: https://www.himalmag.com/sri-lanka-healthcare-governance-workers-migration-economic-crisis/ Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback: https://www.himalmag.com/bangladesh-nationalist-party-bnp-political-rallies-election/ Zindagi Tamasha: https://youtu.be/xUkJEnHCaos

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out twice a month. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about the disturbing video footage of sexual assault coming out of Manipur, and the Dhaka by-polls and escalating violence and repression around protest rallies in Bangladesh. In “Around Southasia in Five Minutes”, we discuss a report highlighting corruption in Karnataka's health sector and recent deaths in Sri Lanka due to the import of inferior drugs from India, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Paris and renewed scrutiny of the controversial Rafale deal, the Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India and commitments to domestic power-sharing, continued cross-border terrorism in Pakistan, the formation of a new opposition coalition in India, and protests from indigenous groups in Nepal over the renaming of one of its provinces, as well as the recent arrest of 74 Rohingya refugees in Uttar Pradesh. For “Bookmarked” we discuss V V Ganeshananthan’s novel Brotherless Night, a heartbreaking exploration of a family fractured by Sri Lanka’s civil war. Episode Notes: Violence in Manipur, Imran Khan’s arrest, the Karnataka elections and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-in-manipur-imran-khans-arrest-adani-myanmar-karnataka-election/ The political fallout of violence in Manipur, Bangladesh’s economic crisis, the crackdown on PTI supporters and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-manipur-bangladesh-economic-crisis-crackdown-pti-supporters/ Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback: https://www.himalmag.com/bangladesh-nationalist-party-bnp-political-rallies-election/ Making Prothom Alo “the enemy” in Bangladesh: https://www.himalmag.com/media-prothom-alo-the-enemy-sheikh-hasina-awami-league-bangladesh/ Sri Lanka’s exodus of healthcare workers: https://www.himalmag.com/sri-lanka-healthcare-governance-workers-migration-economic-crisis/ Modi’s US visit, Pakistani migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, Myanmar’s flower strike and more: https://www.himalmag.com/modi-us-visit-pakistani-migrant-deaths-in-the-mediterranean-myanmars-flower-strike/

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia. Screen Southasia is a partnership between Himal Southasian and Film Southasia. In this Screen Southasia Q&A session, recorded on 3 July 2023, we speak with the filmmaker Shaheen Dill-Riaz, to discuss his documentary 'Sand and Water.' Synopsis: The middle section of the Jamuna, one of the three main rivers in Bangladesh, is called 'the deadly paradise'. This part of northern Bangladesh is home of the Gabshara Union, a small district comprising a group of tiny islands. Sand and Water shows how the people of these islands live in the most extreme natural conditions and cope with the 'moods' of Jamuna, which also provides them with their livelihood and fertile islands. Dill-Riaz describes this fragile world from a personal point of view using poetic images.

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about crackdowns on online publishers and activists in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, as well as Pakistan's IMF deal and Sri Lanka's domestic debt-restructuring process. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we talk about Aung San Suu Kyi's last appeal for reduced sentencing, Nepal's registration of same-sex marriage, increased incidents of mob lynching in Bihar and Maharashtra, the impact of the monsoon in India and Pakistan, and four Tibetan students' attempt to flee to India. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the 2023 movie Polite Society, directed by Nida Manzoor. Episode Notes: “Yes, our son is gay”: A Nepali father’s awakening: https://www.himalmag.com/yes-our-son-is-gay-a-nepali-fathers-awakening/ Crime and punishment: https://www.himalmag.com/crime-and-punishment/ Count your climate losses: https://www.himalmag.com/count-your-climate-losses-explainer-2021/ Southasia climate events tracker: https://www.himalmag.com/southasia-climate-crisis-events-tracker/ Transcript and more here: https://www.himalmag.com/crackdown-online-publishers-debt-restructuring-imf-pakistan-sri-lanka-nepal-same-sex-marriage/

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. This episode, we talk about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US, and the sinking of a trawler off the coast of Greece with almost 300 Pakistani refugees onboard. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we talk about communal violence in North and Northeast India, the encroachment of land in Sri Lanka for the building of Buddhist temples, progress on amendments to Nepal’s citizenship laws, Myanmar’s recent flower strike, the resurgence of Jamaat-e-Islami and the call for an ICC probe into war crimes allegations in Afghanistan. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the 2022 movie “Kamli” from Pakistan, directed by Sarmad Khoosat. Episode notes: The political fallout of violence in Manipur, Bangladesh’s economic crisis, the crackdown on PTI supporters and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-manipur-bangladesh-economic-crisis-crackdown-pti-supporters/ Nepal’s citizenship battles: https://www.himalmag.com/nepals-citizenship-battles-2020/ Screen Southasia, ‘Sand and Water’: https://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia. Screen Southasia is a partnership between Himal Southasian and Film Southasia. For updates on future screenings and Q&A sessions, sign up here: https://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia For our latest Screen Southasia Q and A session, recorded on 5 June 2023, we speak with Arun Bhattarai, co-director of the documentary film The Next Guardian – a love-filled portrait of a family in Bhutan. https://www.himalmag.com/arun-bhattarai-the-next-guardian/ Film synopsis: In a Himalayan village, Gyembo and Tashi, a brother and sister, lead a normal life as teenagers. They love soccer and their phones. Their father oversees a Buddhist temple that has been in the family for generations. He hopes his son, Gyembo, will one day take over his duties and leave his modern English-language school in favor of a monk school. In this thoughtful and tender portrait of a Bhutanese family, the generation gap is as large as their love for one another. Celibacy doesn’t offer an enticing future to an adolescent boy, which Gyembo’s father understands. Nonetheless, he still tries to convince his son that being a monk offers many advantages. Meanwhile, Tashi feels more like a boy than a girl, and dreams of a life as a pro soccer player. She wants to attend a soccer camp that would be the first step in being selected for the national team. Unfortunately, though happiness is high on the political agenda in Bhutan, not all wishes come true.

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about communal misinformation connected to the Odisha train crash in India and the abduction of the lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir in Pakistan. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we talk about developments in the wrestlers’ protests in India, a poisoning incident involving primary schoolgirls and the drop of opium cultivation in Afghanistan, anti-China protests in Myanmar, amendments to legislation in Bangladesh limiting the Election Commissioner’s powers, and the arrest of a Tamil MP in Sri Lanka and what it reveals about military surveillance in the country’s North and East. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the Al Jazeera Witness documentary “No Place Like Home”, tracing the roots of a potentially illegal adoption from Sri Lanka. Episode Notes: Southasiasphere: Issue #3: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-issue-3/ States of denial: https://www.himalmag.com/states-denial/ Marriage equality in India, fencing the Durand line, wrestlers’ protests and more: https://www.himalmag.com/marriage-equality-india-durand-line-gurajat-nepal-earthquake-wrestlers-protests/ Opium den: https://www.himalmag.com/opium-den/ No place like home - Tracing roots from Norway to Sri Lanka: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/program/witness/2023/5/31/no-place-like-home-tracing-roots-from-norway-to-sri-lanka Full episode and transcript: Listen to this episode on Soundcloud: Youtube: https://youtu.be/ZF2QOAF5Aq8 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3X7hE75 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3N5DfIp

