Podcasts about Kashmir

“Vidya Dadati Vinayam” — Knowledge Bestows HumilityA principle that echoes through India's military education system and finds a living embodiment in today's guest.In Season 5 Episode 7 of “Call of Duty – Real Soldiers, Real Stories,” ​​Roots of Resilience, we bring you the extraordinary journey of Major General Vir Kumar Bhat, Vishisht Seva Medal (Retd) - a soldier, scholar, and educationist whose life bridges the mountains of Kashmir, the classrooms of military institutions, and the strategic halls of Army Headquarters.Born in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, in a family devoted to education, his early years were shaped by both learning and the turmoil of migration faced by many Kashmiri families. These experiences built a quiet resilience and inner strength, and colleagues often describe him as a calm, composed leader whom little could ruffle, always facing challenges with clarity and dignity.“Call of Duty - Real Soldiers, Real Stories” -where we bring you the voices, values, and journeys of real soldiers from the Indian Armed Forces.Available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Anchor Podcasts & Amazon MusicPodcast Producers: Poonam Joshy Nandita Sankaran Prakrati AgrawalMusic Credits: Colonel V. D. SinghContact Us: podcastcallofduty@gmail.comFollow Us:Instagram: @callofdutypodcastFacebook: Call of Duty – Real Soldiers Real Stories

“Vidya Dadati Vinayam” — Knowledge Bestows HumilityA principle that echoes through India's military education system and finds a living embodiment in today's guest.In Season 5 Episode 7 of “Call of Duty – Real Soldiers, Real Stories,” ​​Roots of Resilience, we bring you the extraordinary journey of Major General Vir Kumar Bhat, Vishisht Seva Medal (Retd) - a soldier, scholar, and educationist whose life bridges the mountains of Kashmir, the classrooms of military institutions, and the strategic halls of Army Headquarters.Born in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, in a family devoted to education, his early years were shaped by both learning and the turmoil of migration faced by many Kashmiri families. These experiences built a quiet resilience and inner strength, and colleagues often describe him as a calm, composed leader whom little could ruffle, always facing challenges with clarity and dignity.“Call of Duty - Real Soldiers, Real Stories” -where we bring you the voices, values, and journeys of real soldiers from the Indian Armed Forces.Available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Anchor Podcasts & Amazon MusicPodcast Producers: Poonam Joshy Nandita Sankaran Prakrati AgrawalMusic Credits: Colonel V. D. SinghContact Us: podcastcallofduty@gmail.comFollow Us:Instagram: @callofdutypodcastFacebook: Call of Duty – Real Soldiers Real Stories

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama have lauded the support given by Christian churches during the centenary celebrations. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

The 2025–26 Ranji Trophy quarterfinals concluded with historic upsets and dominant performances, setting the stage for the semifinals starting February 15.Jammu & Kashmir made history by reaching its first-ever semifinal, defeating Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs. Pacer Auqib Nabi was the hero, taking a remarkable 12 wickets in the match.Bengal crushed Andhra by an innings and 90 runs, fueled by Sudip Kumar Gharami's mammoth 299.Karnataka knocked out 42-time champion Mumbai in a thriller, winning by four wickets, thanks to a clutch century from KL Rahul.Uttarakhand advanced with a clinical innings-and-six-run victory over Jharkhand.Semifinal Matchups:Bengal vs. Jammu & KashmirKarnataka vs. Uttarakhand

