IDR Interviews

Adivasi activist and journalist Dayamani Barla talks about her life as a writer and champion of people’s rights, and explains why more activists should join electoral politics.

Padma Shri awardee and renowned folk singer Madhu Mansuri Hasmuri discusses his early life, his contribution to the Jharkhand Movement, and the current condition of the state and its youth.

One of the key organisers of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan and co-founder of Prayas, Dr Narendra Gupta talks about the healthcare system in Rajasthan, its beginnings, the current state, and what the future holds.

Co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and RTI activist Shankar Singh talks about the role of music and theatre in driving social movements, and how to remain motivated amid adversity.

Co-founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and a key figure in the agitation for the right to information, Shankar Singh tells us about his early influences and building and sustaining movements.

Activist and lawyer Flavia Agnes tells us why securing women’s rights today seems much harder than it was in the ‘80s and argues that legislative reform is a battle half won without litigation support.

A pioneer of queer and feminist movements in India, Maya Sharma sheds light on the intersectionality of gender, geography, class, and sexuality.

A glimpse of the remarkable life of Dr Kirit Parikh, who has been an integral part of India's public policy landscape for almost five decades.

In this freewheeling conversation, Bill Drayton emphasises that everyone has the right, and ability, to be a giver. And in today’s world where everything is changing, everybody can, and must, be a changemaker.

Recognised for her pathbreaking work in Kutch, Sushma Iyengar shares what led her to focus on the intersection of women’s rights and rural development, and why she believes the scope of women’s empowerment today is limited to economic transformation.