On October 3rd and 4th, the Reclaiming India virtual conference will take place online. Please do not miss it. Hear Luminaries like William Barber, Prashant Bhushan, Indira Jaising, Hamid Ansari
Organized by Global Indian Progressive Alliance, Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council, India Civil Watch International, Students Against Hindutva Ideology this conference is a magnificent event highlighting a series of progressive, independent-minded, and social-justice-oriented speakers, from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of political antecedents. They are, however, united on the need for real democracy in India and equity in the Indian polity.
The turn to the Right has been marked since 2014 with the assent of Narendra Modi to the Prime Ministership of India and the virtual monopoly on political power held by the BJP. As economic woes continue for the vast majority of the Indian populace, the rights of minorities, migrant workers, farmers, and other marginalized groups have been eroded. The institutions of India, painstakingly built over decades, have been viciously and persistently attacked- The judiciary, the academy, the fourth estate, and others- to the point of collapse. India has fallen in world rankings of health and welfare while the popular media devote the lion’s share of coverage to the lives of billionaires and celebrities. Nativism and obscurantism are running amok. The environment is under assault and the cities are blighted with pollution. The neoliberal path has had predictable- and devastating- effects on India.
Indeed, India in 2020 bears faint resemblance to the plural, liberal democracy that emerged from the ravages of Colonialism. Though never living up to what was claimed, India has quickly descended with regard to livability, safety, health, and the welfare of minorities.
Can Indian democracy be reclaimed? Can Indian institutions be rebuilt? Can Indians of all religions, castes, creeds, classes, genders, languages, and affiliations live harmoniously? Or is Liberal Democracy in India gone forever and are the new Mandarins forever entrenched?
These are the questions to be explored by the incredible array of thinkers, journalists, activists, writers, artists, and politicians participating in this ground-breaking conference.
Register here:
http://www.tinyurl.com/reclaimingindia73
Romi Mahajan is an Author, Marketer, Investor, and Activist
SIGN UP FOR COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