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Sri Lanka's Anglican Church has called for the withdrawal of the proposed law granting sweeping powers to authorities that could undermine fundamental constitutional rights of citizens. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Envisioning Hopeful Futures Host Miko Lee speaks with two Bay Area artists, activists, and social change makers: Tara Dorabji and Cece Carpio. Both of these powerful people have been kicking it up in the bay for a minute. They worked in arts administration as community organizers and as artist activists.   LINKS TO OUR GUESTS WORK Tara Dorabji Author's website New book Call Her Freedom Find more information about what is happening in Kashmir Stand With Kashmir Cece Carpio  Tabi Tabi Po running at Somarts   SHOW Transcript Opening Music: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express. Miko Lee: Good evening. I'm your host Miko Lee, and tonight I have the pleasure of speaking with two Bay Area local artists, activists, and social change makers, Tara Dorabji and Cece Carpio. Both of these powerful people have been kicking it up in the bay for a minute. They worked in arts administration as community organizers and as artist activists. I so love aligning with these multi hyphenated women whose works you can catch right now. First up, I talk with my longtime colleague, Tara Dorabji Tara is an award-winning writer whose first book Call Her Freedom just came out in paperback. And I just wanna give a little background that over a decade ago I met Tara at a workshop with the Great Marshall Gantz, and we were both asked to share our stories with the crowd. During a break, Tara came up to me and said, Hey, are you interested in joining our radio show, Apex Express? And that began my time with Apex and the broader Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality community. So if you hear a tinge of familiarity and warmth in the interview, that's because it's real and the book is so great. Please check it out and go to a local bookstore and listen next to my chat with Tara. Welcome Tara Dorabji to Apex Express.  Tara Dorabji: Thank you so much for having me. It's wonderful to be with you, Miko. Miko Lee: And you're actually the person who pulled me into Apex Express many a moon ago, and so now times have changed and I'm here interviewing you about your book Call Her Freedom, which just was released in paperback, right? Tara Dorabji: Yep. It's the one year book-anniversary. Miko Lee: Happy book anniversary. Let's go back and start with a little bit for our audience. They may have heard you, if they've been a long time Apex listener, but you as an artist, as a creator, as a change maker tell me who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Tara Dorabji: Who are my people? My people I would say are those who really align with truth. Truth in the heart. That's like at the very core of it. And I'm from the Bay Area. I've been organizing in the Bay a long time. I started out organizing around contaminated sites from nuclear weapons. I've moved into organizing with young people and supporting storytelling. So arts and culture has been a huge part of it. Of course, KPFA has been a big part of my journey, amplifying stories that have been silenced, and I think in terms of legacy, I've been thinking about this more and more. I think it goes into two categories for me. One are the relationships and who remembers you and and those deep heart connections. So that's one part. And then for my artistry, it's the artists that come and can create. On the work that I've done and from that create things that I couldn't even imagine. And so I really think that's the deepest gift is not the art that you're able to make, but what you create so that others can continue to create. Miko Lee: Thank you so much for sharing the deep kind of legacy and sense of collaboration that you've had with all these different artists that you've worked with and it's, your work is very powerful. I read it a year ago when it first came out, and I love that it's out in paper back now. Can you tell our audience what inspired Call her Freedom. Tara Dorabji: Call Her Freedom is very much inspired by the independence movement in Indian occupied Kashmir. And for me it was during the summer uprisings when, and this was way back in, In 2010-2009, after the Arab Spring and for the entire summer, Kashmir would be striking. It would shut down from mothers, grandmothers, women, children in the street. This huge nonviolent uprising, and I was really drawn to how it's both one of the most militarized zones on earth. And how there was this huge nonviolent uprising happening and questions about what it could look like, even like liberation beyond the nation state. And so I was really drawn to that. My dad's from Bombay, from Mumbai, that's the occupying side of it, and ethnically we're Parsi. So from Persia a thousand years ago. And so I think for me, at a personal level, there's this question of, okay, my people have been welcomed and assimilated for generations, and yet you have indigenous folks to the region that are under a complete seizure and occupation as part of the post-colonial legacy. And so I went and when I went to Kashmir for the first time was in 2011, and I was there. Right when the state was verifying mass graves and was able to meet with human rights workers and defenders, and there was a woman whose husband had disappeared and she talked to me about going to the graves and she told me, she said I wanted to crawl in and hug those bones. Those are the lost and stolen brothers, sons, uncles, those are our people. And another woman I spoke to talked about how it gave her hope for the stories to carry beyond the region and for other people to hear them. And so that became a real core part of my work and really what call her freedom is born from. Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing and I know that you did a film series and I wonder if you could about Kashmir and about what's going on, and I think that's great because so many times we in American media don't really hear what's going on in these occupied lands. Can you talk a little bit about how the interconnectedness of your film series and the book and was that part of your research? Was it woven together? How did you utilize those two art forms?  Tara Dorabji: I think we're both accidental filmmakers. That might be another way that our cross, our paths cross. In terms of medium. So for me, I was actually working with Youth Speaks the Brave New Voices Network at that time and doing a lot of short form. So video content, three minutes, 10 minutes, six minutes. And it was playing really well and what I was seeing coming outta kir by local filmmakers was beautiful, gorgeous, highly repressed work generally, longer form, and not always immediately accessible to an audience that didn't have context, that hadn't been, didn't understand. And my thinking was this was a gap I could fill. I had experience, not as a filmmaker, but like overseeing film teams doing the work, right? And then here are some of the most silent stories of our time. So when I went back to do book research in 2018, I was like, Hey, why don't I make some short form films now? I didn't even know what I was getting into. And also I think. When you go in as a novelist, you're absorbing your hearing and it takes time. There's no clock. It was, it's been the hardest project to get from start to finish. And I couldn't be like, okay, Miko, like I've done it once. Now this is how you do it. And when people trust you with their story, there's an urgency. So throughout the whole project, I was always seeking form. So my first trip went straight to KPFA radio. Took the stories, project sensor, took the stories, and so I wanted to build on that. And so the documentary films provided a more some are, I'm still working on, but there was some immediacy that I could release, at least the first film and the second film, and also I could talk about how can this work dovetail with campaigns happening on the ground and how can my work accelerate what human rights defenders are doing? So the first film here still was released with the first comprehensive report on torture from the region. And so it gave that report a whole different dimension in terms of conversation and accessibility. It was a difficult film but necessary, and because I had to spend so much time with. It was a difficult film but necessary, and because I had to spend so much time with transcribing, watching the footage over and over again, it really did inform my research from the B-roll to sitting and hearing the content and also for what people were willing to share. I think people shared in a different way during video interviews than when I was there for novel research. So it worked really well. And what I am, I think most proud of is that the work was able to serve what people were doing in a really good way, even though it's really difficult work.  Miko Lee: It built on the communication strategies of those issues like the torture report and others that you're working on.  Tara Dorabji: Exactly. And in that way I wasn't just coming and taking stories, I was applying storytelling to the legal advocacy strategies that were underway. And, you make mistakes, so it's not like there weren't difficulties in the production and all of that. And then also being able to work with creatives on the ground and at times it just. You, it became increasingly difficult, like any type of money going out was too heavily scrutinized. But for a time you could work with creatives as part of the projects in the region and then that's also super exciting.    [00:11:18] Miko Lee: Yeah. Can you talk a little bit more, I heard you say something about how the, when people are telling your story for the novel versus telling the story for the video that the cadence changes. Can you share a little bit more about what you mean by that?    Tara Dorabji: Yeah, I think when I'm doing novel research, it's very expansive, so I'm dealing with these really big questions like, what is freedom? How do you live in it? How do you, how do you choose freedom when your rights are being eroded? And so that conversation, you could take me in so many different directions, but if I am focused on a very specific, okay, I'm doing a short documentary film around torture, we're gonna go into those narratives. Or if I'm coming with a film medium, like people just see it differently and they'll speak and tell their stories differently than with a novel. It's gonna be fictionalized. Some of it might get in there or not. And also with a novel, I don't ever, I don't take people and apply them to fiction. I have characters that like, I guess come to me and then they're threaded through with reality. So one character may hold anecdotes from like dozens of different people and are threaded through. And so in that way you're just taking like bits and pieces become part of it, but. You don't get to see yourself in the same way that you do with the film. So in some ways. It can be safer when the security environment is as extreme as is as it is right now. But there's also this real important part of documentary film where it's people are expressing themselves in their own words, and I'm just curating the container.  Miko Lee: Was there an issue like getting film out during the time that you were doing the documentary work? Because I've heard from other folks that were in Kashmir that were talking about smuggling film, trying to upload it and finding different, did you have to deal with any of that, or was that before the hardest crackdown? Tara Dorabji: I mean there were, there's been series, so 2019 was abrogation where there was a six month media blockade. And so just your ability to upload and download. And so that was after I had been there. The environment was there was challenges to the environment. I was there for a short time and you just come and you go. You just do what you're gonna do and you be discreet. Miko Lee: And what is going on in Kashmir now?  Tara Dorabji: The situation is really difficult. One of the lead leads of the report on torture and coordinator from the human rights group that put, that helped put out that report has been incarcerated for four years Koran Perve. Miko Lee: Based on what?  Tara Dorabji: His human rights work. So they've just been detaining him and the United Nations keeps calling for his release.  Miko Lee: And what do they give a reason even?  Tara Dorabji: They, it's yeah, they give all kinds of trumped up charges about the state and terrorism and this and that. And also. One of the journalists and storyteller and artists in the first film that I released, Iran Raj, he's been incarcerated for two years. He was taken shortly after he was married, the press, the media has been dismantled. So there was, prolific local press. Now it's very few and it's all Indian State sponsored narrative propaganda coming through. ] Miko Lee: How are concerned folks here in the US able to get any news about what's happening in Kashmere, what's really going down?  ara Dorabji: It's really hard. Stand with cashmere is a really good source. That's one. There's cashmere awareness. There's a few different outlets that cover what happens, but it's very difficult to be getting the information and there's a huge amount of repression. So I definitely think the more instagram orgs, like the organizations that go straight to the ground and then are having reels and short information and stories on Instagram is some of the most accurate information because the longer form journalism. It is just not happening right now. In that way people are being locked up and the press is being dismantled and people running, the papers are being charged. It's just horrendous. Entire archives are being pulled and destroyed. So hard. Really hard. So those, Stand With Kashmir is my go-to source, and then I see where else they're looking.  Miko Lee: So your book Call Her Freedom is a fictionalized version, but it's based around the real situation of what's been going on in Kashmir. Can you share a little bit more about your book, about what people should expect and about what you want them to walk away with understanding.  Tara Dorabji: It's a mother daughter story. It's a love story. It's about love and loss and families, how you find home when it's taken. And the mom is no Johan. She's a healer. She's a midwife. She has a complex relationship with her daughter and she haunts the book. So the story told from multiple points of view, we never get and ignore the mom's head, but. She comes back as she has a lot to say. And I think it's interesting too because in this village that's largely run by men, you have these two women living by themselves and really determining their own fate. And a lot of it has to do with both nors ability to look at ancient healing practices, but also a commitment that her daughter gets educated. And so she really like positions her daughter in between the worlds and all the while you have increasing militarization. And Aisha starts as a young girl just starting school. And then at the end of the story, she's a grandmother. We get to see her relationships evolve, her relationship with love evolve, and a lot of the imperfections in it. And one of the things in writing this is when you're dealing. Living in occupation, there's still the day-to-day challenges that so many of us endure. And you have these other layers that are horrific.  Miko Lee: Yeah. And I'm wondering how much of yourself as a mother you embedded into the book as a mother, as an activist, as a mother of daughters, how much of yourself do you feel like you put into the book?  Tara Dorabji: A ton. It's my heart and spirit in there. And there were some really, there's this scene where the mom does die, and I actually wrote that before my mom passed away. And I do remember like after my mom died, going through and editing that part. And it was just like. It was really, it was super intense and yeah, I mean it definitely made me cry and it was also like the emotion was already there, which was interesting for me to have written it before but then have it come back and a full circle, I think.  Miko Lee: So did you change it after you experienced your own mom dying?  Tara Dorabji: It was soft edits. In my second novel, there's a scene and it, that one completely changed 'cause I didn't hit the emotion. Emotional tenor, right? It's funny, but in this one it was pretty good. I was like, I did pretty good on that one. But yeah, so it was just like tinkering with it a little. I think also my daughters were about four when I started.  Miko Lee: Oh, wow.  Tara Dorabji: And it came out as, when they're 18. So the other part was I was able to use their age references constantly throughout it because. I could just map to what it's like being a mom of a kid that age. So I did ob yeah, definitely used my own. So it's an amalgam and also it's fictionalized. So in the book, it's not Kashmir, it's Poshkarbal there's right a village. And so trying to take people out of something that they can identify as reality, but then at the same time, you can see the threads of reality and create a new experience. Miko Lee: So since you brought that up, tell us about the next book that you're working on right now.  Tara Dorabji: Yes, it's still very much in a draft form, but takes place here in the Bay Area. Similar themes around militarization, family secret love, lineage loss, and part of it's in Livermore Home to one of the world's nuclear weapons lab. Mm-hmm. Part of it's in San Francisco, so exploring into the future tech, AI, and. There's an underpinning around humans' relationship to technology, and I think at this point. We know that technology isn't gonna solve the crisis of technology. And so also looking at our relationship to land and culture and lineage. So there's, it's about, now I'm looking at about a hundred year span in it.  Miko Lee: Wow. Really?  Tara Dorabji: Yeah. Contained with the geography of the Bay Area  Miko Lee: Toward the future. Toward the past? Tara Dorabji: both past and future Miko Lee: Whoa. Interesting.  Tara Dorabji: Yeah.  Miko Lee: I'm reading Empire of AI right now. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but, oh, the AI stuff is so deeply disturbing about humanity. You're really thinking about where we're going, so I'm curious to find out your fictionalized versions of the impact.  Tara Dorabji: It's a major change we're going through. Yeah, and you and I grew up in a time when we didn't have cell phones and we used maps, and Yeah. If I was gonna meet you, I had to be there and we'd have to make a plan in advance and yeah. It's just shifting so rapidly. So we went  Miko Lee: through that. Even how to read a, how to read a clock like my girls, I had to show them as adults how to read a clock. Wow, I didn't realize these things. Our world is so digitized that even the most basic, that concepts ha how are shifting and even fine motor skills. Like most young people do not have good, fine motor skills.  Tara Dorabji: Yeah.  Miko Lee: Because they're just used to being on their phone all the time.  Tara Dorabji: Yes, and the, and I would give it is during the rain over the holidays, there is just always a family out with a small child in their yellow rain boots. And the kid like reaching into the tree, grabbing, smelling it dad or mom holding them. And so there are these anchors.  Miko Lee: Yeah.  Tara Dorabji: And even though humanity is accelerating in this one way, that's very scary and digitize. It's like the anchor of the earth in our community and our relationships still is holding us. Some of, you know, there's still that pull. And so I think that how people form their communities in the future and the way that. The choices that are gonna be made are just gonna become increasingly difficult. We faced it in our generation, parenting around cell phones, social media. We're seeing that impact of the suicidality, all of those things coming up. And that's gonna accelerate. So I do think it's, definitely a major change in transition some dark times, but also some really beautiful possibilities still rooting in our communities and in the world.  Miko Lee: And because we both work in movement spaces, I'm really curious I heard you talk a lot about connection and land and I'm just curious in your book. I got this vibe and I know a lot of the work that we do in the community. I'm wondering if you could speak a little bit on the land back movement internationally. In so many of those spaces, women are at the forefront of that. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that.  Tara Dorabji: That's one of the most exciting things happening right now is the land back movement. In my younger days when I was studying what determines a woman's quality of life internationally at a scale, it's, it was really came down to land ownership. So in societies where land ownership went to women, they were able, and it was like. Outpaced by far, education and those other things is like that access to the land and the resource in that way. And land back is an acceleration of that, and I think particularly when we're looking at a lot of questions around philanthropy, spun downs, how it's done. When you transition an asset back into the community as land and land stewardship, right? Because then there's like the ownership for the stewardship and yeah, the different ways that it's done. But that is a lasting impact for that community. And so often when you're investing in women. Then it goes not just in terms of their quality of life, but the children, right? And the whole community tends to benefit from that. And I think even looking at Kir in the, one of the things that always has fascinated me is Kashmir during, it was independence was a carve up by the British, so that's a post-colonial strategy to keep people fighting. That has been very successful in the subcontinent. Kashmir had  Miko Lee: all over the world.  Tara Dorabji: Exactly. And Kashmir had a semi-autonomous status. That's what was really stripped in 2019, was that article from the Constitution. And so in the very early days when their autonomy was stronger, they started some pretty revolutionary land reforms. And so there was actually clauses where the people that were working the land could have it. And people Kashmiris were transferring land. To two other cashmeres. And so it was this radical re resource redistribution and you have a really strong legacy of feminism and women protesting and leading in Kashmir and I think that part from my perspective is that was a threat. This fear of redistribution of resources, land distribution other areas started to follow suit and the nation state didn't want that to happen. They wanted a certain type of concentration of wealth. And so I think that was one of the factors that. There were many, but I do think that was one that contributed to it. So I do think this idea of land backed land reform is extraordinarily important, and particularly looking at our own relationship with it. How do we steward it? How do we stop stripping the land? Of its resources and start realigning our relationship to it where humans are supposed to be the caretakers. Not the ones taking from.  Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing. I was thinking so much about your book, but also about the movement that we live in and the more positive visions of the future. Because right now it's devastating all the things that are happening in our communities. So I'm trying to be a bit hopeful and honestly just to keep through it make sure that we get through each day. Given so many of our brothers and sisters are at risk right now I'm wondering what gives you hope these days?  Tara Dorabji: Yeah, a lot of things do, I think like when I do try to take the breaths for the grief and the devastation because that loss of life is deep and it's heavy and it's real and it's mounting. So one, not to shy away from feeling it. Obviously not, it's hard. You don't want to 24 7, but when it comes in to let it come in and move through. And for me it's also this idea of not. It's just like living in hope. How do you live each moment and hope? And so a big part of it for me is natural beauty, like just noticing the beauty around me and filling myself up in it because that can never be taken away. And I think also in some of the most violent acts that are being committed right now, the way people are meeting them with a pure heart.  Miko Lee: Yeah.  Tara Dorabji: It's like you can't stop, like that's unstoppable is like that beauty and that purity and that love. And so to try to live in love, to try to ground in hope and to try to really take in the beauty. And then also like how do we treat each other day to day, and really take the time to be kind to one another. To slow it down and connect. So there are, these are tremendously difficult times. I think that reality of instability, political violence, assassination, disappearances, paramilitary have come visibly. They've been in the country, but at a, in the US at a more quiet pace, and now it's so visible and visceral  Miko Lee: And blatant. Yeah. It's just out there. There's no, they're not hiding about it. They're just out there saying out there, roaming the streets of Minnesota right now and other states to come. It's pretty wild.  Tara Dorabji: Yeah. And I think that the practice is not to move in fear. The grief is there, the rage and outrage can be there. But the love and the beauty exists in our communities and and in the young people. Miko Lee: Yeah.  Tara Dorabji: And our elders too. There's so much wisdom in our, in the elders. So really soaking up those lessons as much as possible.  Miko Lee: Thank you so much for chatting with me and I hope everybody that checks out your book call Her Freedom, which has gotten some acclaim, won some awards, been out there, people can have access to it in Paper Book. We'll put a link in our show notes so people can have access to buy it from an independent bookstore.  Tara Dorabji: Thank you so much. Wonderful to catch up and thank you for all your work on Apex as well.  Miko Lee: Thank you. Next up, take a listen to “Live It Up” by Bay Area's Power Struggle.    MUSIC “Live It Up” by Bay Area's Power Struggle.  Next up I chat with Visual artist, cultural strategist and Dream Weaver, Cece Carpio about her solo exhibition that is up and running right now at SOMArts through March. Welcome, Cece Carpio to Apex Express.   [00:33:37] Cece Carpio: Thank you for having me here.   [00:33:39] Miko Lee: I am so excited to talk with you, and I wanna start with my very first question that I ask all of my guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? [00:33:52] Cece Carpio: That's a packed question and something I love. just in terms of where I come from, I was born and raised in the Philippines, small little farming village town, and migrated as my first so ground in the United States here in San Francisco. So my peoples consists of many different beings in all track of. The world whom I met, who I've loved and fought with, and, relate with and connect with and vision the world with. So that includes my family, both blood and extended, and the people who are here claiming the streets and claiming. Claiming our nation and claiming our world to make sure that we live in the world, that we wanna envision, that we are visioning, that we are creating. I track along indigenous immigrant folks in diaspora. black, indigenous people of color, community, queer folks, and those are folks that resonate in, identify and relate, and live, and pray and play and create art with.  [00:35:11] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. And do you wanna talk, chat a little bit about the legacy that you carry with you? [00:35:16] Cece Carpio: I carry a legacy of. Lovers and fighters, who are moving and shaking things, who are creating things, who are the healers, the teachers, the artists and it's a lot of load to carry in some extent, but something I'm very proud of, and those are the folks I'm also rocking with right now. I think we're still continuing and we're still making that legacy. And those are the people that are constantly breathing on my neck to make sure that I'm doing and walking the path. And it's a responsibility I don't take lightly, but it's also a responsibility I take proudly. [00:35:58] Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing. We are talking today because you have an exhibit that's at SOMArts Space, your first solo exhibit, and it's running all the way through March 29th, and it's called Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out With the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here First, tell me about the title and what that evokes for you. [00:36:18] Cece Carpio: Yes, so Tabi Tabi Po is a saying from the Philippines that essentially. Acknowledge, like it's most often used when you walk in the forest. And I think collectively acknowledge that there are other beings and spirits there beyond ourselves. So it's asking for permission. It's almost kind of like, excuse me, we're walking your territory right now. And, acknowledging that they're there and acknowledging that we're here or present and that, we're about to. Coexist in that space for that moment. So can we please come through? I think this is also not just like my open idea and choosing this title is not that we're only just coming through, but we're actually coming out to hang out for a little while and see what's happening here and kick it. Opening up space and welcoming folks who wants to come out and play with us and who wants to come and share the space.  [00:37:15] Miko Lee: Ooh. I really love that. I feel that when I walk in the forest to this ancestors that are with us. That's beautiful. This is your first solo exhibit, so I'm wondering what that feels like. You have been a cultural bearer for a really long time, and also an arts administrator. So what does it feel like to have your first solo exhibit and see so much of all of your work all around?  [00:37:36] Cece Carpio: Well, I'm a public artist. Most of the stuff that I've been doing the last decade has been out in public, creating murals and installations and activations, in different public spaces, and went somewhere. Specifically Carolina, who is the curator at SOMA have asked me to do this. To be honest, I was a little bit hesitant because I'm like, oh, it's a big space. I don't know. 'cause I've done group exhibitions in different parts of the years, but most of the stuff I do are affordable housing to like public activations to support the movement. Then I kind of retracted back and it's like, maybe this is the next step that I wanna explore. And it was a beautiful and amazing decision to work alongside so Mars and Carolina to make this happen 'cause I don't think it would've happened the way we did it in any other space, and it was amazing. Stressful that moments because I was still doing other projects and as I tried to conceive of a 2000 square footage gallery and so my district in San Francisco. But it was also the perfect opportunity. 'cause my community, my folks are here and. We are saying that it's a solo exhibition, but it really did take the village to make it all happen, and, which was one of my favorite part because I've been tracking this stem for so long and he is like folks on my back and I wanted to tell both my stories and our stories together. It was very opening, very humbling. Very vulnerable and exciting. All at the same time, I was able to talk or explore other mediums within the show. I've never really put out my writing out into public and is a big part and component of the exhibition as well as creating installations in the space. Alongside, what I do, which is painting mostly. But to be honest, the painting part is probably just half of the show. So it was beautiful to play and explore those different parts of me that was also playing with the notion of private and public, like sharing some of my own stories is something as I'm still trying to find ease and comfort in. Because as a public artist, I'm mostly translating our collective stories out, to be a visual language for folks to see. So this time around I was challenged a little bit to be like, what is it that you wanna share? What is it that you wanna tell? And that part was both scary and exciting. And, and he was, it was wonderful. It was great. I thought he was received well. And also, it was actually very relieving to share parts and pieces of me out with my community who have known for a long time. There were still different parts of that there were just now still learning. [00:40:39] Miko Lee: What did you discover about yourself as you're kind of grappling with this public versus private presentation? [00:40:45] Cece Carpio: What I learned about myself through this process is I can actually pretty shy. I mean, I might be, you know, um, contrary to like popular belief, but it was definitely, I'm like, Ooh, I don't know. I don't know. My folks who had been standing close with me, just like, this is dope. And also just in the whole notion that, the more personal it is, the more universal it becomes and learning that, being able to share those part of me in a way of just for the pure sake of sharing, actually allows more people to resonate and relate, and connect, which at this moment in time is I thing very necessary for all of us to know who our peoples are when this tyranny, trying to go and divide us and trying to go and separate us and trying to go and erase us. So I think there's something really beautiful in being able to find those connections with folks and spaces and places that otherwise wouldn't have opened up if you weren't sharing parts and pieces of each other.   [00:42:00] Miko Lee: That's so interesting. The more personal, kind of vulnerable you make yourself, the more it resonates with folks around the world. I think that's such a powerful sentiment because the, even just having a gallery, any piece of artwork is like a piece of yourself. So opening up a huge space like Somar, it's, that's like, come on in people. Thank you for sharing with us. To your point about the shocking, horrible, challenging, awful times that we live in. As we talk right now, which is Saturday, January 31st, there protests going on all around the country. I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about what it means to be a visual artist, a cultural bearer in a time of fascism and in a time of struggle. [00:42:43] Cece Carpio: Well, if you go and see the exhibition, that's actually very much intertwined. My practice has always been intertwined with, creating a vision in solidarity with our communities who are believing and fighting for another world that's possible. My practice of this work has been embedded and rooted with the movement and with organizations and people who have the same goals and dreams to, bring in presence and existence of just us regular, everyday people who are still fighting to just be here to exist. So just to your question of, but what it means to do this work at this time. I think it is the imagination. It is the creativity that allow us to imagine something different. It is the imagination, it is the dreams that allow us to create that. Other world that we wanna envision when, everything else around us is telling us another way that's not really the best for ourselves and for our peoples and for the future generations that's gonna be carrying this load for us. And with this. In so many ways, a lot of my. my creating process, my making process has always carried that, and even myself, immigrating to this place that was once foreign is figuring out where I can belong. My art practice has not only been a way in which I express myself, but it has been the way in which I navigate the world. That's how I relate to people. That's how I am able to be part of different groups and community. And it's also how I communicate. , And that's always been, and still is a very big portion of my own practice.   [00:44:37] Miko Lee: Can you share a little bit more about your arts practice, especially when we're living in times where, people are trying to get a paycheck and then go to the rally, and then maybe phone banking and organizing and there's so many outside pressures for us to just continue to move on and be in community and be in movement work. I'm wondering how do you do it? Do you carve out times? Is it in your dreams? Where and how do you put yourself in your arts practice. [00:45:04] Cece Carpio: I don't think there is a wrong or right way of doing this. I think being an artist, it is not only about being creative on what, a paint on the walls, it is about being creative on how you live your life. I don't know if there's a formula and it's also been something that, to be honest, it's a real conversation. I mean, most of us artists. We're asking each other that, you know, like You do it. How do you figure out, like how do you add hours in your day? How do you continue doing what it is that you love and still fall in love with it when we're under capitalism trying to survive, all these different things. Everyone has a different answer and everyone has different ways of doing it. I'm just kind of figuring it out as I go, you know? I'm an independent artist. It is the center of the work that I do, both as a livelihood and as a creative practice, as a spiritual practice, as a connective practice. This is what I do. For me it is just like finding my peoples who wants to come and trek along. Finding folks who wants to support and make it happen. Beyond painting on walls, I'm also an educator. I've taught and pretty much most of the different levels of, what this nation's education system is like and still do that in practice, in both workshops, , sometimes classrooms, community group workshops and folks who wants to learn stern, both technical and also like conceptual skills. I consider myself also a cultural strategist, within a lot of my public activation and how I can support the movement is not just, creating banners or like little cards, but actually how to strategize how we utilize art. To speak of those things unspoken. But to gather folks together in order to create gateways for, other everyday folks who might not be as involved with, doesn't have time or availability or access to be involved to make our revolution irresistible. Many different cultural strategist comes together and we produce public art activations to make it both irresistible, but also to provide access, to folks who otherwise probably would just walk by and have to go to their everyday grind to just make it on this work. As long as I see it aligned within kind of divisions that we have together to consistently rise up and get our stories known and become. Both a visual translator but also a visual communicator in spaces and places sometimes, you know, unexpected, like for example, within the protest when protest is over, like what are left behind within those spaces where we can create memories. And not just like a moment in time, but actually how do we mark. The space and places we share and that we learn from and that we do actions with. We can make a mark and let it be seen.   [00:48:05] Miko Lee: Thank you for that. I'm wondering, as you're talking about your profound work, and how you move through the world, I'm wondering who are some of the artists that inspire you right now?  [00:48:17] Cece Carpio: So many, so many folks. Artists at this moment have been becoming vital because of the intensity of our political climate that's happening. There's so many artists right now who are. doing a lot of amazing, amazing things. I definitely always have to give shout out to my mama, Esra, which is one Alicia, who's just consistently and prolifically still creating things. And she, I've been doing and collaborating with her for many, many years. What I think I really love and enjoy is that she's continuously doing it and like it gives us more hunger to like, all right, we gotta catch up. it's amazing and  [00:48:58] Miko Lee: beautiful. Amazing work.  [00:49:00] Cece Carpio: Yes, and I've been very fortunate and been very lucky to be part of an artist Has been such an inspiration , and a collaborator and in the many process of the different works that we do. So some of the crew members definitely shout out to my brother Miguel to, folks like Frankie and Sean Sacramento. Then we have span over in New York, like we've, we're now spreading like Voltron. ‘ve been very lucky to have some amazing people around me that love doing the same things who are my family. We're continuing to do that. So many more. It's really countless. I feel like I definitely have learned my craft and this trait by. Both being out there and making happen and then meeting folks along the way who actually are in the same path. And it's such a beautiful meeting and connection when that happens. Not only just in path of creating work, but, and path of we down to do something together. There's so many, there's so many. It's so nameless.  [00:50:05] Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing some of them, some of the artists that helped to feed you, and I'm sure you feed them. You just have finished up an artist in residence with the Ohlone people. I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit about what that experience was like being an artist in residence there. [00:50:21] Cece Carpio: It has been an amazing, and the relationship continues. Karina actually gave the spirit plate on the opening, which is such a big honor because I consider her, both a mentor and a comrade and, and  [00:50:34] Miko Lee: Karina Gold, the Chair of the Ohlone tribe.  [00:50:38] Cece Carpio: Yes. And who I have such admiration for, because if. Both integrity and also the knowledge that she carries and the work that she's doing and how she opens it up for different folks. How she walks is such a big part of how that collaboration started in the first place. As an indigenous immigrant that's been consistent. Like what does even mean to be indigenous in the land that's not yours, you know? Just the notion of what is our responsibility as stewards of this land to live on stolen land? I had this specific skill that I wanted to share, and they were more than willing, and open to dream together of what that could look like and was able to do. Many different projects and different sites , of land that's been returned to indigenous hands. It was such an honor to be part of that. Creating visual markers and visual acknowledgement in spaces that, you know, kind of telling the autobiographical stories of those spaces and how it was returned, what our divisions, and to work alongside the young people, the various different communities she believes and wanted to take part of the movement. I learned as much or if not more. I share my knowledge of like how to paint a mural or all the different skills. So it was very much a reciprocal relationship and it's still a continuous relationship that we're building. It's gonna be an ongoing fight, an ongoing resistance, but an ongoing victory. They've already have shared and won and have shown and shared with us the experiences of that. It's been very rejuvenating, regenerating, revitalizing, and in all those different ways, being able to bear witness to that, but taking small part in pieces, and certain projects to uplift and support that and also just to learn from the many different folks, and people from both Sego and the communities that they've able to like. Create and build through the time, I mean through the young time actually that they've been here, but definitely still growing.  [00:52:46] Miko Lee: Thank you. Your show is up until the end of March. What do you want folks to feel after they go see Tabi Tabi Po  [00:52:55] Cece Carpio: Mostly are gonna feel whatever they wanna feel. I'm kind of curious to know actually, what is it that people are feeling and thinking, but I think Enchantment, I wanna recapture that feeling of Enchantment in a time and moment where. It can be very frustrating. It can be very, depressing. Seeing the series of event in this nation and just uncaring, and like the pickable violence that's imposed to our peoples. I wanna be able to give folks a little bit of glimpse of like, why we are fighting and why we were doing this for and even see the magic in the fight. I think that's a big part of the story that's being told and that the, knowing that we're still writing a story as we go. Within this exhibition, there's a lot of spaces of me sharing parts of my story, but a big part of that is also spaces for folks to share theirs. That exchange of magic is something that we can use as ammunitions, we can use as tools to keep us going in times that is very, very trying.  [00:53:59] Miko Lee: The magical exchange to make the revolution irresistible.  [00:54:03] Cece Carpio: Let's do it. Let's go.  [00:54:05] Miko Lee: Sounds great. We're gonna put links to the show at SoMarts we'll put them on our Apex Express, um, page, and I'm wondering what's next for you? [00:54:14] Cece Carpio: We will also have programs that coincides alongside the various stories that we're telling with this exhibition to welcome for other community members, other artists, other cultural bearers, other fighters to come and join us, and be part of it and tell stories, heal time. Imagine a magical future to celebrate the victories and wins as big and small as they come. So that is gonna be happening. What's nice for me is, actually it's going simultaneously is I'm still painting. I'm going to be in support of painting a new space opening for a Palestinian owned bakery. They're opening up a new space back in their hometown right here in Oakland. And Reem is a close friend, but also a very frontline fighter. 'cause you know, genocide is still happening right now. I wanna be able to support that and also support her. Another public art installation is actually gonna be unveiling within next month over at soma. In the district of Soma Filipino with the Jean Friend Recreation Center. I'm actually trying to carve out more time to write. I'm still exploring, definitely like in the infants stages of exploring it, but falling in love with it. At some point in time within this show, . Wanna be able to actually get it published, in a written form where both the images can accompany some of the written work , and wanna see like its duration last beyond the exhibition show. There's always the streets to come and protest to happen and contributing to that work that we do to reclaim what is ours, the world that is ours.  [00:55:53] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. You're doing so many things so powerfully, so beautifully, so articulately and I guess the best way for folks to follow up is on your Instagram. [00:56:04] Cece Carpio: Yeah, I'm still actually operating in myself.  [00:56:06] Miko Lee: Okay. Okay. Well thank you so much for your work, everything that you do in the community, so powerful, and thanks so much for speaking with us today. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening to our show tonight. Please go check out Cece's exhibition Tabi Tabi Po at SoMarts and go to a local bookstore to get the paperback version of Tara's Call Her Freedom. Support artists who are paving the way towards a vision for a new future. They are working to make the revolution irresistible. Join us. [00:56:41] Closing Music: Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apex Express to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane- Lee. Have a great night.     The post APEX Express – 2.5.26-Envisioning Hopeful Futures appeared first on KPFA.

