In 2017 the LSE South Asia Centre organised an impressive program of events across the UK, India and Pakistan. These featured a number of high-profile figures including Shashi Tharoor, Dr Faisal Devji, retired Pakistan General Ehsan Ul-Haq and Dr Mukund Govind Ram. The South Asia @ LSE blog has also discussed some of the year’s most pivotal events ranging from Lipstick Under My Burkha with Ratna Pathak Shahabout and the Nawaz Sharif case with Rafiullah Kakar. We look back on our six most popular interviews taken from the South Asia Centre’s events and the South Asia @ LSE blog.
“To give the British credit for something that were never intended to benefit India is a mistake” – Shashi Tharoor
Dr Shashi Tharoor was in the UK to promote his new book Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. While visiting LSE, he spoke to Sonali Campion about the need to challenge existing narratives about the British in India, the uniquely exploitative nature of the Raj and the legacies of Empire.
“While Gandhi’s thought can at times seem paradoxical, it had an extraordinary resonance among Indians and indeed many others during his own lifetime” – Dr Faisal Devji
Following his well received lecture ‘Barrister Gandhi Takes the Stand’ at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, Dr Faisal Devji talks to Rebecca Bowers about Gandhi’s experience as a lawyer, and how his unconventional way of thinking inspired an anarchistic vision amongst Indians against the colonial regime.
“We have some critical national security interests, and you have to be respectful of those interests” – General Haq
LSE South Asia Centre and LSE SU Pakistan Development Society hosted Ehsan Ul Haq, retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army, for the event titled “Can Intelligence Services Do Good?“. General Haq briefly spoke to Mahima A. Jain after the event. Edited excerpts.
“CSR is no longer a ‘feel-good’ activity but rather a diligently monitored exercise designed to instigate meaningful change” – Dr Mukund Govind Rajan
Dr Mukund Govind Rajan participated in the Corporate Social Responsibility panel at the LSE India Summit 2017, where he discussed the benefits and drawbacks of ‘forced philanthropy’ brought in as part of the Companies Act (2013). After the session, he spoke to Alexander Spalding about Tatas’ longstanding commitment to using its expertise to achieve effective CSR and social change.
“Lipstick Under My Burkha tells stories that have simmered under the surface for a very long time. They need their space” – Ratna Patak Shah
Following the CBFC decision to ban Alankrita Shrivastava’s new film Lipstick Under My Burkha, Ruhi Khan speaks to lead actress Ratna Pathak Shahabout the treatment of her latest work, women’s issues in India and the role of the creative industries in holding a mirror to society.
“The Supreme Court decision could reverse the progress Pakistan has made on democratic consolidation over the past decade” – Rafiullah Kakar
Following the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s unanimous decision to disqualify Nawaz Sharif from office, Sonali Campion interviewed Rafiullah Kakar about the implications for democracy in Pakistan
You can read more of South Asia @ LSE’s interviews from the archives here.
Cover image: Dr Shashi Tharoor and South Asia Centre Director Dr Mukulika Banerjee speaking at LSE. Credit: Sonali Campion.
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