007 Feminism, caste and patriarchy in India - conversation with Kamla Bhasin

She is a doyenne of Indian feminism, a poet, author, feminist and development activist. She is also the South Asia co-ordinator for ‘One Billion Rising’. So, I was thrilled and honoured to have Kamla Bhasin as a guest on my podcast. The most important takeaway for me was the power of alliances local and global to address inequalities in society/the world. Also, that it takes more than legislation to bring about social change. In this episode we speak about her journey to conscious feminism 👇🏾 👉🏾 The interconnectedness between the feminist and development agenda: women’s rights, human rights and rights of Dalits 👉🏾 The Indian feminist struggle, challenging the idea that the Indian feminist movement found its inspiration in the West 👉🏾 Whether caste=race and if violence against women should be framed within the caste lens, the enablers of caste inequities in society 👉🏾 Patriarchy in culture and society and her views on capitalism as an agent of patriarchy 👉🏾 One Billion Rising - a powerful global campaign 👉🏾 Intersectionality and feminism that transcends borders, class and other binary social divisions Subscribe to the show on any of your favourite platforms iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts.

Om Podcasten

The Elephant in the Room Podcast is a curated safe space to have uncomfortable conversations about the pervasive inequalities in society and our workplaces. The idea of the podcast was born from my sense of conflict about identity, self and the concept of privilege and fuelled by my own need to understand how my overlapping identities and experiences had impacted and would continue to impact my life chances. Two years ago I decided to ‘opt out’ to find my own purpose and focus on passion projects including learning about the systemic biases that are endemic in business and society. The Podcast is my very own listening project, a step towards being more intentional in my learning. The Elephant in the Room Podcast is for people who want to be a part of the change, for those who want to step up & speak out, for those who want to learn more about biases, barriers and best practice, for business leaders and for individuals, anyone who is interested in a fairer, more inclusive and compassionate society and workplace. Each week I will interview inspiring speakers from across the world on issues that are taboo and deserve to be mainstream including(but not limited to) systemic and institutionalised racism, discrimination based on further eight protected characteristics, poverty, mental health, climate change. The podcast will also talk about cognitive inclusion, culture, purpose, ethics and the importance of empathy, cultural intelligence and how conversations on identity and disadvantage would be incomplete without considering intersectionality. With the podcast I hope to share stories of people with lived experiences, stories that may have never been told, stories that galvanise us to take action for change and keep the conversations alive by raising the decibel on issues of inequity, inequality in our search for a fairer and more inclusive world.