Summer Term 2018

Gandhi - The Years that Changed the World 1915-1948

Tuesday, 25 September

Hosted by LSE IDEAS.

At this event, Ramachandra Guha tells the epic story of Gandhi's life and how he changed the world armed only with his arguments and example. 

Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) is a historian and biographer based in Bangalore. He has taught at the universities of Yale and Stanford, held the Arné Naess Chair at the University of Oslo, and been the Indo-American Community Visiting Professor at the University of California at Berkeley. In the academic year 2011-2 he served as the Philippe Roman Professor of History and International Affairs at LSE.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.

For more information, click here.

COLOMBO DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUES 2

Water Security and Climate Variability

31 August 2018

The ‘Colombo Development Dialogues’ is a collaborative initiative by the South Asia Centre and the United Nations Development Programme in Sri Lanka, which brings together a diverse group of development thinkers, practitioners and policy-makers from the public and private sector to discuss relevant issues pertaining to current national / regional priorities in light of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

The second Dialogue explores the question of water security in Sri Lanka through its specific problems, but also in comparison to other countries in South Asia and, finally, through climate variability and ‘virtual’ water, which underline the need to continuously search for newer ways to understand the critical nature of the problem that confronts us all. For more details, click here.

In Conversation with Rahul Gandhi

24 August 2018

This event was in collaboration with the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (UK) to mark the launch of the NISAU India Perspective Townhall.

Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi), is President of the Indian National Congress and a member of the Parliament of India.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.

To listen to the podcast, click here. To watch the video, click here. To read the report, click here.

Ajoka: The Protest of Drama

Remembering Madeeha Gauhar (1956-2018)

20 July 2018

Speakers: Adnan Khan, Sanjoy Roy, Elizabeth Lynch and Shahid Mahmood Nadeem

Chair: Nilanjan Sarkar

Actress, Feminist, Director, Activist, Madeeha Gauhar was the co-founder of ‘Ajoka’ (1983) – a street theatre company fiercely devoted to secularism, equality, and the rights of women. In a critical decade of Pakistan’s history (the 1980s), Ajoka created a space for theatrical public protest against various forms of oppression. This event will remember the long-lasting impact and social relevance of Madeeha Gauhar’s path-breaking work through conversations with those who worked with her in Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom. 

Adnan Khan is Researcher and Policy Director at the International Growth Centre. He has acted in Ajoka in the 1980s, later setting up another street theatre group in Lahore. 

Sanjoy Roy (@SanjoyRoyTWA) is co-founder and the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts. He was deeply involved with the Theatre Action Group in Delhi and has worked with Madeeha Gauhar. 

Elizabeth Lynch (@nefertiti35) is Chair of the Board of Trustees at Arts Catalyst. She is an arts producer, programmer, coach and consultant.

Shahid Mahmood Nadeem (@shahdeem) is Director of Ajoka Theatre, and of PTV Academy. He is an award-winning Pakistani journalist, playwright, screenwriter, theater and television director, and a human rights activist.

Nilanjan Sarkar is Deputy Director of the South Asia Centre.

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Social Media, Journalism and Free Speech

Rana Ayyub in conversation with Salil Tripathi

2 July 2018

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

This event was in collaboration with English PEN and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Salil Tripathi (@saliltripathi) is an award winning journalist. He is currently Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee, is Senior Advisor on Global Issues at the Institute for Human Rights and Business, London and is contributing editor at Mint and The Caravan magazine, India.

Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) was a former editor with Tehelka magazine, and is presently an independent journalist and writer based between Delhi and Mumbai. She is the author of Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up (2016). She was given the Sanskriti Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2011.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.

Listen to the podcast here.

'Bengal Shadows'

A Documentary Screening on the Bengal Famine of 1943

This screening was in collaboration with the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival 2018

22 June 2018

Directors: Joy Banerjee and Partho Bhattacharya. Duration: 48 minutes; Languages: English & French. Watch the trailer here.

Discussants: Amartya Sen and Tirthankar Roy

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

'Bengal Shadows' is about the 1943 famine in Bengal, India which led to the death of 3-5 million people. Several historian, researchers and scholars have argued that the role of then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and more generally, Britain’s imperial war-time policies, is central to this, and that it was in effect a ‘man-made’ tragedy. The documentary features conversations with historians and researchers, along with those who have seen this tragedy unfold. 

Amartya Sen is Thomas W Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics & Philosophy, Harvard University.

Tirthankar Roy is Professor of Economic History at LSE.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE. 

Listen to the post-screening discussion here.

'Eventually things will have to get better.' 

Remembering Asma Jahangir (1952-2018)

This event was in collaboration with Bloomsbury Pakistan.

21 June 2018

Speaker: Amartya Sen and Ibn Abdur Rehman

Moderator: Amber Darr

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

Amartya Sen is Thomas W Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics & Philosophy, Harvard University.

Ibn Abdur Rehman is a peace and human rights advocate. He is a recipient of the International Nuremberg Human Rights Award in 2003, and of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in 2004.

Amber Darr (@AmberMDarr) holds a PhD in Law from University College London. She is also a Barrister an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and has a deep interest in minority rights issues in Pakistan. She is currently Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Law, Economics & Society at University College London.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE. 

Listen to the podcast here.

Why I am a Hindu

Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Mukulika Banerjee

7 June 2018

Speaker: Shashi Tharoor

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

Why I Am a Hindu (2018), Tharoor’s latest book, offers a profound re-examination of Hinduism, one of the world’s oldest and greatest religious traditions. Opening with a frank and touching reflection on his personal beliefs, Shashi Tharoor untangles Hinduism’s origins and its key philosophical concepts — including Vedanta, the Purusharthas and Bhakti — before focusing on key texts such as the Bhagavad Gita. In captivating prose, he delves into the ‘Great Souls’ of Hinduism, from Adi Shankara to Vivekananda, and explores everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to  pilgrimage to caste. Why I Am a Hindu is a revelatory and original contribution to our understanding of religion in the modern era.

Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) is a Member of the Indian Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, and currently Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.  

Listen to the podcast here.

The Urgency of Secularism

6 June 2018

Speakers: Amartya Sen and Yogendra Yadav

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

Amartya Sen is Thomas W Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics & Philosophy, Harvard University. 

Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) is the National President of ‘Swaraj India’, a newly-formed political party. 

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE. 

Watch the video on YouTube here. 

Listen to the podcast here.

LSE-UC Berkeley Bangladesh Summit 2018

Tuesday, 5 June 2018

The South Asia Centre and the Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies at University of California-Berkeley organised the first-ever Bangladesh Summit at LSE. For more information, please click here.

A Business History of India: Enterprise and the Emergence of Capitalism from 1700

31 May 2018

Speaker: Tirthankar Roy

Discussants: Bishnupriya Gupta, Michael Aldous and D. Rajeev Sibal

Moderator: Sanchari Roy

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

In recent decades, private investment has led to an economic resurgence in India. But this is not the first time the region has witnessed impressive business growth. There have been many similar stories over the past 300 years. Through detailed case studies of firms, entrepreneurs, and business commodities, this book bridges the approaches of business and economic history, illustrating the development of a distinctive regional capitalism. On each occasion of growth, connections with the global economy helped firms and entrepreneurs to manage risks better. Making these deep connections between India's economic past and present shows why history matters in the remaking of capitalism today.

Tirthankar Roy is Professor of Economic History, LSE.

Bishnupriya Gupta is Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick.

Michael Aldous is Lecturer in Management at Queen’s Management School, at Queen’s University, Belfast. 

D. Rajeev Sibal is an economist in the City, and is on the board of Pratham UK. He wrote his PhD at LSE.

Sanchari Roy (@Sancharirm) is Senior Lecturer in Development Economics at King’s College London. 

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.

Listen to the podcast here.

Roundtable Discussion

Nepal: From Hindu Kingdom to Secular State

21 May 2018

For more information click here.

What's Wrong with Indian Democracy?

17 May 2018

Speaker: Abhijit Banerjee

Chair: Mukulika Banerjee

Abhijit Banerjee is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. He is co-author of Poor Economics (2011) with Esther Duflo, which won the Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at LSE.

Listen to the podcast here.