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here. In this episode, we talk about the political implications of continued violence in Manipur, including growing calls from the Kuki community for a separate state, and explore the mounting economic crisis in Bangladesh. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes” we talk about the controversial G20 meeting on tourism hosted by the Indian government in Srinagar, the investigations into a controversial pastor in Sri Lanka and the increasing use of the country’s ICCPR Act to quash dissent, a new political party in the Maldives, a newly released report on the Adani Group by a Supreme Court-appointed investigative committee in India, the growing crackdown on PTI leaders and journalists in Pakistan and a new report on the terrible conditions facing migrant workers from Nepal. For “Bookmarked” we discuss the short film, “The tea is cold”, following the story of a researcher traveling to the North of Sri Lanka and the stories he uncovers. Episode notes: Violence in Manipur, Imran Khan’s arrest, the Karnataka elections and more: https://www.himalmag.com/violence-in-manipur-imran-khans-arrest-adani-myanmar-karnataka-election/ Rebound or relapse: debt restructuring in a time of crisis: https://www.himalmag.com/debt-restructuring-imf-economic-crisis-southasia/ How a human rights law became a tool of repression in Sri Lanka: https://www.himalmag.com/iccpr-human-rights-law-repression-blasphemy-sri-anka/ The Maldives’ ruling party is fighting itself and the opposition in the race for president: https://www.himalmag.com/maldives-presidential-election-ibrahim-solih-mohamed-nasheed-abdulla-yameen-mdp-ppm/ The hidden cost: https://www.himalmag.com/the-hidden-cost-migrant-worker-rights-world-cup-2022/ The tea is cold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXLP_u5tccE This episode is now available on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/mTtni Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PgI8X7gYNJfiqwroMd1w5?si=QtWrzftJRY2UgkYljhdbJw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-political-fallout-of-violence-in-manipur/id1464880116?i=1000615138637

In this episode, we talk about the violence in Manipur in the past few weeks, and the latest developments following Imran Khan's arrest in Islamabad. For 'Around Southasia in 5 minutes', we talk about the recently held Karnataka Assembly election and Adani Ports' recently completed sale of its port in Myanmar - at far below the value of the conglomerate’s initial investment. We also talk about the impact of cyclone Mocha in Myanmar and Bangladesh, a string of high-profile arrests in Nepal in connection with what is being called the 'refugee scam', new statistics on rising poverty in Sri Lanka, and the recently held Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Goa. For 'Bookmarked', we talk about the movie 'Jinpa' by the renowned Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, who passed away recently. Episode notes: Majoritarianism in Manipur https://www.himalmag.com/majoritarianism-in-manipur/ Politics and Pakistan’s new army chief https://www.himalmag.com/himal-briefs-politics-pakistans-new-army-chief-2022/ Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics https://www.himalmag.com/pakistan-military-beyond-18th-amendment-constitution-politics/ Adani in Southasia https://www.himalmag.com/adani-southasia-power-politics-diplomacy-myanmar-bangladesh-sri-lanka-india/ Jinpa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDOHE7PclZc This podcast episode is available on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/hrX2i Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41RNCoU Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MedZiK And Youtube: https://youtu.be/G-xlfYvyWgY

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia. Screen Southasia is a partnership between Himal Southasian and Film Southasia. For updates on future screenings and Q&A sessions, sign up here: http://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia In our latest Screen Southasia Q&A session, recorded on 8 May 2023, we speak with the filmmaker Leena Manimekalai and Smile to discuss their 2017 documentary film 'Is it too much to ask?'.  Film synopsis: 'Is it too much to ask?' follows the journey of two friends, Smile and Glady, as they search for a rental apartment in Chennai. Along the way, they encounter obstacles and social stigma for being both single and transgender women. Their identities make them vulnerable to the caste-ridden, feudal and patriarchal landlords of the city, who deny them apartments and, in turn, deny their existence. Despite these challenges, Smile and Glady face every day with grace, humour and positivity, turning their anger and frustrations into songs, dances, plays and works of art that give them hope.

In this episode, we talk about ongoing court cases on marriage equality in India, decriminalisation of same-sex relationships in Sri Lanka, and recognition of foreign same-sex spouses in Nepal. We also talk about the fencing of the Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we'll be talking about April marking 10 years since the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, and 8 years since the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, as well as developments related to the acquittal of 69 Hindus who were accused of murder during the 2002 Gujarat riots in India. We'll also be talking about Bhutan's cryptocurrency holdings, voter data theft and manipulation in the lead up to Karnataka‘s state elections, revelations around a bribe impacting the X-Press Pearl disaster litigation in Sri Lanka, wrestlers' protests in India, and the last photos of Japanese photojournalist Kenji Nagai, who was killed in Myanmar. For “Bookmarked”, we talk about Rima Das’ 2018 film, Bulbul can sing, a coming of age story set in Assam. We also tease our upcoming edition of Screen Southasia, ‘Is it too much to ask?’ directed by Leena Manimekalai, which will be screening from 5-8 May, with a Q and A on 8 May. Sign up to catch this and future screenings here: https://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia Episode notes: The line Durand drew - Daniel Lak: https://www.himalmag.com/the-line-durand-drew/ Pashtuns will not be pawns in Pakistan’s dangerous game with the TTP and Taliban - Hurmat Ali Shah: https://www.himalmag.com/pashtuns-protest-pakistan-peshawar-mosque-bast-swat-waziristan-ttp-taliban/ Tehreek-i-Taliban is making its way back in Pakistan: https://www.himalmag.com/tehreek-i-taliban-peace-talks-pakistan/ How hate works - Rakesh Shukla: https://www.himalmag.com/how-hate-works-gujarat-riots-rakesh-shukla-2019/ The Nepal earthquake, one year later - Himal Southasian: https://www.himalmag.com/the-nepal-earthquake-one-year-later/ Scandalising the supply chain - Dina M Siddiqi: https://www.himalmag.com/scandalising-the-supply-chain-bangladesh-2022/ Yameen’s conviction, the Taliban ban on women’s education, Kite Tales and more - Southasiasphere (January 2023): https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-yameen-conviction-taliban-womens-education-rohingya-crisis-2023/ Bulbul Can Sing - A film by Rima Das: https://www.netflix.com/title/81026003 Episode transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/marriage-equality-india-durand-line-gurajat-nepal-earthquake-wrestlers-protests/

Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out every two weeks. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get episode links for free by signing up here: https://bit.ly/3GVBb3o In this episode, we talk about recent airstrikes in Pazigyi village in Myanmar and new restrictions on women’s rights from the Taliban, from restrictions in access to green space in Herat to a ban on UN women workers across Afghanistan. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we’ll be talking about the debate around an antiterrorism bill in Sri Lanka, sexual harassment cases in south India and Bhutan, the controversial Adani-funded Godda plant which recently began power supply to Bangladesh, the hosting of G20 meetings in Kashmir in the backdrop of some explosive revelations from a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and a firing incident at the Bathinda army base in Punjab. For “Bookmarked” we talk about Joyland, an Urdu and Punjabi language film from Pakistan exploring queer relationships and desire in a multigenerational family. We also tease our upcoming film for Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening in partnership with Film Southasia - “Is it too much to ask?” by Leena Manimekalai. To catch this and future screenings, please register here: https://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia Episode Notes: * Myanmar, Bangladesh and the global game over Rohingya repatriation: https://www.himalmag.com/myanmar-junta-bangladesh-united-states-china-rohingya-repatriation/ * Adani in Southasia: https://www.himalmag.com/adani-southasia-power-politics-diplomacy-myanmar-bangladesh-sri-lanka-india/ * Joyland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy9bNgbZMJI * Screen Southasia: Is it too much to ask?: https://bit.ly/ScreenSouthasia Listen to this episode on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/37VZi Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41I9cMT Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3UOXwp5 Youtube: https://youtu.be/0si430hz4Og Transcript: https://bit.ly/3UVgieD

The Adani Group has been making big news for the wrong reasons. Hindenburg Research’s report accusing the group of “the largest con in corporate history” sent Adani stocks plummeting, wiping well over USD 100 billion off the group’s valuation even as the conglomerate denied doing any wrong. Suddenly Adani is facing extra scrutiny from investors, governments and the media – but activists who had long alleged malpractice in Adani projects in India and across the region, as well as journalists who earlier exposed the group’s questionable practices, are left to wonder what took so long. The world’s focus has mostly been on India, but the Adani Group’s vast footprint has left marks across much of the rest of Southasia too. In Bangladesh, pressure is building for the government to reconsider a power deal with Adani that may not be in the country’s best interests. In Sri Lanka, like in Bangladesh, there are questions over what role the Indian government played in securing ongoing Adani projects. In Myanmar, following the 2021 coup, there has been scant attention to how Adani has continued with controversial projects under the rule of the unelected military government. And in India, there are the perennial questions over Gautam Adani’s closeness to Narendra Modi, and allegations of special treatment for his business house. In our latest edition of Southasian Conversation, recorded on 11 April 2023, we look at the long reach of the Adani Group – from energy to transport and logistics, from India to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and Myanmar – to draw attention to the conglomerate’s record in Southasia, and to ask not just what it says about the Adani Group itself but also about power, politics and diplomacy in the region. Panelists: * Ravi Nair – Investigative journalist * Zia Hassan – Economist and political commentator * Rawan Arraf – Executive Director, Australian Centre for International Justice * Rathindra Kuruwita – Journalist and researcher Moderator: * Roman Gautam – Editor, Himal Southasian

