In this episode, Soraya Beheshti talks to Radio Inquilab about the massive student protest movement taking place throughout the country. She talks about her experience as student and subsequently as Vice Chair of the Columbia Alumni Association of the UAE, a post she stepped down from after Columbia's President had the student protestors arrested and the military and police marched against them. Soraya talks about what an education at Columbia meant for her and how the school prepared her to stand up against atrocities and be her true honest self. The current stance of the university and the violence they have displayed against students is not just surprising but also shocking. Soraya further talks about her experience working in refugee communities and how she learned the true meaning of hope, resilience and love from some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Her book, Karavan Kitchen, demonstrates how food is often the central connection many refugees have to their native countries and a means of creating community even when forced to live in difficult conditions many miles from home. Resources Recommended:Karavan Kitchen, Soraya Beheshti: https://www.amazon.com/Karvan-Kitchen-Soraya-Beheshti/dp/1590566009The UN Refugee Agency: https://www.unhcr.org/International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Ilan Pappe The Swimmers, Netflix

Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Ather Zia talks about Kashmir and the fraught nature of life there.Ather explains the deep, long, fraught history of Kashmir - how the many rulers exploited Kashmir through the ages with little to no regard for the people, how indigenous knowledge and people were harmed to make Kashmir a part of India and how the government of India harasses, kidnaps, rapes, pillages and kills with total impunity.Ather was born in Kashmir and lived there for several years so she has a unique lens to give voice to the people of Kashmir, speak on their behalf about the gross injustices happening and how the answer for freedom of Kashmir is a clarion call against colonialism and occupation everywhere in the world.Its a fascinating conversation about neoliberalism, neocolonialism and the supposed post colonial world order.Resources Recommended:A Desolation Called Peace: Voices from Kashmir, Ather Zia, Javed Iqbal BhatStand With Kashmir: https://standwithkashmir.org/Kashmiri Scholars Advocacy and Consultative Network: kashmiri-scholars.orgKashmiri Futures: A Beginning: https://read.dukeupress.edu/english-language-notes/article/61/2/1/382831/Kashmiri-FuturesA-Beginning

This episode features Corrina Gould, the Co-Director for The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a women-led organization within the urban setting of her ancestral territory of the Bay Area that works to return Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Corrina talks about rematriation, why it is important and how someone can be a good guest on land that does not belong to them/they are not native to. She discusses how our present lifestyles are harming our Mother Earth and what we need to do to reconnect and reclaim our relationship with the land. Corrina explains the concept of shuumi and why it is important in the context of rematriation. She talks about the brutal history of colonization of California and how the effects are being felt even today. She talks about how one can practice good land practices and aspects of the lives of our ancestors that cancan be borrowed today to live a more fulfilling life. Corrina can be found on Instagram @corrina_gould. Resources Recommended: 1.     https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/2.     www.Shellmound.org 3.     Instagram: @Sogoreatelandtrust, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SOGOREATELANDTRUST/

In this episode, Ayed Eqtaish joins the podcast to talk about the state of children in Palestine. While it is impossible to get any kind of estimates in Gaza, Ayed talks about how the situation in the West Bank is also precarious with many children being imprisoned by Israel. Ayed talks about the harm the occupation has been doing to children's mental, physical and psychological state including holding children indefinitely under administrative detention. Children eventually released experience deep harm and lasting effects as a result of the imprisonment where they are held in solitary confinement, not given enough food, have no access to the outside world (no TV, no newspapers), no family visits, limited attorney visits and no in person court visits. Children have to face a judge in the juvenile military court which for all intents and purposes is the same as the adult military court. DCIP has been threatened, their offices ransacked with the staff constantly working under the threat of arrest and imprisonment. Despite this, they continue to be a voice for the children of Palestine, who sometimes have very little to no support. It is a heart breaking conversation that sheds light on the incredible injustice, harm and atrocities committed by the occupation. Resources Recommended: DCIP website: dci-palestine.orgFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/DCIPSX: https://x.com/DCIPalestineInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcipalestine/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DCIPS

In this episode, Rupande discusses the upcoming Presidential election with former Green Party candidate, Madelyn Hoffman. They talk about the genocide taking place in Gaza, as well as the Democratic party's changing policies and platforms. Madelyn talks about how "voting for lesser evil is still evil" and how if we want systemic change - free healthcare, cut in defense spending, end to genocides and funding wars abroad, a stronger middle class, subsidized education, etc. our priorities need to fundamentally change and we need a different crop of leaders in charge. The 2024 Presidential election is upon us and each one of us have to make a personal choice in the ballot box but it might be worth keeping in mind that there is a candidate who vows to end genocide, pay reparations to Black people, protect our climate from further harm and improve our overall well being.

