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Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda Publishes a Book Review of Gogu Shyamala’s ‘Nene Balanni: T. N. Sadalaxmi Batuku Katha [I Am the Strength: T. N. Sadalaxmi’s Life Story]’ 

The June 2024 issue of Social Change (a Sage Journal) carried a book review by Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor of Politics, SIAS, Krea University. Dr Gundimeda reviewed Gogu Shyamala’s Nene Balanni: T. N. Sadalaxmi Batuku Katha [I Am the Strength: T. N. Sadalaxmi’s Life Story], published in Telugu by the Hyderabad Book Trust (2011). 

“Within the patriarchal hierarchy of Hindu society, it is a rarity to find accounts celebrating the lives and achievements of dalit women. Yet Gogu Shyamala’s Nene Balanni: T. N. Sadalaxmi Batuku Katha [I Am the Strength: T. N. Sadalaxmi’s Life Story] shines as a remarkable exception, illuminating the journey of T. N. Sadalaxmi. Her story is not just inspirational, but deserving of global recognition, resonating with advocates for women’s empowerment and those who champion women’s potential in politics. T. N. Sadalaxmi’s narrative is striking for two significant reasons. First, she rose from the depths of the Mehtar caste, one of the most marginalised within the dalit community in the Nizam’s Hyderabad region, to become the esteemed first deputy assembly speaker of Andhra Pradesh. Second, her life’s mission was dedicated to uplifting marginalised communities and advocating for rights across all levels of society. Her tale is deeply intertwined with the essence of Telugu society and politics, reflecting the spirit of the Telugu nation from the late 1940s to the 1990s,” writes Dr Gundimeda. 

To read Dr Gundimeda’s book review, click here. 

Link to the book review published in the journal Social Change. 

Dr Bharath Sundaram Highlights Complex Challenges at Pulicat Lake at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), Georg-August University, Gottingen, Germany

Dr Bharath Sundaram, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, SIAS, Faculty Director, Krea – IFMR Research Centres Coordination Cell, and Sustainability Officer, Krea University and Sharon Buteau, Executive Director, LEAD at Krea University are leading a project to understand the interactions between environment, natural resource governance systems, market linkages, value chains, financial inclusion, climate change, and gender in Pulicat Lake. 

In this context, Dr Bharath Sundaram has been invited to present his work on Pulicat at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), Georg-August University, Gottingen, Germany, on 19 June, 2024. He will talk about how complex push-pull factors reduce adaptive capacity of individuals and social groups within Pulicat, with strong variations across state borders and livelihood types. 

For more information, click here.

An Op-Ed by Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda Published in The Hindustan Times

An op-ed by Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor of Politics, SIAS, Krea University, was  published in The Hindustan Times on 7 June, 2024.
Titled The Naidu vs Jagan potboiler in Andhra, the article delves into the factors behind the significant defeat of the ruling YSR Congress Party and the resounding triumph of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena Party, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the piece, Dr  Gundimeda argues that the YSRCP’s overwhelming focus on welfare programs, coupled with its neglect of election promises made in 2019 and a politics centred around retribution, were pivotal in its electoral downfall. The governance failures of the YSRCP have paved the way for the emergence of the TDP as a potent alternative political entity in the state.

Furthermore, the alliance between the TDP and the BJP, along with the influence of Pawan Kalyan and the pledge of ‘super six’ welfare initiatives, played significant roles in securing the landslide victory for the NDA. 

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You can also access the full article here

Dr Panchali Ray Co-Edits a Volume Titled ‘Teaching/Writing Resistance: Women’s Studies in Contemporary Times’, Published by Orient BlackSwan

Dr Panchali Ray, Associate Professor in Anthropology and Gender Studies, SIAS and Associate Dean (Academics) at Krea University, co-edited a volume along with Professor Shadab Bano (Aligarh Muslim University), titled Teaching/Writing Resistance: Women’s Studies in Contemporary Times, which brings together a diverse set of essays around gender and women’s studies as a formal discipline and raises important questions: What are its achievements, and equally, what are its historical blind spots and faultlines? Has women’s studies emerged as a critical space within the academy—as its pioneers envisioned—or does it remain limited by institutional bias and social inequality? Drawing on the perspectives of stalwarts of women’s movements who fought to establish the discipline and younger scholars who now address critical debates in the field, 

the chapters explore a variety of themes: pedagogical practices; the relation between knowledge production and university structures; the role of social, regional, religious, and caste locations in the way women’s studies is perceived and transacted; and for the first time, the crucial relation between feminist scholarship and State and institutional power, both in India and internationally. The volume is published by Orient BlackSwan. 

