SOAS Radio

SU Current Affairs Lecture Series Developments in India since the mid 1980’s signify the breakdown of consensual politics and the ideal of composite Indian nationhood. Communal animosity has corroded the social conscience, contributed to a disregard of human life, and led to the decay of a reliable criminal justice system. Radical rhetoric these days covers all shades of the political spectrum - the reality today is that extremism is a mainstream phenomenon. We need to rediscover the virtues of moderation. SPEAKER DILIP SIMEON: was part of the Maoist movement in India which he left in 1972 in the wake of the Bangladesh crisis. From 1974 till 1994 he taught history at Delhi University. From 1984 onward, he participated in a citizen's campaign against communal violence, known as the Sampradayikta Virodhi Andolan (Movement Against Communalism). From 1998 till 2003 he worked on a conflict-mitigation project with Oxfam; and is now associated with the Aman Trust, which works to understand and reduce violent conflict. His blog contains several articles and reports on the issues discussed - http://dilipsimeon.blogspot.co.uk/