Today at 7 pm , on Breaking News at Headlines Today and Aaj Tak , The entire expose of the Gujarat Riots.

It’s happening.It’s finally happening!

And it is also time to shed light on what really happened in Godhra.

Read the entire Tehelka Expose.

Where is the place for looking at space defining interventions within identity politics in South Asia?

One often finds that the Indian political landscape or to put it largely, the South Asian Political landscape ridden with extremely tight notions of identity.Understandably because of the regions history with the idea of religion and politics that grew around it.

As a consequence of this, people that want to speak of these ideas find themselves on a no man’s land between tight lipped conservationists and sometimes tighter liberationists.

If you don’t want speak of a revolution then where might be the space to speak in ways that are new and innovative? What is the language in which you are going to pitch your discourse of identity if you donot draw from existing discourses?

Somehow, No one wants to listen.

Read between my lines.Please.

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Image thanks to my new best friend.

Rethinking previous work is necessary.This is one of the photos that spawned off the Shivajinagar Signs project that Namita Malhotra and I did.

And a similar Sarai project on Street-Signs in the city of Pune called Vaartaphalaks spawned off this train of enquiry.

We addressed questions of divisive material, but these issues come back again and again.
Living in Gujarat and then coming back to where you grew up, a largely undivided atmosphere, (although changing).

Saint God, Communalism, Divisiveness.

None of these terms have stand alone meanings.

What about terms like fundamentalism?

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Shivajinagar Signs is now a flickr pool for everyone interested in contributing to it and adding to our archive.Bismillah

Both these projects were facilitated by Sarai Independant Fellowship Grants.

It’s now a blog.

 

It’s now also a blog.

 

During OSSW’07( One State Solution Week, 2007), I wasn’t entirely for having a centralised blog because that would mean isolating audience on one portal, and this event was supposed to have happened on various blogs.

 

But for all our future campaigns in order to gather consciousness, thinking, action and people, we have a blog.

 

And it is

http://onestatesolution.wordpress.com

 

 

Did you hear the latest?

 

 

This time it’s not a little bird,

 

 

It’s a huge shout that rings through the air.

 

 

Women are free.

 

 

Yes. We are.

 

 

You may not have noticed. But while you were dreaming, we woke up and started to think. We have decided to let go of our inhibitions.

 

 

Our internally built rules.

 

 

We cannot pretend to ignore anymore.

 

 

We will not be apologetic about just being.

 

 

We are.

 

 

We’re free.

 

 

Inconsolably . We swear. We believe. We KNOW. For Sure. That the time has come, we will not bend. We will just swoop and soar.

 

 

And tomorrow, has.Already.Come.

 

 

So when I want to take a walk, whatever be the time of the beautiful night, I take a walk. And I walk the streets with no fear as to where I may go or how far away from home. I walk when I walk. Daringly, fearlessly, I explore my territory. I will not relent this right.

 

 

And when I want to take a profession, I go out and create my domain. And not wait for anyone to take notice of me. I live it with my blood, sweat and brains.I create new worlds for me and fellow human beings.

 

 

When I want to wear something, I wear it, for whoever, and for me.

 

 

I cut my hair short. I take a break from work. I like to live. I have no fear.

 

 

When I want to blow my top, I take a walk. I get angry. I have to scream. I have a temper. I feel like shit. It’s amazing but I can really think for myself. I dream also. I really like the mist. I can’t wait to see the day I make the most of my talents. I will go on and on and on.

 

 

And on…