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia. Screen Southasia is a partnership between Himal Southasian and Film Southasia. For updates on future screenings and Q&A sessions, sign up here: https://bit.ly/3UwHAaR In our first Screen Southasia Q&A session, recorded on 3 April 2023, we speak with the filmmaker Kesang Tseten, to discuss his 2006 documentary ‘Hami Kunako Manche’ (We Corner People). Film synopsis: This is a story of a village in Rasuwa District, north of Kathmandu – in ravines beyond which no settlement lies. The inhabitants call themselves people placed at the corner: their backs against the wall, without electricity, roads, health posts, and lacking even a single shop. Villagers walk four hours just to buy chilli or salt, or to sell their bamboo weavings, their only means of cash income. Now, a bridge comes to the village, addressing longstanding fears about the rushing torrent below. How will their lives change?

In this episode, we talk about recent events in the Doklam border dispute in Bhutan, with India and China both involved; an escalation in attacks on journalists in Bangladesh, Kashmir and the Maldives, and the tragic drowning of an Afghan journalist; and the Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP in India, following a recent court conviction for defamation. For “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we’re talking about the search for the Sikh radical Amritpal Singh in India, a High Court case on sedition law and legislative amendments curbing the Chief Justice’s powers in Pakistan, attempts to criminalise predatory lending in Nepal, Sri Lanka receiving the Extended Fund Facility from the IMF and developments in the 2019 Jamia violence case in India. For “Bookmarked”, we talk about Hami kunako manche, a classic Nepali documentary, featured in the first edition of Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening in collaboration with Film Southasia. To catch future screenings, please register here. Episode Notes: Yameen’s conviction, the Taliban ban on women’s education, Kite Tales and more: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-yameen-conviction-taliban-womens-education-rohingya-crisis-2023/ Embers of a Sikh fire: https://www.himalmag.com/embers-of-a-sikh-fire/ Tamil Sikh: https://www.himalmag.com/tamil-sikh-fragments-of-memory-2022/ Southasia’s déjà vu: https://www.himalmag.com/southasias-deja-vu/ Delayed elections in Sri Lanka, tax raids on BBC in India, PTM leader Ali Wazir’s release and more: https://www.himalmag.com/tax-raid-bbc-india-delayed-local-government-elections-sri-lanka-ptm-ali-wazir-release/ Sri Lanka’s great IMF lie: https://www.himalmag.com/sri-lanka-imf-development-food-insecurity-debt-economic-crisis/ How the IMF bailout is changing Sri Lanka’s foreign policy: https://www.himalmag.com/imf-bailout-sri-lanka-china-india-us-foreign-policy/ Hami kunako manche: https://www.shunyatafilm.com/we-corner-people-hami-kunako-manche/ Listen to this episode on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/WcQQm Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4353shB Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3nPysBW Or Youtube: https://youtu.be/XhCmF-ox3zE

In this episode, we talk about the attempted arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan and details of the case against him, involving state gifts. We also discuss a fresh UN High Commissioner for Refugees funding call for Afghanistan, where the dire humanitarian situation means 20 million people - almost half the population - are experiencing food insecurity. In “Around Southasia in 5 minutes”, we discuss the spread of adenovirus in West Bengal, protests around toxic smoke at the Brahmapuram waste dump in Kochi, Nepal’s new president, trade union action in Sri Lanka opposing the IMF’s conditions for a bailout loan, a new Human Rights Watch report on political prisoners in Bhutan, and news of Zangkar Jamyang, a Tibetan writer and language rights activist, who disappeared in 2020 and has resurfaced in a Sichuan prison. For “Bookmarked”, we’ll be discussing A path home, a graphic novel about Naga repatriation. Episode notes: Sri Lanka’s great IMF lie: https://www.himalmag.com/sri-lanka-imf-development-food-insecurity-debt-economic-crisis/ Refusal and responsibility: https://www.himalmag.com/refusal-and-responsibility-tibetan-intellectuals-2022/ Returning spoils of colonial conquest: https://www.himalmag.com/returning-spoils-of-colonial-conquest-2021/ A Path Home - graphic novel On Naga repatriation https://rradnagaland.org/novel/ Full episode and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/imran-khan-attempted-arrest-un-appeal-afghanistan-aid-graphic-novel-on-naga-repatriation/ Listen on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/cfUx6 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mEtnNPOcUXNJaylY5OkH0?si=TrWbRtooQWSIhf3-pP_0Nw Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/southasiasphere-20-march-imran-khans-attempted-arrest/id1464880116?i=1000605299207 Youtube: https://youtu.be/-xayhndIjlQ

In this episode, we talk about the assembly election and by-election results in India, and examine growing trepidation in Bangladesh about a 2017 deal signed between the Bangladesh Power Development Board and the Adani Group. In “Around Southasia in 5 minutes” we’re talking about the closure of the Dainik Dinkal newspaper in Bangladesh; Pakistan on the economic precipice and a recent loan from China that’s bought the country some time; shifts in the Nepali ruling coalition requiring a second vote of confidence for prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal; a new report on forced demolitions, arbitrary detention and torture in Tibet; and the Delhi High Court upholding the controversial Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the Indian Army. For “Bookmarked”, we’ll be talking about Prasanna Vithanage’s feature film Gaadi, which discusses caste discrimination in Ceylon at a time when courtiers plotted to overthrow the Kandyan king Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe. Episode notes: Power play: https://www.himalmag.com/power-play-bangladesh-2021/ Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback: https://www.himalmag.com/bangladesh-nationalist-party-bnp-political-rallies-election/ Rebound or relapse: Debt restructuring in a time of crisis: https://www.himalmag.com/debt-restructuring-imf-economic-crisis-southasia/ Desecration in Drago county: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c6d7c35b2cf790541327f25/t/63cfdcc81771d947c2081480/1674566871741/Desecration-in-Drago-County.pdf A plot twist makes Pushpa Kamal Dahal prime minister of Nepal: https://www.himalmag.com/nepal-election-pushpa-kamal-dahal-prime-minister-2022/ Gaadi: https://youtu.be/JQIEvMb6eCM The podcast episode is now available now Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/QHajB Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tdej1S3ea0wjaV4HuzQQc?si=aa0cc1671e524a15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/southasiasphere-6-march-election-in-the-northeast/id1464880116?i=1000603230087 Youtube: https://youtu.be/ZNxl1MZM7ng

According to the UN, 2022 was one of the deadliest years for Rohingya refugees at sea since 2014. Over 3500 Rohingya attempted to leave Myanmar or Bangladesh by sea in 2022, and at least 348 lost their lives or went missing while doing so. But these tragedies have already faded from headlines, even though the Rohingya crisis continues. In this edition of Southasian Conversations, recorded on 27 February 2023, we bring attention to the Rohingya community and their ongoing struggles for survival, dignity and justice. We look at the present crisis but also beyond, to go farther than entrenched narratives focussed solely on Rohingya dispossession. Moderator: • Ben Dunant, Editor-in-chief, Frontier Myanmar Panelists: • Kaamil Ahmed - Journalist for the Guardian and author of I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers • Ruki Fernando - Human rights activist • Sahat Zia Hero - Founding editor for Rohingyatographer Magazine • Sharifah Shakirah - Founder and Director of Rohingya Women Development Network Full video discussion and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/the-rohingya-refugee-crisis-at-sea-and-beyond-struggle-for-justice/