Find out more here. 

Rising Temperatures, Falling Turnouts: Dr Chirag Dhara’s Perspective on the Impact of Climate Change on Democratic Participation

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, SIAS, Krea University has authored an article titled India’s Voters Literally Feel the Heat, featured in the magazine Down To Earth and on the online news website The Mooknayak. The article examines India’s extreme heat during the 2024 elections, highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on poorer populations and raising concerns about its influence on voter turnout and overall democratic participation. 

Read the article here or here. 

Srijani Mukhopadhyay from SIAS pens articles for ThePrint

Srijani Mukhopadhyay, a second-year student with a major in History and Politics at SIAS, Krea University has contributed insightful pieces to ThePrint. She’s interning under the Opinion and Features team. Her fifth long-form article will be coming out this weekend. It’s an edited version of a paper that she wrote for a course taught by Dr Gowhar Fazili, Assistant Professor of Social Studies, SIAS, Krea University. It’s a look at the unique experience of Bengal Partition through the partition poetry of Bengal.  

Article 1: 
https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/the-mughals-are-overdone-in-historical-fiction-time-to-focus-on-delhi-sultans/2084413/

Article 2:  https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/kendrick-and-drake-are-warring-surprise-surprise-women-are-collateral/2086105/

Article 3: 
https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/deepa-mehta-is-back-with-a-film-on-transwoman-sirat-taneja-all-good-art-is-political/2092220/

Article 4:  https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/no-more-hot-air-talk-delhi-women-want-a-say-on-climate-change-use-art-to-exhibit-struggles/2099242/

Granville Austin from SIAS pens articles for ThePrint

Granville Austin, a second year BIOS student at SIAS, Krea University, has contributed insightful pieces to ThePrint‘s features team, carving out a niche as a writer for the Science and Tech column. With a keen eye for trends relevant to the Indian demographic, Granville consistently reports on developments that resonate deeply with readers. These articles were written as part of his internship. 

Article 1: https://theprint.in/science/why-did-beethoven-lose-his-hearing-a-lock-of-hair-holds-the-key/2085104/

Article 2: https://theprint.in/science/traces-of-microplastics-found-in-testicular-tissue-of-humans-could-harm-reproductive-health/2094067/

Article 3: https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/bn-goswamy-left-ias-to-be-an-art-critic-and-he-put-indian-art-on-the-global-map/2096045/

A Roundup: Global Arts at Krea

Professor Anil Srinivasan, Visiting Professor of Practice, Literature & the Arts, SIAS, Krea University and Dr Sumitra Ranganathan, Associate Professor of Music, SIAS, Krea University were on a panel at The Arts in Higher  Education – convened by the International Society for Music Education (ISME) at KM Music Conservatory and represented Krea University for the Global Arts. They were also part of a panel convened by the Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha – Chennai’s oldest music institution –  on Music in Education alongside leading classical music exponents. The events were held at the beginning of the year.

Professor Anil Srinivasan was also an invited keynote speaker at the recently concluded Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium in Ooty – talking about our interwoven approach at Krea. All liberal universities of India were present. 

Dr Sumitra Ranganathan presented a 2-hour lecture demonstration in the monthly lecture series at Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Chennai, titled “Gods in Place: pada as worship in Bettiah gharana Dhrupad”. The lecture curated archival materials from her extended fieldwork with the musicians of the Bettiah Dhrupad tradition, bringing together theoretical ideas on the entanglements of place, listening communities and aesthetics,  with approaches to archiving and engaging with the archive. The lec dem was held in March 2024.

Dr Sayandeb Chowdhury’s article delves into how cinematic fiction has become a convenient way of ‘correcting’ historical friction

Dr Sayandeb Chowdhury, Senior Assistant Professor of Literature, SIAS, Krea University has authored an article titled Red Alert: How Cinema Helps the Modi Myth in 360info.org.

Read here