U.S.-India relations were once described as one of Washington's MOST important strategic bets in the twenty-first century. But over the past year, that partnership has come under serious strain—buffeted by trade disputes, sharp rhetoric, and deep disagreements over Pakistan and Kashmir. In the current print edition of Foreign Affairs, Lisa Curtis and Richard Fontaine argue that this rupture is not just another rough patch, but rather a potentially consequential turning point. The essay, “America Must Salvage Its Relationship with India—or Risk Losing a Global Swing State,” makes the case that how Washington manages its ties with New Delhi in this moment will have lasting implications for the Indo-Pacific balance of power, U.S. credibility in Asia, and competition with China.To talk more about this new piece, Lisa joins Milan on the show this week. Lisa is Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. She is a foreign policy and national security expert with over 20 years of service in the U.S. government—including at the National Security Council, CIA, State Department, and Capitol Hill. Most recently, Lisa served as Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council from 2017 to 2021. Milan and Lisa discuss the “fit of presidential pride and pique” that has derailed bilateral ties, President Trump's repeated desire to mediate between India and Pakistan, and the sudden revival in U.S.-Pakistan ties. Plus, the two discuss America's strategic competition with Beijing, what it will take for Washington to remedy its trust deficit with New Delhi, and the long-term consequences of a sustained rupture between the United States and India.