In this episode, we talk about delayed local government elections in Sri Lanka. We discuss the tax raid on BBC offices in Mumbai and Delhi. We also discuss the shutdown of embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In “Around Southasia in Five Minutes”, we discuss the release of PTM leader Ali Wazir after almost two years behind bars in Pakistan, a new political party law and a directive from the junta on civilians carrying firearms in Myanmar, the controversial appointment of Victoria Gowri as an additional judge of the Madras High Court in India, rumours of a growing rift in the Taliban in Afghanistan after critical comments made by interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Bangladesh’s selection of a new president. For “Bookmarked”, we discuss the documentary Dreaming of Words, which tells the story of Njattyela Sreedharan, a fourth-standard drop-out who went on to compile a comparative dictionary of Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Full episode and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/tax-raid-bbc-india-delayed-local-government-elections-sri-lanka-ptm-ali-wazir-release/ Episode Notes: Sri Lanka’s local elections are a major threat to the ruling class: https://www.himalmag.com/srilanka-local-elections-aragalaya-tax-policy-economic-crisis-ranil-wickremesinghe-rajapaksas/ Protests in Gwadar, a BBC documentary on Modi, Tamil fiction in translation and more: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-protests-gwadar-bbc-documentary-modi-gujarat-riots-tamil-fiction-translation/ Pashtuns will not be pawns in Pakistan’s dangerous game with the TTP and Taliban: https://www.himalmag.com/pashtuns-protest-pakistan-peshawar-mosque-bast-swat-waziristan-ttp-taliban/ Taliban regime under siege, within and without: https://www.himalmag.com/himal-briefs-taliban-regime-under-siege-afghanistan-2022/ Dreaming of words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWmRnOcm_Ko

“The military’s exit from politics would not only stabilise civilian democracy but also strengthen the Parliament, as the country’s supreme body that is directly accountable to the people,” writes Salman Rafi Sheikh, assistant professor of politics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, in his article for Himal Briefs looking at how Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics. In our latest Himal Twitter Spaces session, recorded on 6 February, we speak to Salman about this continued cycle of crises in Pakistan, and how reviving the 2010 reform process can be key to stabilise the polity and target the vast business empire controlled by the military establishment. Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics - Salman Rafi Sheikh https://www.himalmag.com/pakistan-military-beyond-18th-amendment-constitution-politics/ More Himal Twitter Spaces: https://www.himalmag.com/category/himal-spaces/

In this episode, we talk about the silent strikes in Myanmar marking two years since the country’s military coup. We also look at security in Pakistan in the wake of a suicide bomb blast in Peshawar, and the spiralling impact of the country’s debt crisis on the wellbeing of citizens. In “Around Southasia in Five Minutes”, we discuss the impact of a report by Hindenburg Research accusing the Adani Group of stock manipulation and marketing fraud, the Indian National Congress’s recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra, the controversy surrounding the citizenship of the politician Rabi Lamichchane in Nepal, the release of the Sri Lankan student activist Wasantha Mudalige, the contentious Maldivian presidential primaries, and much more. For “Bookmarked”, we talk about the documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, shot in the Nilgiri Mountaints in Tamil Nadu, which has been nominated for an Oscar. Full episode and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/silent-strikes-myanmar-coup-militancy-debt-pakistan-peshawar-elephant-whisperers/ Episode notes: Resisting a coup: https://www.himalmag.com/resisting-a-coup-myanmar-interview-2021/ Southasiasphere episode 25 January 2023: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-protests-gwadar-bbc-documentary-modi-gujarat-riots-tamil-fiction-translation/ Rebound or relapse: Debt restructuring in a time of crisis: https://www.himalmag.com/debt-restructuring-imf-economic-crisis-southasia/ Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics: https://www.himalmag.com/pakistan-military-beyond-18th-amendment-constitution-politics/ Musharraf’s last stand: https://www.himalmag.com/musharrafs-last-stand/ Adani Group: How the world’s third richest man is pulling the largest con in corporate history: https://hindenburgresearch.com/adani/ The Elephant Whisperers: https://www.netflix.com/title/81312835 Southasiasphere is our roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs, now out twice a month. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: https://himalmag.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0c87df9f0948bcfa1bc80d2b4&id=2c748501e0

In this episode, we look at the Gwadar Rights Movement and other burgeoning protests across Pakistan, from demonstrations against the local government elections in Karachi to protests around skyrocketing inflation in Swabi and against rising militancy in Sindh. We also unpack the recent BBC documentary on Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots - and the Indian government's reaction to it. In Around Southasia in Five Minutes, we talk about the impact of the Afghan winter and malnutrition in Sri Lanka, an eviction drive in Jammu and Kashmir, an attempt to merge madrassas and allow for state surveillance in Assam, proposed amendments to the Press Council Act in Bangladesh. For Bookmarked, we discuss the Mozhi Prize for Tamil fiction in translation. Episode Notes: Gujarat as another country: https://www.himalmag.com/gujarat-another-country/ The long wait for justice: https://www.himalmag.com/the-long-wait-for-justice-srilanka-2020/ A tool for oppression: https://www.himalmag.com/bangladesh-a-tool-for-oppression-dsa-2022/ Mozhi: https://mozhi.co.in/ Full episode and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-protests-gwadar-bbc-documentary-modi-gujarat-riots-tamil-fiction-translation/ Listen on Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/zoxZ2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fDGjSAkCkm3T7x3ccqr5h?si=Nekdi42ZS7qT7z-fUXXALw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/southasiasphere-protests-in-gwadar-a-bbc/id1464880116?i=1000596448152 Youtube: https://youtu.be/KXriCw4R3tQ

Over the past year, Sri Lanka has often been cited as a case study in economic precarity, and while headlines have been full of stories of poverty and the ongoing protests, there has been less dedicated coverage over next steps. The UN states that at least 5.7 million people within the country require humanitarian aid. With food inflation reaching 85.6 percent in October, 28 percent of the population face moderate to severe food insecurity. These events have to be set against a global cost of living crisis; with reports of inflation everywhere from Pakistan to the UK, France, Kenya and Nigeria. As food and fuel prices rise, lower income countries are disproportionately impacted, and the impacts of debt mismanagement become starkly visible. In this edition of Southasian Conversation (recorded on 21 January 2023), we ask: how should governments negotiate complex debt restructuring processes? What do examples from the region, and indeed globally, tell us about navigating debt restructuring, and how will this impact people’s lives in the interim? We at Himal hope this will provide an opportunity to revise these questions and also serve as a platform for an open and timely conversation on what’s next for Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Full panel discussion video and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/debt-restructuring-imf-economic-crisis-southasia/ Available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/lvzJL6epHEA Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-162273488/rebound-or-relapse-debt-restructuring-in-a-time-of-crisis?si=5ec8295432ab47f5b33491b2e1842d47&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YNld1yWbw6TTf6lHs4r0S?si=ugsFp678Sbiy9Q0rQAdBpw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebound-or-relapse-debt-restructuring-in-a-time-of-crisis/id1464880116?i=1000596441692

In this episode, we look at several steps towards accountability for corruption and money-laundering in the region, from Myanmar to the Maldives. But a closer look reveals that the timing of these charges are significant. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about the Taliban ban on education for women, Pakistan’s early to bed early to rise policy, the Rohingya crisis at sea, the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to tie India’s Aadhar ID card to public benefit schemes, and the Dalai Lama’s recent visit to Bodh Gaya. And in Bookmarked, we discuss Kite Tales, an online storytelling initiative from Myanmar. Episode notes and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-yameen-conviction-taliban-womens-education-rohingya-crisis-2023/

In this episode, we unpack the recent elections in Nepal by discussing the newly formed parties, key campaign issues, and the likely outcome of these results at a time when the country is facing various political and economic challenges. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about protests against an Adani-backed seaport project in Vizhinjam, Kerala, and the wider influence of the Adani Group in Sri Lanka. We also look at how China’s zero-COVID policies have been received in Tibet, the reimposition of Sharia law in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s appointment of a new Chief of Army Staff. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss two documentaries by EastMojo marking one year since the Mon massacre in 2021, and ‘Moshari’, a climate-horror short film from Bangladesh. Cartoon by Gihan de Chickera Full episode and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-nepal-elections-pakistans-new-army-chief-moshari-and-more-2022/ Listen on Youtube: https://youtu.be/WADAQyQKXDc Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-162273488/nepal-elections-pakistans-new-army-chief-moshari-and-more?si=5ed5c6c1a8a74752a50e7fedbb5682cd&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nepal-elections-pakistans-new-army-chief-moshari-and-more/id1464880116?i=1000590358077 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KO6rLFTzcpn7fxPhJWgPJ?si=1A174e5QSWeJTFRFA-DKmw

