Latest news with #Sarabhai
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Mallika Sarabhai defies pressure, joins ASHA workers' protest virtually
Refusing to bow to pressure, renowned dancer and Kerala Kalamandalam Chancellor Mallika Sarabhai joined a protest meeting in Thrissur virtually on Thursday (May 1, 2025), standing in solidarity with the ongoing agitation of ASHA workers. Ms. Sarabhai participated in the event, 'Honorarium for ASHA workers', a citizen's crowd funding campaign, by transferring honorarium of ₹1,000 to one of the protesting workers. Noted poet and lyricist Rafeeq Ahmed inaugurated the event. In a social media post Ms. Sarabhai has alleged that limitations have been placed on her freedom of expression in her new academic role as Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam. In a strong social media note, she wrote, 'Today I got my first taste of what it means to be the Chancellor of a University. Restricted speech.' 'There is an ASHA workers agitation on in Thrissur about increasing their pay. I believe these workers everywhere do very important work and are ill paid and used. Sarah Joseph is leading a citizens' crowd funding to increase their salary. I was asked for my opinion and gave it as me, as I have done all my life. Oh, not allowed any more. Hmmm. How do I stop being me? Do I even want to?' she wrote on her Facebook page. Noted writer and activist Sarah Joseph has expressed deep concern over the reported pressure exerted on Ms. Sarabhai against participating in the ASHA workers' protest. The ASHA workers protest cannot be silenced. This protest is not a political move against the government. Our effort is to express solidarity with the protesting ASHA workers,' Ms. Sarah Joseph said. Calling for an urgent resolution, Sarah Joseph emphasised, 'The strike should not have dragged on this long. Either the government must meet the workers' demands and end the protest, or the Asha workers must voluntarily withdraw. If neither happens, the larger society will respond — and this protest is one such response of solidarity.'
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mallika Sarabhai alleges restrictions on free expression as chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam
Renowned dancer, activist, and Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam, Mallika Sarabhai, has alleged that limitations have been placed on her freedom of expression in her new academic role. In a candid Facebook post on Wednesday (April 30, 2025), Ms. Sarabhai reflected on her experience, writing: "Today I got my first taste of what it means to be the Chancellor of a University. Restricted speech." Her remarks come in the wake of an ongoing protest by ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in Thrissur, who are demanding better wages and improved working conditions. She expressed her support for the cause, stating that ASHA workers are "ill paid and used" despite the critical work they perform across the country. Ms. Sarabhai also highlighted a citizens' crowdfunding initiative, led by noted writer and activist Sarah Joseph, to support the workers in Thrissur, in which she has been invited to participate on Thursday. However, Ms. Sarabhai revealed that after expressing her personal opinion on the issue, she was seemingly advised against doing so, leading her to question the constraints now placed upon her public voice. "There is an ASHA workers agitation on in Thrissur about increasing their pay. I believe these workers everywhere do very important work and are ill paid and used. Sarah Joseph is leading a citizens' crowd funding to increase their salary. "I was asked for my opinion and gave it as me, as I have done all my life. Oh, not allowed any more. Hmmm. How do I stop being me? Do I even want to?" she wrote on her Facebook page. She has not disclosed who attempted to impose these restrictions on her freedom of expression. Condemning the alleged curbs, a leader of the protesting ASHA workers said they expect Sarabhai to participate in the protest online on Thursday evening. Neither the Left government nor the university authorities have reacted to the allegations so far. The Left government appointed Sarabhai as the Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University for Art and Culture on December 6, 2022.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Mallika Sarabhai alleges restrictions on free expression as chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam
THRISSUR: Renowned dancer, activist, and Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam, Mallika Sarabhai, has alleged that limitations have been placed on her freedom of expression in her new academic role. In a candid Facebook post on Wednesday, Sarabhai reflected on her experience, writing: "Today I got my first taste of what it means to be the Chancellor of a University. Restricted speech." Her remarks come in the wake of an ongoing protest by ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in Thrissur, who are demanding better wages and improved working conditions. She expressed her support for the cause, stating that ASHA workers are "ill paid and used" despite the critical work they perform across the country. Sarabhai also highlighted a citizens' crowdfunding initiative, led by noted writer and activist Sarah Joseph, to support the workers in Thrissur, in which she has been invited to participate on Thursday. However, Sarabhai revealed that after expressing her personal opinion on the issue, she was seemingly advised against doing so, leading her to question the constraints now placed upon her public voice. "There is an ASHA workers agitation on in Thrissur about increasing their pay. I believe these workers everywhere do very important work and are ill paid and used. Sarah Joseph is leading a citizens' crowd funding to increase their salary. "I was asked for my opinion and gave it as me, as I have done all my life. Oh, not allowed any more. Hmmm. How do I stop being me? Do I even want to?" she wrote on her Facebook page. She has not disclosed who attempted to impose these restrictions on her freedom of expression. Condemning the alleged curbs, a leader of the protesting ASHA workers said they expect Sarabhai to participate in the protest online on Thursday evening. Neither the Left government nor the university authorities have reacted to the allegations so far. The Left government appointed Sarabhai as the Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University for Art and Culture on December 6, 2022.
