In this episode, we’ll explore how the intersection of gender and technology is a space of both greater empowerment and greater vulnerability. Nishtha Satyam, our guest for this episode, will share her experience with technology, the larger problems that women have when interacting with technology, how misinformation impairs politics and democracy, and more.

Nishtha is the current head of office for Timor-Leste in UN Women, the entity of the United Nations that is dedicated to working toward gender equality and women's empowerment. She was the former deputy country representative for the UN Women in India and the youngest woman to head a country office in the UN Women amongst 193 countries. Nishtha is an unapologetic feminist, a trained economist with a keen interest in applied macroeconomics and fiscal policy. She's a loud advocate of the urgency to mainstream women across the marketplace, workplace, and community.

We have a very special guest joining us for this episode – Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya. Over her distinguished three-decades-plus career in diplomacy and peace building, Under Secretary Zeya has had a front-row seat to shaping the role of the U.S. Government abroad, including its work in promoting democracy.

As this year marks 75 years of the U.S.-India relationship, Under Secretary Zeya shares key achievements that helped build these two strong democracies. We also get a glimpse of her journey so far, her idea of an ideal democracy, and what today’s youth can focus on to build a stronger democracy.

In this episode, we’ll explore how public policy forms a strong pillar when it comes to strengthening democratic society. We have with us Dr Simi who is the CEO and Editorial Director at the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI). She has a PhD in American Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies and was a Fulbright Fellow at Ohio State University in the United States. Her research areas include agriculture and foreign policy in the United States and India, international security studies, sustainable development, climate change, gender justice, the urban environment, and food security. In this episode, Dr Simi Mehta will share her experience of research work with diverse groups and of advancing conversations on the intersection of policy and politics. Dr Simi will also help us understand how today’s youth, especially women, can prepare themselves for a career in the field of public policy.

In this episode, our guest, Siddhant Shah, highlights the importance of proactively creating a physically and intellectually enabling environment for people with disabilities. Siddhant Shah is an independent Disability Access & CSR consultant, currently the youngest consultant on the board of the Museums of The Prime Ministers of India, Govt. of India.

Shah is also the founder of Access For All, an organisation which promotes intellectual and social access through innovative, indigenous design, and advocacy while fostering an inclusive experiential culture. In episode 3, Siddhant discusses the efforts that democracies must make for inclusive representation. He highlights the gaps in accessibility in the domains of education, meaningful employment, and cultural and artistic expression and how we can bridge them.

In this episode, our guest, Tehmina Arora, sheds light on the current state of legal aid in India and what is happening on the ground to include religious minorities in democratic processes. 

Tehmina serves as a legal consultant for the Alliance Defending Freedom India (ADF India) based in New Delhi, India. She provides legal support to religious minorities and raises awareness about legal rights and responsibilities. She practices constitutional law and human rights, with a specific focus on religious freedom and minority rights.

Dr. Anandana Kapur, Co-Founder of Cinemad in India and an award-winning filmmaker is our guest for this episode.

Dr. Anandana Kapur has worked on information and video campaigns for the Government of India and UNICEF and has previously been an executive producer for non-fiction programming on TV. She teaches courses on Documentary Practice, Community Activism, and Researching Media Culture, while her written work focuses on gender and film studies.

In this episode, she helps us understand how art can be used as a medium to demonstrate and discuss democratic ideals. She shares her experience working in the public policy domain as a filmmaker and how the intersection between art and civic engagement inspires her.

Democracy Rules is generously supported by a grant from the American Center, New Delhi. All opinions, findings, and conclusions are those of Democracy Rules and its hosts only — and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.