Beyond Slogans: The Essence of Islamic UnityUstadh Haitham, in the first speech, “Beyond Slogans: The Essence of Islamic Unity,” highlighted that while the Ummah remains deeply united in grief, compassion, and concern over crises such as Gaza, Sudan, and Kashmir, it remains fragmented in action due to the absence of unified leadership and an overarching political structure. He emphasized that authentic Islamic unity is built upon discipline, coordination, and governance rooted in the Qur'an and Sunnah. He further explained that unity in Islam is not uniformity, but rather a unity of purpose and accountability, achievable only through restored leadership and collective responsibility that enables the Ummah to protect its people, uphold justice, and fulfill its role as witnesses over humanity.

I reach the summit.   Not inch by inch—no, I arrive in a flood. Talent spills out of me. Love follows, tidal and unquestioning. Directors orbit me like obedient moons; they cannot imagine a world without my sound. I do not merely compose music—I alter its grammar. I am told I am a miracle. I begin to agree.   This is where it breaks.   Because admiration, once mistaken for destiny, hardens into entitlement. I begin to believe the applause is owed, not earned. That the place I clawed my way to is permanent, immune to time, taste, or doubt. I convince myself I can offer anything—anything at all—and the world must bow and call it genius. If it doesn't, the fault lies with the world. They don't understand music. They don't understand me.   Power arrives quietly. I let it.   I summon directors and leave them waiting in the dark, hours stretching thin, just to feel my own gravity. I choose sacred backdrops for first meetings, mistaking symbolism for sanctity. I give indifferent music to a good film and dismiss its failure as “divisive,” because nothing I touch is allowed to be mediocre—only misunderstood.   Lines I never meant to draw begin to appear everywhere.   Faith, identity, difference—these become instruments too, played without care. When someone enters my home carrying another god, another grammar of devotion, the air tightens. Symbols are stripped, not violently, but casually. As if it is obvious, as if it is necessary. As if genius grants permission.   My arrogance is no longer an accident. It is deliberate. Curated. Non-negotiable.   I do not spare those who built me. The directors who trusted me when I was still a question mark. The collaborators who believed music was a conversation, not a sermon. One by one, they drift away—not in protest, but in fatigue. Projects thin out. Invitations dry up.   And the music—ah, the music.   It stumbles. It repeats itself. It loses hunger. But how would I know? I am sealed inside a fog of my own praise, a mausoleum of old triumphs. Self-awareness was buried years ago, quietly, without ceremony.   So when the world starts turning elsewhere—towards younger, leaner, less reverential talent—I am stunned. Betrayed. How dare they move on from me?   Then comes the mirror I choose because it flatters my wounds. The foreign interviewer. The sympathetic gaze. The easy narrative. I explain my fading relevance with a single, convenient sentence: it isn't decline, it's persecution. Not exhaustion, but exclusion. The industry, I say, is communal. I am being punished for who I am.   I believe this because it costs me nothing. It asks nothing of my craft, my humility, my failures.   And even when someone who has known me—who has admired me—looks at me and says, almost gently, almost in disbelief, “My god, I never even realised you were Muslim,” the truth still does not land. Because by then I am too deep inside my grievance to hear anything else.   I mistake isolation for martyrdom.   I retreat into the smallest room imaginable: the ghetto of my own frustration. Religion, the last refuge of the unimaginative and the cornered, becomes my alibi.   What I do not see—what I may never see—is the scale of the loss.   The hearts that once beat in time with my music and now feel nothing. The silence in concert halls where tickets were bought with devotion and abandoned with disappointment. The audience that did not turn hostile—they simply stopped coming.   That is the true heartbreak.   Not that I fell. But that I never understood why.   If you liked this poem, consider listening to these other poems on failures & hypocrisies of people  -  Mr Hoskote, have you visited Kashmir recently? Of Failing & Falling Will We Ever Trust the Skies Again Subscribe to my newsletter 'The Uncuts' Follow me on Instagram at @sunilgivesup. Get in touch with me on uncutpoetrynow@gmail.com   The details of the music used in this episode are as follows - Relaxing Piano Improvisation by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/en/song/relaxing-piano-improvisation Licence:  https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Ahead of a crucial national election in Thailand, Catholic bishops have urged people to remain vigilant against fraud and corruption. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

In this episode of the Mashq Talks Podcast, RJ Umar Nisar hosts Shafat Qazi, Kashmiri American entrepreneur, global tech leader, and film producer.Founder and former CEO of BQE Software, a cloud based project management and accounting company. Ranked among USA Today's Top 50 CEOs in 2018.Shafat Qazi shares his journey from Kashmir to building world class companies. You hear real stories of struggle, ambition, discipline, and long term thinking. He breaks down AI, marketing, the future of human jobs, and how technology reshapes business.He speaks openly about failures, success, net worth, and the role of a life partner in growth.He also talks about Kashmiris in Bollywood and his film as producer, Songs of Paradise, based on the life and legacy of Raj Begum. A powerful story of culture, identity, and resilience.A conversation on leadership, purpose, and impact.Host: Rj Umar NisarInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rj_umar_nisar/

In this episode of the Mashq Records Podcast, RJ Umar Nisar is joined by Dr. Sajid Saiyed — psychologist, social changemaker, and the visionary behind The Kashmir Festival.Together, they explore his journey, his work for society, and how psychology, kindness, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can transform lives and communities.Topics discussed in this episode:-Childhood and early inspirations-Why he chose to dedicate his life to society-His organisation's vision and impact-The future of CSR in India over the next 5 years-How initiatives like distributing e-bikes empower persons with disabilities-The idea behind The Kashmir Festival and its role in reviving tourism-Reflections on Kashmir post the Pahalgam attack-The biggest challenges India faces today-Insights from a PhD in Human Psychology: “Insaan ko samajhna kitna mushkil hai?”-Stress management and training 600+ police officers-Why mental health is often ignored in India and how to change it-Simple daily habits for a happier and stronger life-The power of kindness to change the world-One mantra for living a good lifeThis episode is not just about CSR or psychology... it's about life, kindness, resilience, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Bassam Shawl may have played a Puerto Rican in his high school rendition of 'West Side Story' (he's Kashmiri-American), but he didn't let that stop him from bringing his jokes to the people!!! And now he's in the Mad House this week, kickin' it with Maddy, having the last laugh muah ha haaa! They talk theater, rooting for bad sports teams, Bassam's life as a new dad, and more! Plus stay tuned for a segment 'Bussin' w/ Bassam', where we find out what Bassam thinks is bussin' or not!!! Call the FUPA Hotline: (347) 480-9006Follow Bassam:https://www.instagram.com/bassamshawl/?hl=enFollow Maddy:https://www.instagram.com/somaddysmith/?hl=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@somaddysmith?lang=enAll tour dates: https://punchup.live/maddysmith/ticketsWant more ad-free and uncensored Mad House?!Go to https://gasdigital.com/ to subscribe!Use promo code MAD to save big on your membership :)Get early access to our weekly episodes on Tuesdays, along with EXCLUSIVE episodes on Thursdays.UPCOMING STAND UP DATES:2/5 NEW YORK, NY2/13-2/15 OXNARD, CA2/20-2/21 FORT WORTH, TX2/26 WESTPORT, NY2/27-2/28 BURLINGTON, VTSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everything Koshur is a podcast exploring Kashmiri culture, identity, and lived experience. While earlier seasons focused on preserving and celebrating Kashmiri heritage, Season 3 turns the spotlight toward Kashmiris doing interesting, meaningful work across the world - artists, creators, and changemakers shaped by their roots, wherever they are.With new hosts,  Ritvik Raina and Akansha Bhat, the season opens with singer-songwriter Shreea Kaul, who reflects on moving from India at a young age, bonding with her mother over Bollywood and Indian TV, discovering her love for music, and how her Kashmiri upbringing shaped her resilience. She also shares hard truths about the music industry, and her goals for the future.Through honest conversations, Everything Koshur explores what it means to carry Kashmir forward, through ambition, creativity, and evolution.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry's Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by journalist and entrepreneur Govindraj Ethiraj. The discussion opens up with the recently concluded World Economic Forum held in Davos. Abhinandan sharply questions the performative nature of Indian participation at the forum, criticising chief ministers for announcing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Indian companies on foreign soil. “We are funding the circus,” Jayashree remarks bluntly, calling Davos a “clown show” driven by optics rather than outcomes.Govindraj also agrees that announcing MoUs, especially with Indian firms, is a misallocation of time and attention, given how the WEF offers leaders “an opportunity to gauge the temperature of what is happening in the world order right now”. The discussion also touches on the much-touted India-EU free trade agreement, which European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen described as the “mother of all deals”. Govindraj, however, tempers expectations, warning that free trade agreements are often narrow and slow-moving. “The first bottle of cheaper Scotch won't arrive tomorrow – it could take five years,” he quips.He further adds, “The red lines for India are clearly dairy and agricultural products… You can't do something which immediately jeopardises your farming lobby. ​So, if you take away agriculture and cheese, what's left now?”From Davos, the conversation shifts to press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking on the recent summonses sent national media reporters by the J&K Police, Manisha remarks, “Over the last one year, at least 25 journalists have been summoned by the J&K Police… anything at all can just land you in a police station being questioned, because it's ‘public disorder', you're causing ‘public safety' disorder.”Drawing a contrast between reporters in New Delhi and Kashmir, Abhinandan says, “It's very difficult for someone in J&K to tough it out because there is no insulation. Delhi provides great insulation; that's why those headquartered in Delhi have to step up and protect their reporters who are not in Delhi.This and a lot more. Tune in!Timecodes00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements00:04:40 - Headlines 00:17:15 - WEF Davos / India- Eu trade deals 00: 55:59 - Govind' recommendations01:08:51 - Kashmir reporter's summoning 01:17:35 - Letters01:28:07 - RecommendationsCheck out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters.Produced by Amit Pandey, with assistant production by Ashish, Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Church leaders in Indonesia's Christian-majority Papua have criticized the ‘excessive military' presence in the region, terming it a flawed state policy to counter insurgency. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Mushtaq Ahmed Malla to the Restorative Works! Podcast. Mushtaq joins us and shares his journey that weaves together youth education, mental health counseling, child rights advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to creating humane, relationship-centered systems of justice. He discusses how his Fulbright–Humphrey Fellowship at the University of Minnesota introduced him to restorative practices and connected him with a global network of practitioners. He explains how those insights sparked innovative programs inside his facilities in the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department in India, including Writing to Victims, a reflective writing initiative inspired by apology-letter models he observed in the United States. By turning this concept into a structured competition and a circle-based process, he invites incarcerated people to confront their choices, articulate their emotions, and begin the difficult work of self-understanding. The initiative has already led to powerful personal breakthroughs. Mushtaq plans to compile selected writings into a future publication.  Throughout the episode, Mushtaq reflects on what relationship-building means in a prison context, why indigenous cultural knowledge matters, and how restorative approaches can shape policing, schools, reentry, and even national criminal justice policy. His vision points to a future where restorative justice becomes a recognized and respected alternative that supports safety, accountability, and dignity across communities worldwide.  Mushtaq currently serves as the Superintendent in the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department, a role he has held for over 12 years. He is responsible for the administration and management of a prison as its head. As a leader in the prison system, he has focused on young offenders and their reformation, with special attention to their access to education. Before working in prisons, he worked in the field of child rights protection for 6 months with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, India, and in the field of mental health counselling and awareness with organizations Médecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Action Aid in Kashmir, India. He holds a bachelor's degree in science and a master's in social work (MSW) from Kashmir University.   Tune in, as this conversation shines a light on how restorative practices take root in some of the most challenging environments and how they open pathways to accountability, healing, and hope.  Email: Sakb.mushtaq@gmail.com

