Articles and Publications

Internet and Data Rights
The internet and data has meshed intricately with our lives and plays a major role in the way we live. There is a great need in educating the common people about their data rights so that we use them in the right way and avoid misuse. Although data is important in developing better systems, misuse of it can lead to grave situations that will further demand attention to resolve. Hence, it is important for everyone to stay updated about it.

Language: a mere medium of expression?
Roger Bacon once said, “Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom”. Understanding languages is not just limited to anthropological context, as it is widely believed so, but goes beyond that, into the realm of deep understanding of the dynamics of our natural environment ensconcing the beauty and the wisdom of the world which was traditionally passed down orally.

Alfaaz Ki Mehfil
By Satya Prabhakar
Year of Publication – 2022

I am very pleased to write this introduction to Satya Prabhakar’s Alfaaz Ki Mehfil book of his translation of more than a hundred and fifty selected Urdu couplets. A translator’s work has been described as someone who builds bridges between languageswith the literal meaning from the original ‘trans’-across; and ‘latio/latus’- ferry or bring- and Satya, in his book, manages to bring across the beauty of Urdu very well. In both prose and poetry there is a lot of debt owed to translations – and translators. One can readily applaud Samuel Putnam for his wonderful English translation of Don Quixote, possibly the first modern novel, written by Spanish author Cervantes.

Similarly the Mahabharata – translated from Sanskrit and the epic poems of Iliad and Odyssey, translated from Greek, and the Shahnameh, translated from Persian (includes the stirring exploits of Rustom and Sohrab) are other remarkable works enjoyed across the world. Rumi’s Masnavi – one of the greatest poems of the Persian language, is another example where it was Nicholson’s translation in eight volumes that has led to Rumi being such an oft quoted poet in all parts of the world.

Art, Culture Heritage & Rights

Chanderi-Heritage- The Town of Chanderi encompasses within itself several layers of cultural efflorescence. The town, divided into outer and inner sections, is composed of a lyrinth of lanes full of archaeological remains both religious and secular, beckoning one to unravel the realms of the historical fabric.

Shahjahanabad Heritage- This project aims to digitised the heritage of Old Delhi so that visitors and tourists can be introduced to the rich art and culture of this renowned archaeological treasure.

52 Parindey- Documentation of the lives of 52 innovators who are making a conscious living for themselves and their planet through discovery of cultural practices as an alternative livelihood.

On the Brink of Oblivion

“Many of us have had international recognition. But right now, we are at the brink of losing our artforms to poverty” said Ishamuddin Khan in an article published by CNN in 2020. During an interview for the DEF Dialogue series, Khan tells us that the situation of street performers continues to remain bleak and also reveals historic, parliamentary decisions that have contributed to such conditions.

For generations, Indian peripatetics have enthralled their viewers by walking on tightropes, materialising pigeons out of cane baskets and making bears stand on their hind legs. There are seven performing tribes in India – jugglers, acrobats, magicians, snake charmers, animal trainers, impersonators and street singers – and all are similarly disenfranchised. These tribes pass down the knowledge of their art to their successors who, the former hope, will carry it forward.

The Migrants

A research book based on an ethnographic study done during the 2020 COVID lockdown induced migrant crisis that occurred in India. This book is a compilation of 60 interviews with migrant workers who had returned to their villages. It highlights the plights, struggles and aspirations of the migrant workers who were left displaced because of the COVID lockdown.

Data Rights for Communities

The presentation has been written to provide and create a sense of understanding amongst communities about data, how it is collected and used and the rights associated with it.

India is unique in culture, geographic pattern, community settlements, economic or natural resources. There is wide regional disparity in development within the country. As a result, people living in rural parts belonging to lower income group, move from their state of origin to another state, within the boundaries of India, either for social or economic reasons. In common term they are referred to as ‘Migrant labourers’. Migrant labourers are a formidable force in India’s economic life, constituting nearly 50% of India’s GDP. The total number of internal migrants in India, as per the 2011 census, is 45.36 crore or 37% of the country’s population.