ETV Bharat: Bengaluru: Tuesday, 04 March 2025.
Aruna Roy described how public spaces often became sites for political discourse and decision-making.
The
Department of English at St. Joseph’s College of Commerce hosted its Annual
Republic Day Lecture Series, with social activist and former civil servant
Aruna Roy delivering a lecture titled 'People’s Movement and Constitutional
Justice.'
The event began with a collective reading of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. In what she described as an informal conversation, Roy spoke about her transition from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to activism, sharing experiences from her work with the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in the fight for minimum wages. She emphasised that activism is not just an individual effort but a structural and collective process rooted in the belief in equality.
Reflecting on her activism, Roy described how public spaces often became sites for political discourse and decision-making. She referred to the recent farmers' protests as an "extraordinary resistance" that reinvigorated democracy. Stressing the interconnectedness of liberty, equality, and fraternity, she remarked, "You cannot divorce one from the other."
In the concluding segment, Roy addressed concerns about power structures and democracy. She highlighted the significance of the Right to Information (RTI) in decentralising authority and promoting transparency. Expressing concerns over the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, she warned that it could severely impact the RTI. During an interactive Q&A session, she urged the audience to resist misinformation, stating, "You can't be a post-truth generation."
The lecture, now in its seventh edition, is a flagship event of the college, inviting public intellectuals to discuss contemporary socio-political and cultural challenges facing the Indian Republic.
Aruna Roy described how public spaces often became sites for political discourse and decision-making.
The event began with a collective reading of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. In what she described as an informal conversation, Roy spoke about her transition from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to activism, sharing experiences from her work with the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in the fight for minimum wages. She emphasised that activism is not just an individual effort but a structural and collective process rooted in the belief in equality.
Reflecting on her activism, Roy described how public spaces often became sites for political discourse and decision-making. She referred to the recent farmers' protests as an "extraordinary resistance" that reinvigorated democracy. Stressing the interconnectedness of liberty, equality, and fraternity, she remarked, "You cannot divorce one from the other."
In the concluding segment, Roy addressed concerns about power structures and democracy. She highlighted the significance of the Right to Information (RTI) in decentralising authority and promoting transparency. Expressing concerns over the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, she warned that it could severely impact the RTI. During an interactive Q&A session, she urged the audience to resist misinformation, stating, "You can't be a post-truth generation."
The lecture, now in its seventh edition, is a flagship event of the college, inviting public intellectuals to discuss contemporary socio-political and cultural challenges facing the Indian Republic.
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