All Indians Matter

Caste prejudice has led to several student suicides on Indian campuses. The abuse starts early and students and faculty alike are the perpetrators. Often, lower caste students are unfairly marked on their work and hurdles are placed at every step of their journey. With education being their only path to upward social mobility, many lower caste students have chosen to end their lives instead of put up with the harassment. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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While the Women’s Reservation Bill represents hope and is an important step, political empowerment is not the same as smashing the patriarchy entrenched in Indian society. Until all the factors that hold back women from achieving their true potential are dealt with, the battle must continue. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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Across the world, women with disabilities are establishing their identity despite challenging social conditions. However, that journey is very different in developing countries such as India. Women with disabilities face multiple challenges which add to the very complex gender issues all women battle every day. These range from social discrimination and stigma to violence. What can be done to change that reality? Disability rights and gender justice crusader Nidhi Goyal speaks to All Indians Matter.

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Recently, on an inter-city train, after I asked for a non-vegetarian meal, two women sitting next to me shifted to other seats. They explained that they could not sit next to someone who was eating meat. That made me want to find out what percentage of Indians are meat eaters and whether the projection of this country as mainly vegetarian is true. Turns out the vast majority of Indians – 70% of women and 78% of men – eat meat, according to government data. What’s more, it’s been the case historically that most Indians consumed some form of meat. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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A recent report on India’s bird numbers says 178 species are in need of urgent conservation measures and others are in danger of serious decline too. Blame it on change of land use, urbanisation, ecosystem degradation, monocultures, infrastructure development, pollution and climate change. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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The New Education Policy, while offering the promise of better schooling, also brings into focus the failures of education reform in India. While there have been improvements in infrastructure and enrollment, equity, learning levels and uptake of public schools are lagging. Priyadarshini Singh, research fellow at the State Capacity Initiative, Center for Policy Research, has written a paper tracing the evolution of education reform. She speaks to All Indians Matter.

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September 15 marked a decade and a half of the 2008 global financial crisis precipitated by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Here’s looking back at what happened, how India was impacted and the learnings from that time to keep in mind today. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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The successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 was a moment of pride. It intensified the focus on India’s space technology. A report said India has the potential to create a $40-$100 billion space industry by 2040. What are the areas it could focus on and what kind of investments does it need? Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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There is growing awareness about inclusive policy making, but very few in India have talked about how to link foreign policy to gender. At the international level, several countries are gender-mainstreaming their foreign policy, beginning with Sweden’s adoption of a Feminist Foreign Policy, or FFP, in 2014. Priyanka Bhide, co-founder of the Kubernein Initiative, which has drafted the ‘Understanding the Feminist Foreign Policy: A View From India’ paper, speaks to All Indians Matter.

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By refusing to stand by Sabyasachi Das, a faculty member whose research found indications of manipulation in the 2019 general election, Ashoka University showed a lack of spine. Which raises the question, is Ashoka merely an institution that likes to talk about things like academic freedom but won’t really walk the talk? If there is disagreement about a paper’s observations, you counter it with data and logical arguments. That’s not what Ashoka did. It merely succumbed. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

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