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup is being broadcast around the world, we discuss the exploitation of Southasian migrant workers who built stadiums for the tournament in Qatar. In our latest Himal Twitter Spaces session, recorded on 25 November, we speak to Namrata Raju, India Director at Equidem Research and Consulting, which has released a report on migrant workers in Qatar. Bhadra Sharma, a journalist for the New York Times in Nepal, was scheduled to speak but was unable to join the Twitter Space due to technical difficulties. Transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/the-hidden-cost-migrant-worker-rights-world-cup-2022/

In this episode, we unpack the recent protests against militancy in Swat valley following an attack on a local school bus in Mingora and an increasing number of violent incidents in the region. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about Sanna Irshad Mattoo and other Kashmiri journalists being barred from international travel, the killing of ARY News journalist Arshad Sharif, recent airstrikes in Myanmar, and recent developments in the dispute over the contested Chagos Islands. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss the Marathi-language film, 'Trijya' (2019), plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching.

Discussions around Sri Lanka’s economic crisis have often focused either on the continuing citizen protests or on economic policy and the details of ongoing IMF staff negotiations. In these discussions, the human cost of living through an economic crisis is often discussed in statistical terms or in one-off narratives that fail to capture the nuanced impacts of increasing poverty, high inflation and widening income inequality. In order to capture some of this, Himal Southasian interviewed economist and author Sonali Deraniyagala.

In this episode, we talk about the protests in Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's so-called morality police for violating mandatory hijab rules and how the restrictions on women’s attire are being discussed around the region. We also look at how a progressive piece of legislation regarding the rights of transgender communities in Pakistan, the 2018 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, is being attacked by the country's religious right. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we unpack Nepal’s constitutional crisis over the controversial citizenship legislation, escalating tensions along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, income tax raids on think tanks and charity organisations including the Centre for Policy Research, Oxfam India and the Independent And Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) across India, and more. Finally in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss ‘Life Cycle’, a documentary film by Malini Sur, exploring bicycles in the everyday lives of city dwellers in Kolkata, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-iran-protest-womens-attire-myanmar-bangladesh-border-tensions-life-cycle-and-more/

A recent Washington Post article detailing a whistle-blower complaint on Twitter’s lack of protection for user data and a number of breachers, alleges that the Indian government forced Twitter to put one of its agents on the payroll, with access to user data at a time of large-scale protests across the country. In our latest Himal Twitter Spaces session, recorded on 22 September, Apar Gupta speaks to Hija Kamran and ‪Harsha Man Maharjan to understand the interaction between social media platforms and governments in Southasia and how increasing social media use has impacted society. Moderator: Apar Gupta - Lawyer, Co-founder and Executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF). Based in India. Speakers: Hija Kamran - Digital rights advocate based in Pakistan. Kamran has worked on key internet governance and privacy issues in the country. ‪Harsha Man Maharjan - Senior researcher at Martin Chautari. Maharjan writes for various publications on media practices, media policy and media history. Based in Nepal. Select excerpts from the transcript:

On 25 August, Pakistan declared a state of emergency due to flooding, which has been described as among the worst in the country’s history. Millions of people have been displaced due to rain and flooding with UN preliminary estimates indicating that 575,000 people were living in relief camps at one point. In light of this crisis, Himal Southasian interviewed public policy analyst Dawar Butt, who is also co-founder of Climate Action Pakistan, a collective of climate environment advocacy groups, in order to discuss the situation on the ground as well as examining some of the root causes for the exacerbation of flooding in the country. Edited excerpt from the combined audio and email interview: https://www.himalmag.com/unpacking-the-pakistan-floods-dawar-butt-interview-2022/

In this episode, we discuss how one year since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has been marked by a collapsed economy, humanitarian crisis, violent crackdowns on civil protests, and severe restrictions on media and the rights of women. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we unpack the recent arrests (or attempted arrests) under anti-terrorism laws, the devastating floods in Pakistan, developments in the Bilkis Bano case, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s official visit to Bangladesh, and more. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we talk about the second season of the Netflix reality series Indian Matchmaking. And to mark 75 years of Partition, we revisit Garm Hava (1974)and discuss the film’s relevance today.

In this episode, we discuss the three-way contest in Parliament to elect Sri Lanka’s new president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned last week amid an astounding protest movement. We also unpack heightened tensions between the Sri Lankan government and protesters, and what the political implications of this dramatic reconfiguration of political roles will be. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Myanmar junta’s attempts to roll out Chinese-built surveillance cameras across the country, arbitrary travel restrictions and harassment of journalists and activists in India, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) landslide victory in Punjab by-elections, and more. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we talk about ‘14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible’, a 2021 Netflix documentary that follows Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja’s quest to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8000-meter peaks in seven months, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-sri-lanka-next-president-elections-in-punjab-14-peaks-and-more/

What has been the history of the IMF's impact on the politics of Sri Lanka and Pakistan? Why do countries from the global south repeatedly find themselves at the mercy of the IMF? And who ends up taking the short stick of IMF’s demands and what are the ways to protect them from it? In our latest Himal Twitter space session, recorded on 8 July, we speak to Amita Arudpragasam and Ammar Habib Khan to understand the impact of the IMF programs on developing economies and why they regularly find themselves in need of them. Speakers: Amita Arudpragasam - Independent Policy Analyst. Sri Lanka. Ammar Habib Khan - Chief Risk Officer, Karandaaz Pakistan.

In this episode, we look at how increasing volatility in climate events in Southasia, from untimely heavy rains and floods to unprecedented heat waves, is impacting countries already vulnerable to food insecurity and health care challenges. We also talk about how governments are cracking down on recent protests across Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we discuss the wave of protests against restrictive statute of limitations on rape and sexual violence in Nepal, life imprisonment given to Yasin Malik – a pro-freedom leader in Kashmir, and more. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we talk about Sharanya Manivannan's debut graphic novel, ‘Incantations Over Water’, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching.

In this episode, we look at growing protests in Sri Lanka, their political implications, as well as the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan in Pakistan. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about the termination of citizenship for high-profile dissidents by Myanmar’s military regime, the tragic resurgence of communal violence in India, Nepal’s upcoming local government elections, and more. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss the 25th edition of Film Southasia held in Lalitpur, Nepal, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. Full episode transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-escalating-crisis-srilanka-nepal-elections-film-southasia-2022-and-more/

On 10 April, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was deposed from office by a no-confidence vote, days after he defied the Constitution to blocked a similar attempt by dissolving Parliament. Now, Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are refusing to recognise the new government led by Shehbaz Sharif, while the political crisis that led to the court’s historic rulling remains How is civil society and the wider public reacting to what’s happening in Pakistan? Is there a broad understanding of the legality of the events unfolding beyond legal/advocacy groups? And what are the internal dynamics that allowed this no-confidence motion to happen? In this second Twitter space session, recorded on 22 April, we speak to Umair Javed, Reema Omer and Mohammad Jibran Nasir to gain a multifaceted understanding of the political crisis unfolding in Pakistan and what lies ahead. Speakers: Umair Javed - Assistant Professor of Politics and Sociology at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Javed is a current affairs columnist for Dawn. His research interests include labour relations in Pakistan's informal economy and politics, development and urban public life in Southasia. Reema Omer - Lawyer, human rights professional, and currently Senior Legal Advisor (Southasia) for the international Commission of Jurists (ICJ). Omer is a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and writes regularly for national and international publications on issues of human rights, the rule of law and social justice. Mohammad Jibran Nasir - Lawyer, political and civil rights activist based in Karachi. Jibran Nasir is the founder and lead campaigner for the NGO Never Forget Pakistan. He is involved in relief work as Trustee of Elaj Trust, and advocacy for marginalised communities through Pakistan For All.

In this episode, we look at what Russia’s war on Ukraine means for Southasian economies. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about the junta’s crackdown on the People’s Defence Force in Myanmar, food insecurity in Afghanistan, and new regulations on video and streaming services in Bangladesh and Nepal. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss a new Bhutanese film ‘Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom’, a collection of films highlighting digital rights, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-economic-fallout-russias-war-on-ukraine-bhutans-oscar-entry-and-more/

Abhishek Avtans on Braille in Southasia

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we look at Southasia’s contentious relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the face of recent economic crises. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we talk about the junta’s prosecution of election officials in Myanmar, crackdowns on freedom of the press in Kashmir, India’s 2022 Budget and a new bill from the Maldives that seeks to suppress the ‘India Out’ campaign. Plus in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss the viral daily word guessing game, Wordle, Amazon’s decision to shut down the Indian publishing house Westland Books, plus our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. https://www.himalmag.com/southasiasphere-imf-crackdowns-on-kashmir-press-wordle-and-more/

The year 2021 saw a welcome profusion of events and anthologies to mark the 50th year of Bangladesh’s Liberation. While much of the focus during these occasions were naturally on the country’s history, we at Himal Southasian felt there was a need for more conversations on Bangladesh’s present, as well as the forces shaping its future. This is what we attempted to do in our special series of articles, titled Rethinking Bangladesh, which brings together over a dozen writers and artists, many of them based in Bangladesh, and all of them with expertise and informed insights on the country. This panel event and the fourth edition of Southasian Conversation, a series of online crossborder conversation, we hope, will provide an opportunity to discuss some of the concerns that shaped the special series, but also serve as a platform for asking other, often-ignored political-economic, social, technological and ecological questions. • Moderated by Shahidul Alam (Photojournalist, writer and activist, Dhaka) Speakers: • Rasel Ahmed (Filmmaker, archivist, and founding editor of Roopbaan, Columbus) • Rozina Islam (Investigative journalist, Prothom Alo, Dhaka) • Zara Rahman (Tech researcher, linguist and Deputy Director at The Engine Room, Berlin) • Dina M Siddiqi (Anthropologist and Clinical Associate Professor at NYU, New York) The full panel discussion is now available on Youtube, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. www.himalmag.com/rethinking-bangladesh-special-issue-event-2021/

Today, Southasia’s leaders, analysts and scientists rightfully worry that climate events are shrinking coastlines and disappearing land masses in the Bay of Bengal. But there is a history to be charted to the current crisis. In this interview, as part of our special series Rethinking Bangladesh, we speak with Debjani Bhattacharyya, author of Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta, about the effects of propertising and engineering the Bengal Delta, the histories of transformation that emerged from these mobile landscapes, the language of security around the Delta Vision 2020, and ramifications for land ownership and contemporary citizenship debates, among other topics. Full video interview and transcript: www.himalmag.com/unreal-estate-interview-debjani-bhattacharyya-2021/ More articles from our special series 'Rethinking Bangladesh': www.himalmag.com/rethinking-bangladesh-special-issue-2021/

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we discuss the bold new pledges made by Southasian leaders at the COP26 UN climate summit versus the realities on the ground. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Pakistan’s agreement with the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), communal violence in Bangladesh, political prisoners in Bhutan, and the appointment of a new Presidential Task Force in Sri Lanka. Plus, in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss an essay exploring the politics of listening, ‘Other People’s Shoes: Let’s not demand that people tell us stories’ written and read by Sunila Galappatti, and our monthly recommendations for reading and watching.

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we look at how the Pandora Papers were reported by the region's media, and discuss the unfolding healthcare crisis in Afghanistan. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Myanmar's shrinking civil society, Pakistan’s growing start-up scene, an evidence bill in the Maldives, and the killing of a leading Rohingya activist in Bangladesh. Plus, in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss a Sri Lankan singer's cover tune that recently went viral, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 to two journalists, and our monthly recommendations for reading and watching. Cartoons by Gihan de Chickera. himalmag.com/southasian-media-pandora-papers-humanitarian-crisis-afghanistan-and-more/ Listen on Soundcloud: bit.ly/3lzj9Kf Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3FEyZv4 Youtube: Youtu.be/8ktlN-at1Xo Or Spotify: spoti.fi/3FHKpOJ

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we focus on some key developments in Myanmar and the history of enforced disappearances across the region. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Democracy Day in Tibet, Bangladesh’s ban on PubG and other online games, the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, and the fate of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Nepal. Plus, in our culture section Bookmarked, we talk about ‘Witnesses to History’, a new podcast series featuring oral historians, architects, foodies giving insight into archives of Sri Lanka’s past, investigative reporter Josy Joseph's new book The Silent Coup, and the recent removal of texts by Mahasweta Devi and two Dalit writers from the Delhi University syllabus.

Southasian Conversation #3 | Hosted by Himal Southasian In this third edition of Southasian Conversations, a series of online crossborder conversations, we hope to discuss how borders impact everyday lives in the margins, how they inflect conversations in the capitals and in national public spheres, and how people/ideas/economies manage to transcend physical borders despite their strict policing. We hope to ask: how have recent border skirmishes, cartographic tensions, and currents of orthodoxies of nationalism impacted the region and its people? And how might we reimagine territorial boundaries given, among other things, the unsettling changes posed by the climate crisis? The question in the title – ‘Who needs borders?’ – is, therefore, both playful and serious. Southasian have, of course, learned to live with national borders. But exactly what kind of borders are we to have? Are the securitised and sometimes militarised regime of checkpoints the best we can have, or in the best interest of the region’s people? Meanwhile, will movement and travel between the countries in the region continue to remain a costly, convoluted and, sometimes, dangerous affair? We might not all arrive at the same answers, but we at Himal feel the need to continually raise these questions. Moderator: Suchitra Vijayan - Founder and executive director of The Polis Project, and the author of ‘Midnight's Borders: A People's History of Modern India'. Panellists: Amish Raj Mulmi - Writer and editor, and author of ‘All Roads Lead North: Nepal's Turn to China'. Kanak Mani Dixit - Writer and activist, and founding editor of Himal Southasian. Madiha Tahir - Writer, filmmaker and scholar of drone warfare and surveillance, Columbia University. Malini Sur - Anthropologist, Western Sydney University, and author of ‘Jungle Passports: Fences, Mobility & Citizenship at the Northeast India-Bangladesh Border'. Tamara Fernando - Environmental historian of the Indian Ocean, University of Cambridge.

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we talk about the impact of escalating violence on journalists in Afghanistan, and digital surveillance in Southasia beyond India, which was the only country from the region to feature in recent investigative reports on the Pegasus spyware. In 'Around Southasia in 5 minutes', we look at the political situation in Myanmar six months after the military coup, a new prime minister in Nepal, debates on a controversial higher-education bill in Sri Lanka, among other stories. Plus in our culture section 'Bookmarked', we look at the media coverage of Tokyo Olympics 2020, bring updates from the world of Southasian meme culture, and recommend a recent exhibition on Myanmar’s contemporary art: https://www.himalmag.com/afghan-journalists-under-attack-surveillance-after-pegasus-olympics-2020-and-more/ Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3xDbKwc Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3jRmYZ5 Youtube: https://youtu.be/JNzrqr4xAmM

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we talk about the resurgence of #MeToo in Sri Lanka’s newsrooms, and proposed solutions to sexual harassment across the region. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Twitter losing legal protection in India, military’s growing grip over Myanmar’s jade industry, prospects of Bangladesh’s graduation from the LDC status, among other topics. Plus our culture section Bookmarked, where we discuss two recently released movies from south India, Cinema Bandi and The Great Indian Kitchen: https://www.himalmag.com/metoo-sri-lanka-myanmars-jade-mines-the-great-indian-kitchen-and-more/ Cartoons by Gihan de Chickera Listen on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3qYNGlH Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/3qVy2ro Or Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wsXbL8

