The Shaktitva Podcast: All about Dharma, Feminism and Decoloniality

Gurpreet and Neha explore the situation in the Middle East with the Israel-Palestine conflict from the perspective of Hindu women, the shocking reaction to the situation in Western campuses, the popular sentiments in India and more. They explore whether "this is what decolonization looks like" and why decolonization looks very different based on the civilizational values being defended. Stay tuned with updates on "The Shaktitva Podcast" on Whatsapp X

South Asian Feminism repeatedly lionizes Mughal rule including faux-feminist takes on the liberation of women in Harems, when the reality was that life for women in colonial rule was stark. Violence against women has been a salient feature of colonialism. We talk about sexual slavery in Harems, Jauhar and the trans-generational trauma of Hindu women from being repeatedly reminded of that history. 02.15 - Unique Hindu context and it's absence in South Asian feminism 08.10 - Hindu experience: exploitation of women during invasions and foreign rule. 17.56 - shortfalls and lack of Bhartiya experience in South Asian Feminism 20.30 - Hindu Transgenerational trauma and responses. Jauhar. 37.42 - Colonial excesses and case for decoloniality. 48.53 - British propaganda to corrupt Hindu identity 56.20 - Inaction w.r.t factual correction of historical narratives. Glorification of invaders.

Gurpreet Chopra and Neha Srivastava discuss their individual journeys and the evolution of their relationship to feminism as it is understood in India, criticisms of mainstream South Asian feminism and an introduction to indigenous Feminism. Recommended Books: The India They Saw - Meenakshi Jain & Sandhya Jain The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century - Dharampal Revisiting the Educational Heritage of India - Sahana Singh