Chaque jeudi dans #LeDriveRTL2, Margaux Lassalle embarque les auditeurs pour un Rock Trip à la découverte d'une scène musicale internationale. Direction cette semaine le Danemark, pays scandinave entre traditions nordiques, design iconique et capitale colorée, Copenhague. Après un détour par la culture locale et les racines folk du pays, Margaux Lassalle fait un point sur l'actualité musicale danoise avec le titre numéro 1 du moment, Vil du Noget de Guldimund et Saveus. L'animatrice de RTL2 évoque ensuite les artistes danois qui ont marqué la pop internationale, d'Aqua à Mø, en passant par Lukas Graham, avant de s'attarder sur la scène rock avec D-A-D, Kashmir et The Raveonettes. Enfin pour conclure, place au groupe danois le plus connu à l'international, Volbeat, avec leur titre "Still Counting". Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

RJ Umar Nisar exclusively with MLA Mehraj Malik. A leader known for his bold stands, and the controversies that surround him. From a tough childhood to becoming a “dabang MLA,” Mehraj opens up on corruption, integrity, resilience, and why politics must mean standing with people in their hardest times. Raw, unfiltered, and unapologetic! This is Mehraj Malik like you've never heard him before. Topics discussed in this episode:Childhood struggles and early inspirationsWhy he believes politics is still a force for goodStanding with people in their hardest timesSpeaking truth to power and facing controversy head-onCandid thoughts on corruption and integrity in public lifeLessons from a life of resilience and responsibilityHow personal loss and hardship shaped his visionBalancing simplicity, style, and leadership as a “dabang MLA”His roadmap for Kashmir's future and youth empowermentThe human side of politics beyond speeches and headlinesThis episode is more than a political conversation—it's an unfiltered look at life, struggle, courage, and the fight to keep integrity alive in leadership.

It’s no secret we love a film festival and with the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival returning  this February, we took the opportunity for this show to spotlight the fantastic Mardi Gras Film Festival and many of the top tier queer films on offer in this year's program. Queer Screen's 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival runs from 12-26 February 2026, presenting outstanding LGBTQIA+ cinema from around the world. Alongside film premieres, audiences can enjoy panel discussions and networking events celebrating global queer storytelling and connection. We wanted to know more about this incredible line up, so we went straight to the source and heard from Andrew Wilkie, the Queer Screen Programming and Industry Manager, about many of the highlights in this year's program and more. We also revisited our interview from August last year with the director of one of the highlights in this year's MGFF program. ‘We Are Faheem and Karun’ is the latest film from Onir, the gay Indian writer, film and television director, editor, screenwriter and producer who is best known for his film My Brother…Nikhil which at the time was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships. He also won the National Award for his film I Am and with his latest film ‘We Are Faheem and Karun’, he creates the first ever queer Kashmiri love story, set in Kashmir itself, and in the Kashmiri language, with local actors. He’ll be a guest at this year's Mardi Gras Film Festival for a special Q&A screening and as part of the Industry Panel & Networking event so book your tickets now as this session and screening not to be missed. The post Mardi Gras Film Festival 2026 appeared first on Out Takes.

Kashi Akhoon is a survivor of the 1990 Kashmiri Hindu exodus and a former resident of the Kupwara district in Jammu & Kashmir. Before his displacement, he served as a Development Officer for the United India Insurance Company, a profession that involved extensive travel across the valley and provided him with a deep understanding of the local social fabric. He was also an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the region, where he served as a Sharirik Pramukh and focused on community building and social service.In this conversation, Akhoon shares a harrowing first-person account of the events that unfolded in early 1990. He details the terrified atmosphere of the time, recounting a near-death experience where he was trapped in a massive anti-India procession in Sopore and barely escaped with his life. Despite initially sending his wife and infant daughter to safety while he stayed behind, the discovery that he was on a specific "hit list" and the targeted killings of close acquaintances eventually forced him to flee his ancestral home in March 1990, leaving everything behind.Since his exile, Akhoon has lived as a refugee, first in Jammu and later in the Delhi-NCR region. He remains a vocal advocate for the rights of the Kashmiri Pandit community, arguing that a safe return to the valley is only possible through the creation of a secure, concentrated settlement rather than scattered reintegration. His story serves as a powerful testimony to the personal cost of the insurgency and the enduring struggle of the displaced community.

In this very special episode of the Mashq Records Podcast, RJ Umar Nisar welcomes one of his all time favourite storyteller, Sajid Ali, the visionary director of Laila Majnu. A filmmaker who made us all cry, reflect, and fall in love with madness through his art, Sajid Ali opens up about the making of Laila Majnu, his inspirations, and his personal journey as a storyteller.Together, they explore Kashmir, cinema, art, love, pain, and the timeless story of Laila and Majnu , retold in a way that still resonates deeply with audiences. The conversation also dives into the impact of Rockstar, the creative genius of his brother Imtiaz Ali, and how their shared vision continues to shape modern Indian cinema.Highlights from this episode include:Sajid Ali's childhood and entry into cinemaThe idea behind retelling Laila Majnu and collaborating with Imtiaz AliImtiaz Ali's vision: “kaam hi break hai” — and what drives his storytellingThe cinematic parallels of Rockstar and Laila MajnuWhy Kashmir became the perfect backdrop for Laila MajnuDefining love after making the filmChemistry between Avinash Tiwary and Triptii DimriCasting choices and preparing actors for emotionally heavy scenesMusic as the heartbeat of the storyBehind-the-scenes stories and Sajid Ali's favorite shotsBalancing classic romance with a modern narrativeReflections on Chamkila, the necessity of pain in art, and creative honestyPersonal thoughts on life, mental health, happiness, and hopeThis episode is more than a film discussion... it's about cinema, legacy, love, madness, and the vision of two brothers shaping stories that stay with us forever.

Pakistan Between Iran & America | F16 strike by S-400 Confirmed | Abu Musa Kashmir | Sumit Peer

In this episode of the Mashq Records Podcast, RJ Umar Nisar sits with Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, for an open and straightforward conversation about life, leadership, and the future of Kashmir.They talk about childhood, daily routines, happiness, stress, mistakes, and the pressure of governing a place as complex as Kashmir. Omar Abdullah shares his views on politics, peace, climate change, youth careers, social issues, national challenges, and the role of truth in public life. This conversation goes far beyond politics and press statements.Key topics in this episode:Childhood and early influencesMyths people believe about himHappiness, mental health, and personal fearsClimate change and its impact on KashmirMaking young people career-readyWhy he chose politicsWho actually holds power in KashmirPolitical mistakes and regretsReservation, bulldozer politics, and policy debatesKashmiri Pandit exodusFragile peace in the ValleyRising crime and social changes in IndiaMoney and manipulation in politicsAI, deepfakes, and the future of political messagingKashmir's next decade and the kind of leadership it needs... and much more....This episode is simple, honest, and made for young listeners who want to understand politics without noise or drama.© Mashq Records – PodcastHost: RJ Umar Nisar

Iqbal Chand Malhotra is a distinguished media producer and author known for his work on geopolitical history and strategic affairs. He holds a first-class degree in Economics from Queens' College, University of Cambridge.Media Career: He is the Chairman and Producer of AIM Television Pvt. Ltd. Over his career, he has produced over 500 hours of television programming and served as an advisor on India to media mogul Rupert Murdoch (1993–1995), helping to launch MTV in India.Malhotra has directed several award-winning documentaries, often focusing on historical mysteries and security issues. Notable titles include The Legend of Malerkotla, Netaji Bose and the Lost Treasure, and Kashmir's Troubled Waters. He is a long-standing member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards.He has written extensively on conflict and strategy. His books include Red Fear: The China Threat and Dark Secrets: Politics, Intrigue and Proxy Wars in Kashmir. He also co-authored Kashmir's Untold Story: Declassified.