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we talk about the recent cases of attack on and intimidation of journalists in Southasia, particularly in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar. In ‘Around Southasia in 5 minutes', we’ll be looking at stories of environmental crises in Sri Lanka and Nepal, a currency-swap deal between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and China’s land grab in Bhutan, among other topics. Plus our culture section Bookmarked, where we discuss Southasian archives and a Hindi-language movie about a ‘monkey repeller’. https://www.himalmag.com/journalists-under-attack-marine-disaster-in-sri-lanka-chasing-monkeys-and-more/ Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zgCy7p Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2TdXGuJ Youtube: https://bit.ly/3v40mIA

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: https://bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we talk about travel bubbles after COVID-19 in the region. We also break down the assembly election results in India, look at dubious delays in medicine and vaccine procurement, and the increased risk of violence in Afghanistan, among other topics. Plus our culture section Bookmarked. https://www.himalmag.com/covid-19-travel-bubbles-vaccine-procurement-churails-and-more/ Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3orsCTT Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3w4Hiur or Youtube: https://youtu.be/baiNlq1vSns

Southasian Conversation #2 | Himal Southasian Like the pandemic itself, the problems faced by the inoculation drives over the past few months has revealed to us the confines of public health and the need to confront existing political, social and economic structures of our societies. In this second edition of Southasian Conversation, a series of online crossborder conversation, we hope to sift through the information (and jargon) to bring you interdisciplinary perspectives on COVID-19 vaccinations in Southasia. In this wide-ranging public conversation, recorded on 29 April, the panel explored the debates on vaccine production and distribution, the crisis of global and regional collaboration, and what the challenges of COVID-19 vaccination tells us about our fraught social contract. • Moderator: Thomas Abraham (Director of the Public Health Communications Programme at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre, University of Hong Kong. Based in Bengaluru.) Panellists: • Zyma Islam (Data journalist and reporter for The Daily Star. Based in Dhaka.) • Ravindra Rannan-Eliya (Physician, economist and researcher. Executive Director and Fellow of the Institute of Health (IHP). Based in Colombo.) • Dwaipayan Banerjee (Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.) • Orzala Nemat (Afghan activist, scholar, political ethnographer and Director of Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU). Based in London/Kabul.) https://www.himalmag.com/getting-the-jab-done-southasian-conversation-2-2021/ The full discussion is now available on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3xS5F0j and Spotify: spoti.fi/3b6oTVZ Apple podcasts: apple.co/3tmuZrO

In this episode of Himal interviews, we speak to Geoffrey Aung, an anthropologist of Myanmar whose area of research focuses on the politics of infrastructure and the economic history of postcolonial Myanmar. He is currently a PhD candidate at Columbia University. In the context of the military coup and ongoing violence against civilians, Aung talks to us about the changing composition and strategies of the resistance movement, the limits of international intervention, and why a nuanced history of postcolonial Myanmar might help us better understand the current crisis. https://www.himalmag.com/deep-roots-of-myanmars-crisis-geoffrey-aung-podcast-2021/

Southasiasphere is our monthly podcast roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/3a0jnEk In this episode of Southasiasphere, we talk about state and civil society response to escalating violence in Myanmar and environmental issues in Nepal and Sri Lanka and two new segments: a quick roundup of news stories from around Southasia, as well as our new culture section, Bookmarked. Full podcast and transcript: https://bit.ly/39Z0wt3 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Q4eHG1 or Youtube: https://bit.ly/326aDaR Illustrations by Gihan de Chickera

In this episode of Southasiasphere, we talk about the reinstatement of Nepal’s Parliament and why these events reminded us of Sri Lanka’s constitutional crisis in 2018. We also discuss a recent investigative report by Al Jazeera on high-level corruption in Bangladesh and the reactions it triggered in the country. Plus we introduced two new segments, including one on contemporary culture across Southasia. (We are still deciding on what to call this section. So send in your suggestions through our social-media pages or to our editorial email to win a copy of our right-side-up map!)

Southasiasphere, our analysis of regional affairs is now a monthly podcast. If you’re a member, you’ll automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you’re not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: https://bit.ly/3a0jnEk In this episode of the roundup, we talk about the ongoing military coup in Myanmar, Nepal’s constitutional crisis, updates on vaccine rollouts across Southasia, and more. Illustrations by Gihan de Chickera Full podcast and transcript: https://www.himalmag.com/military-coup-myanmar-nepal-constitutional-crisis-vaccines-southasia-southasiasphere/ Listen on Youtube: https://youtu.be/CCGCPmXPLuE

In this episode of Himal interviews, we speak to David Brenner, a Himal contributor, the author of Rebel Politics: A Political Sociology of Armed Struggle in Myanmar's Borderlands, and a lecturer at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex. Brenner talks to us about how the military coup will impact the country’s unresolved ethnic conflicts, how international aid has sometimes empowered the military establishment, and why there’s a need to support a diverse, multi-ethnic coalition of opposition groups in Myanmar.

Southasian Conversation #1 | Himal Southasian The swearing in of Kamala Harris as the first female vice president of the United States has renewed conversations on women in political leadership around the world. In Southasia, where several women have assumed the prime ministerial and presidential offices in the past, these discussions are complicated by the dynastic background of the leaders, from Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Indira Gandhi, to Benazir Bhutto and Sheikh Hasina. But does dynasty alone explain the presence of a few prominent women in national electoral politics in Southasia? How do we view the space for women leaders in provincial or municipal politics, especially in light of the region's complex caste, religious and linguistic makeup? And have Southasia's women leaders brought alternative styles of leadership in their political journeys? These are the questions that inspire this first edition of ‘Southasian Conversation' — our new crossborder discussion series. Moderator: • Laxmi Murthy (Journalist, writer and editor; Director of Hri Institute for Southasian Research and Exchange, a Contributing Editor with Himal Southasian. Based in Bengaluru.) Panellists: • Hameeda Hossain (Human-rights activist and scholar. Founding member of Ain o Salish Kendra, a legal aid and human rights organisation. Based in Dhaka.) • Neelam Hussain (Academic, translator and activist. Founding member and Executive Director of Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre, and a member of the Women’s Action Forum. Based in Lahore.) • Manushi Yami Bhattarai (Political activist, organiser and academic. Central committee member of Janata Samajwadi Party, and teaches Gender Studies at Tribhuvan University. Based in Kathmandu) • Ambika Satkunanathan (Lawyer, human rights advocate and former commissioner on the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. Based in Colombo.)

In recent months there has been increased discussion around regulating content online. Pakistan recently enforced its rules on removal and blocking of unlawful online content, giving the state regulator broad powers to restrict online content. Recently, India brought online news portals and entertainment content providers, such as Netflix, under its purview, while Sri Lanka has announced plans to formulate laws modelled on Singapore’s rules governing online digital content. In this episode of Himal podcasts, our senior assistant editor Raisa Wickrematunge interviews Dr. V Sridhar, Professor at the Centre for IT and Public Policy at the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore and author of 'Emerging ICT Policies and Regulations: Roadmap to Digital Economies' on whether regulation of online content is necessary and if so, when and how it should be introduced.

During the early stages of the pandemic, social-media posts began flagging the return of wildlife to public spaces that were deserted due to COVID-19. Air pollution also reduced as industrial activity, ground and air transportation came to a standstill. But these gains were short lived, and, given the current health crisis, more enduring crises have been pushed into the background. In this podcast, which is part of our special series 'Unmasking Southasia: The pandemic issue', we talk with environmental historian Sunil Amrith on climate change, global inequality and migration. https://www.himalmag.com/the-rise-of-extremes-sunil-amrith-interview-2020/

Southasiasphere, our analysis of regional affairs will be a monthly podcast featuring Himal editors! If you’re a member, you’ll automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you’re not yet a member, you can still get it for free (for the time being..) by signing up here: bit.ly/2QE7wkN In this audio episode of the roundup, we talk about the Myanmar elections, large opposition rallies in Pakistan, and collaboration for COVID-19 vaccines in Southasia.

