What's your ism?

"In Maharashtra, power is concentrated in the hands of only 169 families. These rich Marathas control everything, and they’re not ready to accept the poor Maratha who is of the same caste, same lineage."In this episode of What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal speaks to Prakash Ambedkar about Maharashtra’s power structure and the most contentious issues in Dalit Ambedkarite politics in India today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sasikanth Senthil, a first-time MP from Tamil Nadu, shares insights shaped by his life experiences and the political turmoil in India. He discusses the evolving nature of the Congress party and how the rise of Hindutva affects coalition-building against the BJP. Senthil highlights the significance of understanding caste dynamics, the emergence of a progressive Hindu identity, and the importance of grassroots organization in politics. He also emphasizes the responsibilities of MPs in advocating for pressing issues and engaging with constituents.

How did the entry of the BJP and Hindutva complicate the already chaotic world of Indian sport? Are cricketers by design less anti establishment than footballers? Race and gender are today big conversations in the  global sporting community. Why is it difficult to talk about these things in India?In this episode of What's Your Ism Sudipto Mondal speaks to the renowned sports writer and critic Sharda Ugra. Sharda shares deep insights from her 30 years as a sports writer and critic as she grapples with the most pressing challenges before Indian sport. Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel or listen to this podcast, available on all streaming platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In these Indian elections, a cross section of progressive mass organisations helped the Congress curtail the BJP’s electoral power. But what does the Congress resurgence mean for the progressive agenda and the fight against Hindutva? What do we make of Rahul Gandhi's good Hindu versus bad Hindu narrative?In the first episode of the post election season of What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal speaks to Karnataka’s most prolific bi-lingual writer, Shivasundar. He has also been involved in Left activism for nearly four decades.Shivasundar makes some incisive observations about the present state of Left politics and the so-called ‘pragmatism’ of collaborating with the Congress. He says that the Congress is fundamentally an enabler of Brahminism and neo liberal capitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fighting 'fascist' BJP is the second freedom struggle: Journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad said that the country is at a historic crossroads. This is the time, she said, to build the broadest possible coalition against the BJP and Hindutva, even if it means working with problematic opposition parties such as the Congress.In the last set of critical political conversations in this season of What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal spoke to three leading civil society intellectuals and leaders days before the Lok Sabha results: Major General Vombatkere, founder of eedina.com and left activist Vasu and the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace Teesta Setalvad.In this part, Teesta accepted the criticism that working with parties such as the Congress to defeat the BJP throws up ideological contradictions. But the times call for more pragmatic measures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People are not happy with the Election Commission: Major General Sudhir Vombatkere, a prominent voice in anti-Hindutva civil society circles, said that the conduct of the Election Commission and its openly partisan positions has eroded people's trust in these Lok Sabha elections. In the last set of critical political conversations in this season of What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal spoke to three leading civil society intellectuals and leaders days before the Lok Sabha results: Major General Vombatkere, founder of eedina.com and left activist Vasu and the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace Teesta Setalvad.In this part, General Vombatkere expressed fears that the supporters of the BJP might trigger a law and order situation irrespective of the outcome in these elections. If things go out of hand, central forces and even the army could be called in, he said. This led to an interesting deviation in the conversation with Vombatkere and Sudipto discussing the culture of the Indian army and its history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Congress and opposition parties are increasingly occupying left spaces. The founder of eedina.com and prominent left activist from Karnataka, H V Vasu responds to criticism that progressive mass movements have been co-opted by the Congress and other non-BJP opposition parties.In the last set of critical political conversations in this season of What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal spoke to three leading civil society intellectuals and leaders days before the Lok Sabha results: Major General Vombatkere, H V Vasu and Teesta Setalvad, the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace.In this part, Vasu said that the Congress and other so-called secular parties have serious contradictions but are not impossible to collaborate with. "If they can use us, we can also use them," he said while underlining that there is growing sentiment in activist groups that they should independently enter electoral politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caste and untouchability are widely perceived as a Hindu phenomenon – orthodoxically, they are categorised as “illegitimate” in the Muslim community. But the Dalit Muslims facing caste oppression strive for legitimacy. So, what is the complex history and dynamics of castes among Muslims? How is it perceived in the political economy amid scarcity mongering around reservations? In this two-part episode on What's Your Ism, Sudipto Mondal speaks to Ambedkarite author Shalin Maria Lawrence and sociologist-professor Khalid Anis Ansari about the complexities of anti-caste politics  among Christians and Muslims in South Asia.In part two, Ansari sheds light on the history of Dalit Muslims, religious nationalism, the anti-caste movement in pre-partition India, the caste census, and anti-caste mobilisation within Muslims.   On the Muslim imagination of a sovereign nation, Ansari says, “I think there are also regional histories.” He adds, “The experience of a Kashmiri Gujjar Muslim is very different from the experience of a Shia Muslim or the ones in the Valley. Caste is written all across…There are all kinds of cleavages and contradictions.”    Tune in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ambedkarite author Shalin Maria Lawrence discusses caste oppression in Christian community, political lobbying in Tamil Nadu, POA Act, and discrimination in church. She questions why only Dalit women sweep the church. Exploring complexities of anti-caste politics among Christians and Muslims in South Asia.

Sumeet Mhasker, a labour sociologist and professor at OP Jindal Global University, has been analysing non-Brahmin and OBC politics over the last century and how these communities respond to the question of Hindutva and their economic hardship.In this episode of What’s Your Ism, host Sudipto Mondal and professor Mhasker discuss the premise of Maharashtra’s Maratha reservation agitation and the sentiments driving other non-Brahmin communities to launch similar struggles. As one of the few academics in India to study the economic factors behind the unrest within the socially dominant Shudra communities, Mhasker applies the Ambedkarite lens to his economic and class analysis. Ambedkarism, he contends, is “misunderstood” to be primarily concerned with caste when it is also focused on class.Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.