In this episode, Rupande speaks with members of Global Development for Palestine about their tireless work to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict. Bringing in their extensive experience, the group talks about Palestine in context with decolonization, how global assistance organizations need to show up vs. their total lack of concern, the double standard & sense of white saviorism in the US - aid world and how aid washing is happening in Palestine. The group talks about how the general public can help and how those who work in this sector can collectively organize through their professional hats. Note: at minute 46, the speaker was referring to the Helms amendment, not the Hyde amendment. Recommended Resources: Global Development for Palestine website: https://sites.google.com/view/globaldev4palestine/homeOther humans (for collective action)/Movement eldersAll About Love, Bell HooksSister Outsider, Audre LordePedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo FreireGhassan Kanafani's work The Parisian, Isabella Hammad White Saviorism in International Development: Theories, Practices and Lived Experiences, Themrise Khan, Kanakulya Dickson and Maïka SondarjeeThe Wretched of the Earth, Frantz Fannon

TW: violence, rapeKifaya Khraim, the International Advocacy Coordinator at Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counselling talks to Rupande about the unrealistic situation in Palestine for women and girls. She shares the unbelievably harrowing stories of women documented first hand by WCLAC, as well as the unprecedented level of trauma experienced by women living under occupation. She explains how violence against women and girls has been ongoing long before October 7, 2023. Kifaya shares grim details about crimes committed against women - harassment, violence, abductions, theft, assault, administrative detention - by Israeli forces and how the women never have any recourse for justice. Kifaya talks about the problem of domestic violence in Palestinian society and how the occupation takes advantage of the situation and makes it worse many times over. Finally, she shares ways in which each of us can help the cause of women and girls and continue fighting for their cause so Palestine can be free. Resources Recommended: WCLAC: www.wclac.orgAl-Haq Organization: www.alhaq.orgWar data and stats: www.slingshot.psInstagram account and Facebook page for Palestinian feminists: https://www.instagram.com/palestinian_feminists/

Farah Mahesri sits down with Rupande to talk about the very important nuance of decolonizing communication - what does it mean, why is it so important and what place it holds in our world as we move to a more awakened society that seeks to place diversity, equality and decolonization. Farah explains how aid organizations can decolonize communication and shift the balance of power, furthering development and internationalization. She talks about what decolonization means in the context of the current conflict in Palestine as well as the universal importance of stories and narratives. Contact Farah: Instagram: @fmahesriLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farahmahesri/Resources Recommended: White Saviorism in International Development: Theories, Practices and Lived Experiences, Themrise Khan, Kanakulya Dickson, Maika SonderjeeFarah's workshop on Decolonization: https://fnmadvising.com/Quantum Impact Report: State of Diversity in Global Social Impact

On April 5, 2024 to commemorate Palestine Children's Day, Kalpvraksh teamed up with Global Development For Palestine to host Defense for Children International Palestine, along with some of the youth they support. This episode is a recording of the live conversation that took place that day. Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) is an independent, local Palestinian child rights organization dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Since 1991, they have investigated, documented, and exposed grave human rights violations against children; provided legal services to children in urgent need; held Israeli and Palestinian authorities accountable to universal human rights principles; and advocated at the international and national levels to advance access to justice and protection for children. For more information on Defense for Children International Palestine, please visit: https://www.dci-palestine.org/ Global Development for Palestine is a group of individuals who work in global development / humanitarian assistance. They are not part of any group, organization, or company and have no funding for this work. They are done being silent or waiting for our leaders to act. They are working collectively to demand a Ceasefire NOW. For more information, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/globaldev4palestine/home

In this episode, Rupande speaks with Zee Lilani, the founder of Kula Nursery. Zee talks about her career trajectory - starting as a food researcher and how COVID changed her life plans to turn her into a full-time farmer growing ancestral and heritage foods that her mother and grandmother ate in Pakistan. Zee talks about her hopes and dreams with Kula and the importance of food sovereignty for communities of color.Resources Recommended:Kula Nursery care guides: https://www.kulanursery.com/Mother/Grandmother/Extended families to learn what foods they grewLocal gardening centers/community colleges for courses on gardening