NL Interview: Mallika Sarabhai on 2002, Rocket Boys, and how Gujarat has changed in her lifetime

Mallika Sarabhai is an artist, actress, classical dancer and activist from Gujarat. In this conversation with Manisha Pande, she talks about how Gujarat, and particularly her hometown Ahmedabad, has changed since her childhood, her relationship with her parents, the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, her brief stint in politics, and what separates activists from politicians. “Activists don’t play on the common denominator of fear, hatred and insecurity,” she opines, “politicians do”.  

Talking about the 2002 carnage, she recalls, “My neighbours were going out there in cars to loot shops and calling their friends to say, ‘Mattresses are good in this shop and we are looting so come.’ My dentist might have been out there, my gynaecologist might have been out there.” 

She also explores the nuances the TV series Rocket Boys missed about the relationship of her parents, classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. 

Watch.



source https://www.newslaundry.com/2022/11/29/nl-interview-mallika-sarabhai-on-2002-rocket-boys-and-how-gujarat-has-changed-in-her-lifetime

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sushant Rajput case to Zubair arrest: The rise and rise of cop KPS Malhotra

“Time is not a factor. An old tweet becomes new just by a retweet. Police action is contingent upon when police takes cognisance of an issue,” KPS Malhotra, deputy commissioner of Delhi police, told the news agency ANI after the cyber crimes division he heads arrested Alt News cofounder Muhammad Zubair on Monday. Zubair’s arrest is under a cloud of suspicion, drawing condemnation from several press bodies, including the Editors Guild and the Press Club of India. The journalist was called for questioning in a 2020 case in which he has protection from arrest from the Delhi high court, only to be held for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through a four-year-old tweet , which an anonymous tweeter who has since vanished from the social media platform apparently found offensive. Zubair’s is the latest high-profile case to be investigated by Malhotra, who was chosen to lead the cyber cell – officially Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations – last Septemb
Read more

प्राइम टाइम पर हिंदू राष्ट्र की चर्चा: सीएनएन न्यूज़-18 पर पुरी शंकराचार्य का इंटरव्यू

Image
“क्या अपने कर्म के द्वारा अपने वर्ण को बदला जा सकता है, क्योंकि कहीं न कहीं यहीं पर समाज में बसे ज्यादा कुंठा है?” “ऐसा है कि विदुरजी थे तो, ब्राह्मण तो नहीं माने गए, लेकिन ब्राह्मणोचित शील और स्वभाव को धारण कर सकते हैं. लेकिन ब्राह्मण की बेटी से विवाह नहीं कर सकते.” पुरी स्थित गोवर्धन मठ के शंकराचार्य का ये जातिवादी जवाब वायरल हो रहा है. यह बातचीत सीएनएन न्यूज़-18 पर शंकराचार्य के साथ हुई. इस पूरी बातचीत में सबसे ज्यादा चर्चा इस बात की हो रही है कि सामने बैठे पत्रकार (आनंद नरसिम्हन) ने शंकराचार्य से पलट कर सवाल क्यों नहीं किया. वह बस मुस्कराते रहे. शंकराचार्य के जातिगत श्रेष्ठता जैसे मूर्खतापूर्ण तर्क पत्रकार ने कोई प्रतिकार दर्ज नहीं किया, उल्टे नतमस्तक होकर दांत दिखाता रहा.  सीएनएन न्यूज़18 के आनंद नरसिम्हन ने इस पूरे इंटरव्यू के दौरान शायद ही पलटकर कोई सवाल किया हो. बल्कि कुछ सवाल भी ऐसे थे जो सीधे तौर पर जातिवाद, सांप्रदायिकता को बढ़ावा देने वाले थे.  इंटरव्यू के दौरान आनंद हिंदू राष्ट्र की अवधारणा पर भी सवाल करते हैं, वे पूछते हैं, “कुछ लोग कहते हैं कि भारत को हिंदू राष्ट्र घ
Read more

Unravelling the friction between CPIM and Kerala’s major media houses

Image
Malayalam news anchor Hashmi Taj Ibrahim, known for his passionate delivery of opinions on his show Encounter , unleashed a powerful monologue in defence of his colleague Vineetha VG, recently named in a bizarre case.  The drama unfolded on December 23, 2023 after Vineetha, simply reporting on a protest where a shoe was hurled at Pinarayi Vijayan’s vehicle, found herself accused of conspiring against Pinarayi. This absurdity ignited a wave of outrage among journalists, culminating in Hashmi's electrifying on-camera address. “Phone call snippets and flimsy accusations? That's not how you silence us,” Hashmi said. “Vineetha is one of us, and we stand by her.” He challenged the authorities: “If you are doing this only to scare us – knowing well that the case is a sham and will fail miserably in the court – register 100 cases, not just one. We are not going to cut off our tongues and place them in baskets to do your bidding.” Ironically, Hashmi is a former leader of the Student
Read more