Southasiasphere, our analysis of regional affairs will be a monthly podcast featuring Himal editors! If you're a member, you'll automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you're not yet a member, you can still get it for free (for the time being..) by signing up here: bit.ly/2QE7wkN In this second podcast episode of the roundup, we talk about constitutional change in Sri Lanka, Afghan peace talks, Bhutan-Bangladesh trade agreements and more.

On 9 August, an official at an airport questioned the Indian identity of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi because she did not know Hindi. In response, Kanimozhi tweeted “I would like to know from when being Indian is equal to knowing Hindi” with the hashtag #hindiimposition. The incident triggered viral responses on social media. Actors and politicians wore T-shirts with the slogan ‘I am Indian, I don’t speak Hindi’. On 2 September, the central government also proposed legislation in parliament under which Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will have five official languages – Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri and English – even though Urdu has been J&K’s sole official language for 131 years. Ethnic minority groups demanded that the proposed bill include Gojri and Pahari, with some claiming that the exclusion of Punjabi from the bill was an “anti- minority move.” To discuss language politics in India, Himal Southasian speaks to Mithilesh Kumar Jha, author of ‘Language Politics and Public Sphere in North India: Making of the Maithili Movement’. By looking at the trajectory of the Maithili language movement and its struggle for recognition as an independent language, Jha offers important insights into how communities navigate their linguistic identities and resist ‘Hindi imposition.’

On September 1, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority blocked access to five dating and live streaming apps, including Tinder and Grindr, citing immoral or indecent content. This is only the latest instance of the regulator cracking down on apps using Pakistan’s Prevention on Electronic Crimes Act, commonly known as the Cyber Crimes Law, passed in 2016. While Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to end discriminatory law upon being elected into power, proposed regulations allow for greater state intervention on online content, including on social media platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter, even as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government is investing in digital and social media. In this episode of Himal Podcasts, we speak to Ramsha Jahangir, a Karachi-based journalist covering technology and human rights about digital media, disinformation, surveillance and propaganda in Pakistan.

Starting this month, we are happy to announce that Southasiasphere, our analysis of regional affairs will be a monthly podcast featuring Himal editors! If you're a member, you'll automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you're not yet a member, you can still get it for free (for the time being..) by signing up here: https://bit.ly/2QE7wkN In this first audio episode of the roundup, we talk about elections in Sri Lanka, freedom of speech debates in India, war on drugs in Bangladesh and more.

In this special podcast, the editors of Himal mark the release of ten issues of Southasiasphere, our fortnightly newsletter, and take stock of some of the major events that shaped the region over the last several months. From militarisation of our democracies to growing Islamophobia, and from the emerging economic crisis to the plight of workers – all under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic – we analyse what transpired in Southasia in the first six months of 2020, and talk about some key dates in the weeks and months ahead.

Often described as the 'first wall of defence' against extreme weather events, the Sundarban is a complex and fragile ecosystem straddling the India-Bangladesh border which was badly impacted by cyclone Amphan. The spread of COVID-19 has made government assistance to the region more complicated. Environmental anthropologist Megnaa Mehtta explains how the state response to these intersecting crises are symptomatic of a broader cyclical pattern, dating back to colonial times.

As the COVID-19 outbreak impacts economies around the world with debilitating effects, international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank face the prospect of helping keep the engines of the global economy running. Several countries, particularly developing economies, have been seeking assistance from these organisations. But how effective have their responses been, and how will the global south’s relationship with international finance evolve in the coming days? In this episode of Himal Podcasts, we discuss these issues with C P Chandrasekhar, a professor of economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. He explains the role of the IMF and the World Bank in the global economy, why emerging economies shouldn’t expect much from them, and how the ongoing crisis requires us to revisit mainstream economic doctrines.

The Easter Sunday attacks on 21 April 2019 in Sri Lanka, which killed over 250 people, have shocked the country and left people fearful and uncertain. While some details about the conspiracy behind the coordinated bombings of churches and hotels have come out, much remains unclear. Political infighting within the government has added to the lack of credible information, compromising the general public’s ability to arrive at a clear understanding of the situation. Several instances of anti-Muslim violence this week has also led to fears of a communal conflagration. Himal Southasian’s Editor Aunohita Mojumdar spoke with Jayadeva Uyangoda, a Colombo-based political scientist, columnist and the emeritus professor of political science at the University of Colombo, to make sense of the difficult situation. Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia. ---------------------------------------------------- Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.

As India heads towards the last phase of its month-long general elections, the results of the polls are being keenly anticipated not just by its citizens but also by many others in Southasia. Close links between the peoples – and politicians – of India and its regional neighbours means that the political landscape of the region’s largest country has considerable impact on its neighbourhood. Given worrying developments, such as the rise of majoritarian politics, not just in India but in several Southasian countries, the electoral outcome could affect the fate of their shared challenges as well. Himal Southasian’s editor Aunohita Mojumdar spoke to celebrated photographer, journalist and activist Shahidul Alam about what the Indian elections mean to Southasia in general and Bangladesh in particular. Alam, who was incarcerated for over 100 hundred days by the Bangladesh government under the repressive Information and Communication Technology Act, and is now out on bail, reflects on the shifting perception of India in Bangladesh, new challenges to democracies in the region, and the need for Southasian solidarity. Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia. ---------------------------------------------------- Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.

Kanak Mani Dixit is a Kathmandu-based writer and the founding editor of Himal Southasian. He spoke on the enduring democratic spirit of the Southasian masses despite authoritarian setbacks, and asked how complicit civil society has been in the relative failure of democracy in Southasia. To listen to the full discussion, please visit http://himalmag.com.

Khushi Kabir on 'Have we failed our democracies?' by Himal Southasian

Jayadeva Uyangoda on 'Have we failed our democracies?' by Himal Southasian

The Q&A session included a discussion on authoritarian trends in parliaments, resolving the conflict between liberal constitutionalism and popular republicanism, and how to understand increasing popular support for political demagouges in the region. To listen to the full discussion, please visit http://himalmag.com.

The December 2018 general election in Bangladesh was marred by violence and allegations of vote rigging by the ruling Awami League, which won over 80 percent of the seats in the Parliament. With virtually no opposition in the house, and given the recent crackdown on the streets and the new draconian Digital Security Act, the future of democratic governance in the country looks tenuous. In this episode of Himal Interviews, we met up with Khushi Kabir, a social activist and feminist who has been working on grassroots democracy in Bangladesh for over four decades. She spoke to our Editor Aunohita Mojumdar on the irregularities in the December polls, the state of political and civic opposition, and the crisis of Bangladeshi democracy. Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia. ---------------------------------------------------- Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.

The legacy of theoretical physicist Abdus Salam (1926-1996) is controversial in his home country Pakistan. Remembered by some as the Nobel-prize winning scientist and a pioneer of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, Salam was also rejected for being a member of the community of Ahmedi Muslims, who have been persecuted for their faith. Officially declared non-Muslims by the Pakistani state, Ahmedis have faced violent attacks and risk imprisonment if they claim to be Muslims. In our latest episode of Himal Interviews, we spoke to filmmaker Zakir Thaver who joined us from Karachi. Along with his friend Omar Vandal, Thaver co-produced a recent feature-length documentary on Abdus Salam and his legacy – both in the field of the sciences, as well as the world of politics. More than a decade in the making, Salam: The First ****** Nobel Laureate – the title is a reference to the obliteration of the word Muslim from Salam’s headstone at his grave – was screened in Colombo in December 2018. In this interview, he spoke to our Editor Aunohita Mojumdar on why the documentary cannot be screened in Pakistan, the dichotomy between Salam’s international fame and domestic rejection, and the challenges of getting archival footage from Tennessee to Seoul, and everywhere in between. Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia. ---------------------------------------------------- Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.

Pervez Hoodbhoy needs little introduction to those who follow Southasia. Born and raised in Karachi, Hoodbhoy studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is an award-winning nuclear physicist based in Lahore. Hoodbhoy is well known for his incisive writings and activism on issues of freedom of speech and secularism. In this podcast, he spoke to our Editor Aunohita Mojumdar about the rightwing politics of the Imran Khan government, religion and nationalism in India and Pakistan, and the fate of the Southasian identity. Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia. ---------------------------------------------------- Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.