This week’s Eid episode is a double feature! In the first half of this episode, Nashwa sits down with Priya Prabhakar to discuss the ongoing Farmers’ protests in India that began in November 2020. In June of 2020, three ordinances were introduced and eventually passed as acts by Modi and his right-wing government. These bills translate into the mass deregulation and neo-liberalization of the agricultural market. Farmers continue to protest these three farm acts that were subsequently passed by the Indian government in September 2020. The protests are largely set in Delhi. We hope this episode helps people understand the larger context and the righteousness of farmer anger right now.
The farmers’ protests are critical and we hope this episode provides a nuanced and accessible explainer on why these protests matter and what is happening in India. In India, neither farmer protests nor farmer suicides are uncommon and have been occurring for decades.
The first half of this episode was recorded shortly before India became the epicenter of the COVID pandemic. The second half of this episode highlights how the devastating pandemic has also interacted with the strikes. In the second half of this episode, Priya and Nashwa sit down with Vijay Prashad to discuss how COVID is ravaging India, as well as how the Modi government has been failing the Indian people. Some highlights of this episode include Vijay’s insights on vaccine apartheid and America allegedly withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
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Habibti Please is proud to be part of the Harbinger Media Network. For episodes focused on different struggles in Canada and around the world, we are grateful to partner with Canadian Dimension.
Mutual Aid & Community Support:
Although this episode is not paywalled we would deeply appreciate it if people would share or give (if able to do so) to any of the causes or groups listed below.
Mutual Aid India - this is a curated list of Covid response efforts in India.
Khalsa Aid - Khalsa Aid is an international NGO with the aim to provide humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones around the world.
Internet Freedom Foundation - The Internet Freedom Foundation defends online freedom, privacy, and innovation in India.
NewsClick - An independent media organization dedicated to covering news from India and elsewhere with a focus on progressive movements.
Additional Resources:
Some resources that complement this episode:
Long Live Farmer-Laborer Unity by Veena Dubal and Navyug Gill
Leading from the front: The role of women in Farmers’ movement
Here’s Why Farmers Are Protesting the 3 New Agriculture Ordinances by Aibhav Palnitkar
Punjabi Dalit Women Fight Multiple Battles Rolled into One at Farmers Protest by Shreya Sharma
People’s Leader: A Dalit Woman Becomes The Voice of Farmers In India by Sania Farooqui
Elite Despair About “Farmers’ Lack of Discipline” is Comical, Though Not Innocent by Subin Dennis
Government Should Fight Corona, not Farmers and Labourers: SKM by Sabrang India
Guest Information
Guests of the Week: Priya Prabhakar and Vijay Prashad
Priya Prabhakar is an organizer, filmmaker, and researcher currently based out of Oakland, California, and hails from Chennai, India. You can find her online on instagram and twitter.
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. Prashad is a Marxist commentator and the author of thirty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World, and The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South. He is the Chief Correspondent for Globetrotter and a Columnist for Frontline (India). He is the Chief Editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi). He has appeared in two films – Shadow World (2016) and Two Meetings (2017). He is currently the director of Tricontinental. You can buy his newest book here.
Production Credits:
Hosted by Nashwa Lina Khan
Show Music by Johnny Zapras and postXamerica
Art for Habibti Please by postXamerica
Production by Canadian Dimension
Production Assistance by Canadian Dimension and Priya Prabhakar
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Habibti Please is proud to be part of the Harbinger Media Network
Episode 29 - Farmer's Protests and COVID in India with Vijay Prashad and Priya Prabhakar