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I’m in conversation with historian, journalist, political commentator and Marxist thinker #vijayprashad on NRI Affairs. Vijay is the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and the author of forty books. Vijay is on a speaking tour across New Zealand and Australia.

p.s. I can’t say i agree with everything he said, and for sure, I don’t know enough. But this conversation will stay with me for a while. There were moments of connection over Palestine that i share with many people, strangers across the world. A shared helplessness and ache. After we stopped recording, I did read him a poem. In a world gone mad, perhaps it is the last refuge of the perplexed.

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Our guest on this episode is the extraordinary Sunita Viswanath, the co-founder and executive director of Hindus for Human Rights, that advocates for pluralism, civil and human rights in South Asia, Australia, the UK and North America.

From a childhood of transplantation from India as a migrant, to watching the ugly face of racism as a child in the UK, to a curious choice of study; mathematics and sociology, her journey is anything but typical.

Sunita says she doesn’t do well with boundaries.

Perhaps therein lies the seed of her empathy sans borders, the interconnectedness of the personal and political, and the relentless speaking of truth to power, unmoved by praise or censure.

In this episode, we trace early influences, her relationship to her faith, the passion and conviction that drives her advocacy, the honour and heartbreak of bearing witness to the horror unfolding in Palestine and explore what gives her the courage to pursue a path less trodden.

For all of us who often feel disempowered by the scale of violence in the world, the overwhelming hate and divisiveness, the unfairness of it all, the feeling of ‘what can one person do’, I present to you, the uncommon force of nature, Sunita Viswanath.

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My guest is the indefatigable Indu Balachandran, an independent candidate in the upcoming New South Wales Local Government election, standing for the Gordon Ward in Sydney's Ku Ring Gai Council.

With a track record in sustainability and over 20 years in leadership positions across housing, family services and first nation sectors, Indu brings the will and the skill to make a difference. She is also a passionate musician, actively engaged in community initiatives, received an Atlantic Fellowship (Oxford University), and was the recipient of the UTS Human Rights Award for Reconciliation.

We speak about her motivations and passions that led to her foray into politics, the hyphenated identity she carries, the challenges and opportunities for diasporic communities in Australia, and the work she would like to do for her constituency.

An enjoyable and insightful conversation with a change-maker who is indeed a force for good. Do watch, leave us your comments, and don't forget to subscribe!

Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs