Friends, the Chandigarh Literature Festival hosted a panel discussion on ‘Censorship: Freedom of Expression in Punjabi Literature.’  I hosted the discussion and Prof Surjit Singh, Punjabi Department, Punjabi University and Daljit Ami, documentary film maker, cultural critic, translator, from BBC Punjabi and Jawaharlal Nehru University participated.

My view was that we can not look at censorship in literature in isolation. The fact is that for about a 150 years now the Punjab and especially Sikh society has become censorious. Censorship took an extreme turn in the 1980s during the Khalistan Movement. We defined censorship of four kinds: Sacred (matters of religion), State, Social and Self.

Dear friend Jasdeep Singh was so kind to record it on Facebook Live and relay it from the venue English Department Auditorium, Punjab University, Chandigarh.

Please find the recording here…

Friends, for some good reason the Indian Women Blog interviewed me recently on my writing, my thoughts, my past and next work. Here is the interview. I feel flattered to be featured here.

‘Even after writing those hundreds of pages, I feel even more uncertain about myself. The more I explore myself, the more my way of describing myself through labels dissolve. Yet, I feel satisfied with my attitude to life. It is this: do not be defined by anyone else, seek your own language and ensure it cannot be appropriated.’

Please read …

Friends, while looking for something else I found this article that sort of summarises the various social media posts on the idea of #NotInMyName in the country. My post also finds a mention. I am glad we are archiving, if only we could as a society now not suffer memory losses.

Please read …

Friends, my short piece in The Hindu in which I argue that in the last two years I have noticed a small, tremulous, change in Punjab given the stereotype in the nations and worlds’ mind – the region has a propensity towards violence. Whether it was the sacrilege incidents of 2015 or the recent Dera Premi fracas, Punjab held its pain in restraint.

That does not mean Punjab has no disquiet. Disquiet is ripe and the region is marked by distrust. Punjab thirsts for justice. Yet, I feel by not giving in to easy violence the region is sending out a different message if we were to listen to it and act on it to resolve many past grievances in this post-conflict land.

Please read here …

Friends, my piece on Punjab as a border state in Cafe Dissensus. Thank you Karthik Venkatesh, Cafe team and all contributors.

Based on travels on the Punjab border in the aftermath of the ‘surgical strike’ post the September Uri attack, the piece seeks to depict Punjab’s indigenous nationalism. The nationalism of lives, homes, crops, fields and faith which remains at great variance from the jingoistic version peddled by national media, especially TV, and the Sangh.

Please read …

Friends, this year the annual The Hindu Literature for Life festival invited me to speak on my current non-fiction project on Punjab. The talk was titled Punjab – The Unknown Narrative. Big shout out to Ms Prasanna Ramaswamy who invited me and Prema Revathi who hosted the talk.

Thank you!

Please see … 

The Punjab result in the assembly election 2017 was stunning. Congress won 77/117 seats. The huge hope AAP had created was belied.  My quick comments on why AAP lost – beholden to the central power figure.

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Friends, today is a historic day for Punjab. Whoever wins or loses the election, half a century after it was created, the fortress called Punjab is breached.

My piece in The Hindu along with Gurdeep Singh’s excellent picture.

Please read …

Friends, here are my views on the Punjab elections as discussed with Vicky Nanjappa Februray 3 morning.

Note: a minor correction: not Haryana but one or two cities or nearby villages.

Please read …