XR allows anyone to join if they agree with the values – so how do our actions stay nonviolent?

Key points from an event by Extinction Rebellion UK: XR has designated de-escalators who scan the crowd and empathize with the individuals that make up the crowd. XR is nonviolent, but our tactics, even down to the tone we sing songs in, can become aggressive by causing harm to people without us wanting to. We … Continue reading XR allows anyone to join if they agree with the values – so how do our actions stay nonviolent? →

When farmers are terrorists and Greta gets charged with conspiracy for tweeting: Law as storytelling

The ongoing farm protests pose an incredible study for sociology of law and the anthropology of the state. While reading the following chronology, note the role of how physical presence is regulated, how events in different spaces affect each other (Twitter) of interpretations of the *purpose* of legislation, and of how government institutions have reacted, … Continue reading When farmers are terrorists and Greta gets charged with conspiracy for tweeting: Law as storytelling →

343 Days of Internet Shutdown in Kashmir – How Proportionate is it?

Today, I was browsing through Wikipedia. I do that a lot these days – given all the negative news around, I want to find stories about positive developments, recent discoveries, or the de-escalation of conflicts, and Wikipedia’s snowballing through the hyperlinks gets a reader to interesting corners of the internet. What I’m sharing now is … Continue reading 343 Days of Internet Shutdown in Kashmir – How Proportionate is it? →

Why Seek Inner Peace? The Concept of Transformative Sprituality

This is a transcript of a lecture by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of the concept of Non-Violent Communication. Find the exact passage at 33:25. When have this transformative spirituality, we need to integrate it with political consciousness. We need to really understand how the structures are working that are oppressing us. We have to … Continue reading Why Seek Inner Peace? The Concept of Transformative Sprituality →

Why? – A Tribute to Avijit Roy and Bangladesh

Bengali-American author Avijit Roy lost his life on February 26th, 2015, in the streets of Dhaka after he was attacked with a machete. I recorded this piece as an attempt to be a cornerstone, a point of orientation, to grab hold of the many facets of the political and societal chaos Bangladesh has come to … Continue reading Why? – A Tribute to Avijit Roy and Bangladesh →

A Political Culture Like a Bare-Knuckle Fight

This article was originally published on the website of The Hague Peace Projects as part of a 3-article series on the upcoming Bangladesh elections on December 30. Bangladesh until 1991 was a military regime (1). The traces of such former militarization are ever-present in society and crystallize through the need to stay in power that … Continue reading A Political Culture Like a Bare-Knuckle Fight →