Dear Friends,

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Da wrote about the discussion we held on 29 Sep on ’1984: Witness. Document, Justice’.

‘What made this event different from others normally held every year to mark the anniversary of the twin events in October-November was that the focus was not on the carnage following the assassination, and failure of the State to immediately halt spiraling violence and bring the accused to book. Instead, the seminar was organised to discuss the intervention of the first responders …’

Link to story here…

Link to discussion here …

This is the 40th year of Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh pogrom. On 29 Sep this year, the Sikh Research Institute conducted a panel discussion in Delhi. The speakers were the first respondents to the violence, those who helped Sikhs, saved properties, arranged aid, wrote reports.

I conducted the discussion and was personally very moved by its intensity, the energy in the room, no one from the audience moved.  The recording is long – 2.23 hours. You can hear it in snatches. But do listen.

Here is the recording…

Dear Friends,

Karthik Venkatesh is my Editor for PANJAB. Now he has come out as a writer with a new book on 10 Indian languages for the YA audience.

Recently, I interviewed him. Sharing so we notice how the journalist gives us a sense of flowing conversation through the article.

Congratulations Karthik.

Please see link here …

Dear Friends,

Please see my interview with Sonali Kolhatkar from the US based YES! Magazine on Indian election results. 23.30 mins.

Please see link here

Dear Friends,

Deepa Bharath from Associated Press contacted me from the United States to enquire into the background and current status of Sikh activism. She spoke to a number of activists and media professionals.

Please see here …

here is the same story published on Seattle Times.

Dear friends,

you would have noticed, when we keep allowing a person to be unruly at home, they turn out unruly even in public. This is what happened yesterday. TRT World contacted me to join a panel discussion on the No Confidence Motion. I consented but asked them who were the other panelists. They sent me names.

Here is the recording. Notice how because of one person’s uncouth blabbering, the host could call me in only at minute 15.25 out of the total 26 minutes.

Then we have our own dear Bangalore Electricity Supply Company. Yesterday, they cut electricity at 10 am promising to restore it at 5 pm. The talk was scheduled for 6.15 pm, actually started at 6.30 pm. There was no electricity. I had to do the call with a candle and a LED ring light I could connect to the computer. I look like I am not in the Silicon City of the East but sitting in some dark cave in the mountains.

This talk was an opportunity to present an uncensored view on what is going on in the country. But it became a great example for international audience to see all that is wrong with our democracy. Do bear with it if you have patience. English. Click here …

Dear Friends,

a few days back, on Facebook, I asked why was it that independent writers did not have access to resources – books, journals, articles and so on – to which academics and institutional members access? Often through inter-library networks?

That is a deeper question but many friends suggested free resources, some extended help to find these materials for me. Thank you! I have collated the free resources in this list. Perhaps independent researchers would find this list helpful. You can download it and keep adding to it.

List: Research Resources – Web 1

Dear friends,

a few weeks back Nikhita Warriar from MyndStories interviewed me on Sepia Leaves and life in general. The interview is now published.

Please see …