tag:peatix.com,2011:1 2021-11-15T10:08:02+08:00 Peatix George Town Literary Festival tag:peatix.com,2018:event-451402 2018-11-25T17:30:00MYT 2018-11-25T17:30:00MYT

Speakers: Arshia Sattar, Jeet Thayil, Tishani Doshi, Salil TripathiModerator: Umapagan AmpikaipakanConversations: The Great Indian DemocracyIndia is the world’s largest democracy and with a population of more than 1.3 billion it represents one fifth of humanity. How does democracy even begin to function under such conditions? Under the BJP government, there are real threats to freedom of expression and vigilantism is a norm in many states. Government dissenters, critics and journalists, couched as anti-Hindu nationalists, are sought out and killed. 63 million women are ‘missing’ statistically, and more than 21 million girls are unwanted by their families. ‘Incredible India’ is the tourism catchphrase. But India is also desperately poor and rich. It is one of the most literate countries in the world, but also the most illiterate. It is mother and father to some of the world’s oldest religions and civilisations. Will India continue find order in its chaos? Will Modi stay, or will he go?Room: Earth (Level 1)