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the jungles of India to the global stage of wildlife conservation, Dr Latika Nath has spent her life studying and protecting big cats, becoming the first woman in the world to study tigers in the wild. Known as Nat Geo's "Tiger Princess," she shares stories from deep in the forests where she observed tigers using tools, hunting porcupines, and navigating complex human-wildlife conflicts. In this episode, Latika takes us on her journey from a childhood spent exploring the outdoors to pursuing her dream in a male-dominated field, studying elephants and tigers in the wild. She shares the challenges of working in remote areas, the lessons learned from female tigers, and her tireless efforts to combat poaching. We also dive into her work as a conservation photographer, using images to tell stories that inspire action, and her advice for women and girls aiming to make their mark in conservation. Latika's story is one of courage, dedication, and the belief that one person's passion can make a world of difference. This episode is for you if: You love wildlife and big cats You're curious about conservation and sustainability You want inspiration from a trailblazing woman in a male-dominated field You're motivated by stories of courage, resilience, and following your passions ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Dr Latika Working as a Conservation Ecologist and conservation photographer  Being based out of Indian  Studying big cats all over the world  Using her photography to share stories about conservation  Working as an expert on Tourism and sustainability Working with the Indian Planning Commission as an in-house advisor  Being an only child and spending most of her time outdoors  Living close to a National Park Deciding at 6 years old that she wanted to be an ecologist  Being encouraged to pursue her dreams People in the 1970s not knowing what an ecologist was Not being able to study the subjects she wanted to Being a girl in a male dominated field Being the first woman in the world to study tigers Moving over to the UK to continue her education at Bangor University, Wales Doing her masters thesis on elephant and human conflict in Indian  How elephants follow the old memories Her passion and interest in tigers Wanting to study snow leopards initially Terrorism in Kashmir and how it changed the direction of her life Being inspired by Dr HS Pabla The tiger population in India currently  Project tiger - being responsible for the conservation of the tiger in the wild Being the only person in the park and being truly on her own in the wild with the animals  What it was like studying the tigers and the relationships that developed Discovering new knowledge about tigers Seeing tigers using tools How tigers eat porcupines  The expedition logistics Lessons learned from female tigers  The biggest danger to tigers going forward How to combat poaching  Getting the nickname - The Tiger Princess Being filmed by National Geographic for a 1hr documentary  Advice and tips for women and girls who want to enter the space of conservation  Advice for women around self belief and self confidence and why there work is important What's next for Dr Lakita Writing her next book Having a photography expedition in London in June 2026 How to connect with Dr Lakita Final words of advice around following your passions and interests Having good days and bad days - go one day, one step at a time and why it can make a big difference  Hang in there and take that one step everyday   Social Media Website: www.latikanath.com  Instagram: @latikanath Facebook: @nathlatika  

As 2025 wraps up, we're looking back at 10 of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on May 8. None of the dates, titles, or other references have been changed. It’s the biggest military escalation between India and Pakistan in decades. Missile strikes, drone attacks and deadly shelling have struck on both sides of the border in the disputed region of Kashmir. With dozens of civilians dead and both countries trading blame, can the two nuclear powers contain the dispute? In this episode: Charu Kasturi (@CharuKasturi), Senior Editor and Writer, Al Jazeera Episode credits: This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, Marcos Bartolome and Tamara Khandaker, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Kingwell Ma, Mariana Navarette, Kisaa Zehra, and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Dr Abhinav Pandya, a Cornell University graduate in public affairs and a bachelor's from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, is a founder and CEO of Usanas Foundation, an India-based foreign policy and security think tank. He has authored books named 'Radicalization in India: An Exploration (2019)' and 'Terror Financing in Kashmir (2023)'.He had previously advised the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir on security issues during the critical times when Kashmir's special status, Article 370, was revoked.He has written extensively for several national and international newspapers, and worked with the International Labour Organization, the United Nations.His latest book is 'The Jihad Game: Inside Pakistan's dark war' - order your copy here - https://amzn.in/d/11mxioM.

The Christmas season is usually busy for artisans in Indian-controlled Kashmir, who make Christmas ornaments to sell worldwide. But this year, demand has decreased because of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the US. The post Demand for Christmas ornaments hand-crafted in Kashmir drops amid US tariffs appeared first on The World from PRX.

कश्मीर के इतिहास से आप और हम अनभिज्ञ तो नहीं हैं। हम उसकी ख़ूबसूरती, उसके कल्चर से जिस तरह वाक़िफ़ हैं, उसके सबसे बड़े दुर्भाग्य से भी उसी तरह वाक़िफ़ हैं। और उसका दुर्भाग्य यह है कि वह पाकिस्तान की शाह-रग है। उसका प्लेग्राउंड है। वह प्लेग्राउंड जहाँ पाकिस्तान अपनी उन ख़ुराफ़ातों को अंजाम देता है, जिससे भारत को प्रेशराइज़ किया जा सके। लिहाज़ा, कश्मीर से आने वाली छोटी-से-छोटी ख़बर भी एक प्रायोरिटी बन जाती है। हाल ही में हमारे हाथ एक किताब लगी. यह किताब कश्मीर की बिगड़ी हुई तहरीर की कहानी सुनाती है। कहानी सुनाती है उस जिहाद गेम की, जो पाकिस्तानी इंटेलिजेंस एजेंसी ISI कई सालों तक कश्मीर में खेलती रही है। यह किताब आपको ले चलती है पाकिस्तान के डार्क वॉर के बीचों-बीच। किताब का नाम है The Jihad Game और लेखक हैं Abhinav Pandya। अभिनव पांडेय कश्मीर में कई वर्षों तक रहकर काउंटर-इंसर्जेंसी पर ग्राउंड रिसर्च कर चुके हैं। जम्मू-कश्मीर में टेररिज़्म और काउंटर टेररिज़्म पर ही उनकी Ph.D. भी है। पढ़ाकू नितिन के एपिसोड में हम उनकी इसी किताब पर बात करेंगे। समझेंगे कि आखिर पाकिस्तान किस तरह लश्कर, जैश और हिज़्बुल जैसे संगठनों के ज़रिए सालों-साल कश्मीर में ऑपरेट करता रहा है? और सबसे अहम — यह भी समझेंगे कि किस तरह ये संगठन कश्मीर के यूथ को Radicalize करते हैं? प्रड्यूसर: मानव देव रावत साउंड मिक्स: अमन पाल

Iqbal Chand Malhotra is a distinguished media producer and author known for his work on geopolitical history and strategic affairs. He holds a first-class degree in Economics from Queens' College, University of Cambridge.Media Career: He is the Chairman and Producer of AIM Television Pvt. Ltd. Over his career, he has produced over 500 hours of television programming and served as an advisor on India to media mogul Rupert Murdoch (1993–1995), helping to launch MTV in India.Malhotra has directed several award-winning documentaries, often focusing on historical mysteries and security issues. Notable titles include The Legend of Malerkotla, Netaji Bose and the Lost Treasure, and Kashmir's Troubled Waters. He is a long-standing member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards.He has written extensively on conflict and strategy. His books include Red Fear: The China Threat and Dark Secrets: Politics, Intrigue and Proxy Wars in Kashmir. He also co-authored Kashmir's Untold Story: Declassified.Subroto Chattopadhyay is a veteran media executive and former civil servant with a diverse career spanning the public sector, corporate leadership, and cultural preservation. He is an alumnus of St. Stephen's College and the Delhi School of Economics.He began his career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) before moving to the corporate sector. He has held senior leadership roles, including Executive Director at PepsiCo South Asia and Managing Director of HMV Saregama, where he played a pivotal role in the Indian music industry.He is the Chairman of The Peninsula Studios, a content creation house based in New Delhi that focuses on recording and archiving Indian folk and classical music.Chattopadhyay directs the Brains Trust India initiative. This audio-visual series acts as a "confederacy of great minds," featuring eminent scholars and experts from India and the UK who discuss significant non-partisan issues. The project is often produced in partnership with the British High Commission.The two have collaborated on literary projects, most notably co-authoring the book "Bangladesh: Humiliation, Carnage, Liberation, Chaos" (2023), which explores the geopolitical dynamics surrounding the 1971 Liberation War.

Om Satija, a 22-year-old from Melbourne, and his brother are set to run 5,000 kilometers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, aiming to complete the epic journey in 100 days. With the 'OneIndiaRun' scheduled to begin on 26 January, Om talks about what drives the brothers, their preparation and routes navigating their run, the purpose behind this extraordinary challenge, and why India was chosen as their running destination.