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mallika Sarabhai alleges restrictions on free expression as chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam
Thrissur , Renowned dancer, activist, and Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam, Mallika Sarabhai, has alleged that limitations have been placed on her freedom of expression in her new academic role. In a candid Facebook post on Wednesday, Sarabhai reflected on her experience, writing: "Today I got my first taste of what it means to be the Chancellor of a University. Restricted speech." Her remarks come in the wake of an ongoing protest by ASHA workers in Thrissur, who are demanding better wages and improved working conditions. She expressed her support for the cause, stating that ASHA workers are "ill paid and used" despite the critical work they perform across the country. Sarabhai also highlighted a citizens' crowdfunding initiative, led by noted writer and activist Sarah Joseph, to support the workers in Thrissur, in which she has been invited to participate on Thursday. However, Sarabhai revealed that after expressing her personal opinion on the issue, she was seemingly advised against doing so, leading her to question the constraints now placed upon her public voice. "There is an ASHA workers agitation on in Thrissur about increasing their pay. I believe these workers everywhere do very important work and are ill paid and used. Sarah Joseph is leading a citizens' crowd funding to increase their salary. "I was asked for my opinion and gave it as me, as I have done all my life. Oh, not allowed any more. Hmmm. How do I stop being me? Do I even want to?" she wrote on her Facebook page. She has not disclosed who attempted to impose these restrictions on her freedom of expression. Condemning the alleged curbs, a leader of the protesting ASHA workers said they expect Sarabhai to participate in the protest online on Thursday evening. Neither the Left government nor the university authorities have reacted to the allegations so far. The Left government appointed Sarabhai as the Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University for Art and Culture on December 6, 2022.
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion Remembering K Kasturirangan: Man and the mission
Every time a person in one of India's 115 'backward' districts logs in to the internet or the weather office issues an alert to farmers, or people receive a timely cyclone warning, the country reaps the benefits of research by scientists at its premier space agency — ISRO. Unlike their counterparts in the US or the former Soviet Union, India's science planners did not envision the country's space programme as an extension of the country's geopolitical ambitions. India, instead, used its satellites as developmental and modernising forces. K Kasturirangan, who died on Friday at the age of 84, played a defining role in this endeavour. From being part of the team that launched India's first satellite, Aryabhatta, to preparing the groundwork for the missions to Mars and the Moon, the astrophysicist left his mark on virtually every landmark development in the country's space odyssey. As ISRO's head from 1994 to 2003, he steered the agency during a particularly challenging period when India faced strict international restrictions on access to technology. Early in his career, Kasturirangan was mentored by Vikram Sarabhai. The doyen of India's space programme believed that funding constraints shouldn't restrict India's technology ambitions. Sarabhai's mantra, 'doing more with less', was at the core of the space technology developed during Kasturirangan's leadership of the agency. After the 1998 nuclear tests, India was denied the crucial cryogenic technology without which a well-developed space programme could not be built. Kasturirangan, therefore, set great store on indigenisation. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, perfected under his stewardship of ISRO, became a reliable launcher, whose affordability attracted international clients. Sarabhai's influence was writ large on ISRO's remote sensing initiatives that aimed to provide the benefits of India's space research to farmers, fishing communities, and participants in the health and education sectors. At the same time, Kasturirangan was also a leading voice in the post-liberalisation science policy firmament which believed that India of the 1990s was poised to join the ranks of space superpowers. The fact that the missions to Mars and the Moon cost a fraction of other global interplanetary missions is a testament to the innovations of Kasturirangan's team. Kasturirangan was respected, across political circles, not just as a space scientist but as a scholar who understood the links between knowledge and society. In 2012, the UPA government chose him to head a committee to deal with the complex question of nature-human interaction in the Western Ghats. Five years later, he chaired a panel set up by the Narendra Modi government to draft the New National Education Policy. Kasturirangan will be remembered as a scholar who played a leading role in India's ascent in the global knowledge economy.
