SPEAKERS

Lt. General Ajay Kumar Singh
PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), former Commander in Chief of Southern Command of Indian Army, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and currently Advisor to O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).   

Shrabani Basu
Journalist and Author of many critically acclaimed books including For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-18 and Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, and Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan. Shrabani is a frequent commentator on Indian history on British television and radio and has appeared in several BBC documentaries on the subject of Empire.   

Dr. Indivar Kamtekar
Associate Professor of Modern History at the Centre for Historical Studies of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is the Modern History editor of the journal Studies in History. He has been a member of the Indian Historical Records Commission, and of the editorial board of the journal Modern Asian Studies. He is also the co-author of the book History in the Making: The Visual Archives of Kulwant Roy.

SYNOPSIS
How does one reconcile with the fact that these soldiers through their devoted services and unbending loyalty were further strengthening a foreign power that was subjugating and exploiting their countrymen? #Britain never had a large contingent in India. It was the Indian soldiers of the #BritishIndianArmy who ensured that no native ruler in India could challenge the British authority. After securing indisputable hegemony for Britain over all of India, they helped it extend its power over our neighbours from Afghanistan to Burma. Sure the Indian soldiers fought valiantly in the world wars, but the people they fought in places extending from Egypt to Malaysia bore no ill-will towards Indians. They were not India’s enemies.

We laud the mutineers of #1857 as India’s first independence heroes, then how can we also commemorate those who chose the #EastIndiaCompany over India and enabled it to defeat these mutineers and brutally crush India’s first rebellion for independence. Similarly, we cannot simultaneously valorise the Indian National Army led by Subhash Chandra #Bose and also those who defeated it so that India continued to remain firmly under the yoke of British tyranny.

However, soldiers fight for the government of the day. All over the world, good soldiers are expected to follow the orders, and not question the motives behind them. The political situation and societal values have considerably changed since the days of the British Indian Army. Is it fair for us to apply our contemporary lens and discredit the sacrifices of these brave Indian men?

Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com

DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

Bharat Ki Bhashaein - The Indian Language Project 
भारत की भाषाईन - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, भारत की भाषाएँ - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, ਭਾਰਤ ਕੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਈਂ - ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਪ੍ਰੋਜੈਕਟ, ভাৰত কি ভাষায়েন - ভাৰতীয় ভাষা প্ৰকল্প, ভারত কি ভাষাইন - ভারতীয় ভাষা প্রকল্প, ڀارت جي ڀاشاين - هندستاني ٻولي پروجيڪٽ,, பாரத் கி பாஷெய்ன் - இந்திய மொழி திட்டம், భారత్ కీ భాషేయిన్ - ది ఇండియన్ లాంగ్వేజ్ ప్రాజెక్ట్ഭാ, രത് കി ഭാഷാഇൻ - ഇന്ത്യൻ ഭാഷാ പദ്ധതി, بھارت کی بھاشاین - ہندوستانی زبان کا پروجیکٹ,, ભારત કી ભાષા - ભારતીય ભાષા પ્રોજેક્ટ, ଭରତ କି ଭ ha ଶାଇନ୍ - ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାଷା ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ |

SPEAKER:
Mahmood Farooqui is an Indian writer, performer and director. He specializes in a type of story-telling known as Dastangoi. Farooqui along with his uncle Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, noted Urdu poet and literary critic, revived Dastangoi, the ancient art of Urdu storytelling. He was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Pursakar in 2010 for it.

His publications include the award-winning Besieged: Voices from Delhi,1857, Habib Tanvir: Memoirs, Dastangoi,an introduction to the art of dastangoi, and A Requiem for Pakistan: The world of Intizar Husain, a personal exploration of the literary and biographical world of Intizar Husain and brief history of modern Urdu Literary Culture

Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com

DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

At the #WhiteHouse reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on 2nd May, US #president  #joebiden  said that Muslims are globally being targeted with violence. This certainly seems to be the case, with news reports about state oppression, social ostracism, hate crimes and mob violence from around the world increasingly having one thing in common - the religious identity of the victims. Muslims seem to be the target of discriminatory policies ranging from racial profiling in the #US to #CAA in India to hijab bans in Europe. Furthermore Sri Lanka’s shutting down of Madrasas, China’s #Uighur concentration camps and Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing reinforce the view that this is a global phenomenon. And it is not limited to the state-backed policies alone. Vandalism and terror attacks on mosques seem to have become disturbingly frequent in places as far away as Australia, France and Canada. And as per most international watchdogs, both sides of the Atlantic are witnessing a surge in violent crimes against Muslims, especially women who wear clothing associated with their religion.

Is the global Muslim community under siege, as has been asserted by some observers? While the anecdotal evidence would clearly suggest so, does empirical data support it?

Explaining social and political trends playing in numerous nations across different continents simply by pointing towards Global #Islamophobia leaves many questions unanswered. What is causing the selective targeting of Muslims? Why is this happening now at the same time in so many places? What makes Muslims more vulnerable to such targeting than other minorities in many countries? What are the possible solutions?

In order to take on any challenge, it is crucial to first develop a proper understanding of it. This is our aim with the proposed knowledge session.

SPEAKER:
Prof. Khaled A. Beydoun
Professor Khaled A. Beydoun is a law professor, author and public intellectual. He serves as a law professor at Wayne State University, a Scholar-in-Residence at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, and Associate Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights in Detroit. Professor Beydoun is author of the critically acclaimed book American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear, and co-editor of Islamophobia and the Law – published by University of Cambridge Press.

Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com

DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.