In this episode of Immigrantly, host Saadia Khan speaks with Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh, Director of Saffron Kingdom, about growing up in Kashmir, intergenerational trauma, and the cost of telling stories that are often silenced. Moving beyond the India–Pakistan framing, the conversation centers Kashmiri lived experience, touching on exile, disappearance, diaspora, and why Kashmiri storytelling is always political, even when it's deeply human. This episode invites listeners to decenter inherited narratives and listen to Kashmir through the voice of someone who has lived it. Join us as we create new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can find more information at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to help more people find us!  You can connect with Saadia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@itssaadiak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email:saadia@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host & Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Saadia Khan I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Immigrantly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound The episode also highlights music by the famous Kashmiri Musician Ghulam Nabi Sheikh and other Kashmiri musicians Immigrantly Podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, contact us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. link below http://studio.com/saadia Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Immigrantly Uninterrupted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for insightful podcasts. Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 8th day of the waning moon in the Vedic calendar month of Mrgaśirsha, we celebrate the birth anniversary of Holy Mother Sārada Devī. This an exceedingly auspicious a day for our lineage especially if not also for all worshippers of the Divine Mother everywhere in every lineage. It is a special day for everyone, actually, because today, we celebrate the "avatarahood" of the Divine Mother Herself! In 2023, we gave the talk The Tantra of Holy Mother Sarada Devi exploring Holy Mother's central teaching, "don't find fault with others/no one is a stranger to you/the world is your very own": we tried our best there to point out the non-dual teaching embedded in this seemingly innocuous, but actually theologically dense, teaching. Then, we asked Who is Holy Mother Sārada Devī? in 2024. With the disclaimer that स्वरूपं त्वदीयं न विन्दन्ति देवाः, "even the gods do not understand her true nature", we tried to sketch out a brief biography of this mysterious avatāra of Mā. Also, I thought it would be helpful to contemplate Holy Mother both as the ideal student as well as the Guru in Sārada Devī as Tantrik Guru. In this talk we encounter her emphasis on japa, that is, the recitation of the holy name as the centerpiece of spiritual practice. This year, I thought we'd do something a little more esoteric: let's explore the link between Holy Mother and various forms of the Tāntrik Goddess, with a special emphasis on the red-hued Jaggadhātī (who is very likely Holy Mother's ishta besides Ramakrishna and certainly her kula-devī, family deity) and the red-hued Lalitā Mahātripurasundarī (or Ṣoḍaśī).We also make a few etymological claims also about Her name and about Sāradā as the patron deity of Kashmir and also Adi Shankara's Śrī Vidyā stronghold in the south: Sringeri Math. You'll find all of our talks on Holy Mother all in one place here. Today is also the Feast Day of the Lady of Guadalupe! Last year, we gave a lecture called Kālī = The Lady of Guadalupecomparing the two! It is to this day one of my favorite talks ever! But ultimately, what can we say about She who becomes the very words we use to praise Her? Who can praise Her here? By Her power Brahma, Vishnu and I have taken our embodied forms! Who then can truly praise You, You who are prior to all of us? And yet, futile though it may be, here is our attempt to try to fit the ocean of your limitless Being into the teacup of our limited understanding! May all these clumsy words be like so many hibiscus flowers placed one by one at Your lotus feet in worship! Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Have you ever thought about what it means to be anonymous?  Have you considered what it means that you can walk down the street or go to the grocery store or out to dinner without someone you've never met knowing your name, everything you've posted online, or your political leanings? Or when you go on a first date with someone, they'd walk in knowing your dating history, your political affiliations, your credit score or what groceries you buy? Advancements in facial recognition and a secretive startup could end privacy as we know it.  In this two-part conversation, New York Times Tech Reporter Kashmir Hill joins host Ron Steslow to discuss privacy, anonymity, facial recognition software and her book Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It. In part 1: (01:43 ) Ron and Kashmir discuss anonymity and privacy and the erosion of both in our daily lives  (00:00 ) Balancing convenience and privacy  (11:00) The origins of ClearviewAI  (13:30) Genetic determinism in the development of facial recognition  (18:20) Kashmir dives deep into the history of facial recognition software and how it developed.  (22:37) How Facebook crowdsourced training facial recognition technology (25:00) How much privacy should we have and who should be able to use facial recognition software?  Read Your Face Belongs to Us: https://bit.ly/49qsbQm Follow Ron and Kashmir  on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/kashhill Email your questions and thoughts to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever thought about what it means to be anonymous?  Have you considered what it means that you can walk down the street or go to the grocery store or out to dinner without someone you've never met knowing your name, everything you've posted online, or your political leanings? Or when you go on a first date with someone, they'd walk in knowing your dating history, your political affiliations, your credit score or what groceries you buy? Advancements in facial recognition and a secretive startup could end privacy as we know it.  In this two-part conversation, New York Times Tech Reporter Kashmir Hill joins host Ron Steslow to discuss privacy, anonymity, facial recognition software and her book Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It. In part 2: (01:40) “Technical sweetness” and the lack of ethical considerations by the people building these new technologies  (12:30) Privacy laws in the U.S. and Europe  (15:24) The trend of law enforcement agencies skirting constitutional protections by buying information from private companies. (27:20) Balancing security and privacy in the age of ubiquitous surveillance (30:50) What the future of privacy might look like  Read Your Face Belongs to Us: https://bit.ly/49qsbQm Follow Ron and Kashmir  on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/kashhill Email your questions and thoughts to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day 2 of 12 days of missing person cases throughout December. In June 1994, Lee Buckle headed to the Kashmir region of India to trek in the Himalayas. He contacted his parents in July of that year but did not fly back as planned in October to attend his cousin's wedding. Despite searches in the area and some reports of his whereabouts before he went missing, Lee is still missing.Important information provided by: Missing People profile: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/help-us-find/lee-buckle-94-002856https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4828702.parents-appeal-to-find-son/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/plea-find-st-helens-man-3437609https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Our15-year+wait+for+Lee%3B+EXCLUSIVE.-a0215465613Contemporary reports from:: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/homeMusic by: dl-sounds.comFollow the Unseen Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unseen-podcast/id1318473466?uo=4Follow the Unseen Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xWK7Mu3bTP6oziZvxrwSK?si=QxvyPkZ2TdCDscnfxyeRawJoin our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/unseenpodFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theunseenpodFollow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theunseenpod/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theunseenpod?fan_landing=trueSubscribe to 10 Minute True Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-true-crime/id1591474862

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

Over the past decades, he has emerged as one of the foremost voices on terrorism, separatism, and the Kashmir conflict, regularly writing and speaking on these issues in national and international forums.

Following the Beatles' final concert tour, George Harrison travelled to India in 1967 to learn sitar under the renowned musician Ravi Shankar. Fleeing Beatlemania he travelled in disguise to Mumbai and then to Srinagar in Kashmir. Listening to BBC archive and using excerpts from a Martin Scorsese documentary, we hear one of the world's most famous guitarists challenge himself to learn a new instrument. The moment influenced George's spirituality and his burgeoning solo musical career, as well as the Beatles'. It also propelled Ravi Shankar further into the limelight. The musicians remained lifelong friends. Ravi says they last saw each other on 28 November 2001, the day before George died. Produced and presented by Surya Elango.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's ‘rock star' philosopher.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages.(Photo: George Harrison and Ravi Shankar in 1975. Credit: by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

First, we talk to The Indian Express' Alok Singh about the investigation into the Delhi Red Fort blast. He shares the recent developments in the case, gives updates about the accused, and shares why the investigation agencies are feeling that its a broader conspiracy. Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Vineet Bhalla about the rules and regulations in India regarding cannabis. He shares how bhang, even though it comes within the ambit of cannabis, is an exception. He also talks about NDPS Act and the consequences one may face if found cultivating or in possession of cannabis. (14:19)Lastly, we talk about Jammu and Kashmir's State Investigation Agency conducting a raid on the office of Kashmir Times, one the region's oldest English newspaper houses. (23:56)Hosted by Niharika NandaProduced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma, and Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar 

10 days since the blast near Red Fort in Delhi, NIA has made two arrests in the case, and 8 people have been arrested by J&K police. Investigating agencies are also probing the inter-state terror module. ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta and Contributing Editor Praveen Swami break down the details of the investigation, terror network, the conspiracy & unanswered questions. Ep 1759 of #cuttheclutter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  @MSArenaOfficial  #Victoris #VictorisSUV #GotItAll #MarutiSuzukiSUV #MarutiSuzukiArena

NEW FOR NOVEMBER 15, 2025 Specific taste for discerning listening. Specific Taste - The Best Radio You Have Never Heard Vol. 520 1. Rainy Days and Mondays - Aimee Mann 2. Feel Flows - The Beach Boys 3. Waiting For The Man (live) - David Bowie 4. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (live) - Peter Gabriel 5. Dancing With The Moonlit Knight / The Musical Box (live) - Genesis 6. Guinnevere (live) - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 7. Sweet Little Angel / It's My Own Fault / How Blue Can You Get - Hour Glass 8. Bold As Love (early) - Jimi Hendrix Experience 9. I'd Love To Change The World - Ten Years After 10. Who Are You (alt) - The Who 11. Handle With Care (live) - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 12. The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - XTC 13. Kashmir (live) - Led Zeppelin 14. Highway Star (live) - Deep Purple 15. Anyday (live) - Tedeschi Trucks Band 16. Don't You Ever Listen (live) - Todd Rundgren 17. Retropolis - The Flower Kings 18. Cadence and Cascade (alt) - King Crimson The Best Radio You Have Never Heard. Tasting for you since 2004. Accept No Substitute. Click to leave comments on the Facebook page.

As the COP30 climate conference gathers in Brazil, Beijing and Washington have taken opposing positions on climate change. Donald Trump calls it a “con.” Xi Jinping has invested billions this year on green tech. Whose view will prove more prescient? Also: today's stories, including how one digital initiative in Kashmir expands nomadic children's sense of their own possibilities; how a female soccer coach has become an unlikely savior for boys caught up in gang violence in the Nigerian city of Kano; and our Monitor film critic's review of Richard Linklater's “Nouvelle Vague.” Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

Tesla shareholders have approved a record-breaking pay package that could make the electric car company's founder Elon Musk a trillionaire if he can deliver a future filled with self-driving taxis and humanoid robots. More than three quarters of shareholders backed the plan which requires Mr Musk to substantially raise Tesla's market value over a period of years. Also: Typhoon Kalmaegi is weakening but the devastation and lives lost in the Philippines and Vietnam has been overwhelming; Artificial Intelligence and the chatbot which has been encouraging a young woman to kill herself; the Kashmir cricket scandal; and Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as the speaker of the US House of Representatives, bows out of politics at 85.