EP 24: French India with Jessica Namakkal

In October, the government of Pakistan announced that it would expel all undocumented foreigners, including 1.7 million Afghans—one of the country’s largest immigrant communities. This includes those who were born in, brought up, married, had children, and then they raised their families, all within in Pakistan. Many of them had fled from the Taliban and are terrified of heading back to the Taliban government. In the past month, we've seen heartbreaking scenes where Afghan students bid farewell to their Pakistani classmates with heartfelt hugs, and at the border, long lines of trucks were laden with the possessions of Afghan families. The United Nations agencies and human rights organizations have widely criticized Pakistan's practice of forcefully returning refugees. This is cruelty on a massive scale. In today's episode we sit with Sanaa Alimia, author of "Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan," and delve into a thought-provoking discussion on the intricate dynamics surrounding Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We look at their history, their current situation, and most importantly, we shed light on their humanity.

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We sit with Indian-American musician, music producer, and songwriter Sid Sriram, who is currently one of the most popular playback singers in India and has recently released his English-language studio album, 'Sidharth'.

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In India, Christians account for about 2% to 3% of the population. However, in the state of Kerala, Christians make up a remarkable 18% to 19% of the total population. And among them, Syrian Christians play a significant role, representing almost half of Kerala's Christian population. Although the Syrian Christians of Kerala are a minority, they are also a caste-, race-, and class-privileged minority that have historically benefited from their privileged position within society. And if the Syrian Christians are the dominant community, then it is also necessary to look at the subordinated communities, as they represent the minority within the minority. Our guest today is Sonja Thomas, author of, 'Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity, Gender, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India' and together we will discuss the Christians of Kerala, specifically the Syrian Christians, and navigate the intricacies of caste, gender, class, race, religion, and language.

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The Rohingya are widely recognized as one of the most persecuted and vulnerable communities in the world. They are a people that much of the world keeps forgetting. For centuries, they called Burma/Myanmar their home, but being victims of persecution as a result of ethnic cleansing and genocide, they were forced to flee to neighbouring countries. and now, over a million Rohingyas endure life in cramped refugee camps in Bangladesh. Excluded as illegal migrants by both Myanmar and Bangladesh, they face unimaginable hardships, including unemployment, mental and sexual abuse, and the denial of basic human necessities. We sit with journalist Kaamil Ahmed, author of ‘I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers,’ and explore the haunting question: has the world failed the Rohingya?

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Photo by Kevin Frayer

When we think of Goa, we usually think of beach parties, vacation, or that movie Dil Chahta Hai, but Goa was once the headquarters of the Portuguese empire in the East for 450 years. They were the first colonial powers in the subcontinent and the last ones to leave. The Portuguese brought a different face of Christianity and they used it to impose their rule over Goa. They planned for Goa to be the "Rome" of the East, and that involved violence, torture, and erasure. We sit with Ângela Barreto Xavier, author of 'Religion and Empire in Portuguese India' and discuss the transformation of Goa during the first couple of centuries of Portuguese colonial rule.

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In 2006, just after Hurrincan Katrina, hundreds of Indian workers were lured to the United States with false promises of a green card and forced to work under grueling working conditions at a shipyard in Mississippi. It would become one of the largest human trafficking schemes in U.S. history. When one of those workers called labor organizer Saket Soni for help, it set off an epic chain of events that led him to engineering their escape from the work camp and set them off on a path to citizenship. We sit with Saket Soni, author of 'The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America' as he recounts their heroic journey for justice. 

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We sit with award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee, known for his roles in films like Satya, Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, and the most recent, Gulmohar, as well as leading the running hit series, The Family Man.

We sit with Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, creator of the hit Netflix series 'Indian Matchmaking' and the four part docu-series 'The Romantics.'

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We sit with 6 time Emmy-nominated film and television composer, Siddhartha Khosla, lead singer of critically acclaimed band, Goldspot, and the man behind musical scores of hit shows like This Is Us and Only Murders in the Building, and his most recent film, Gulmohar. 

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