The poem in this episode is about the Farmers’ Protest of 2020-2021, the Kisan Andolan in which farmers across several states of India came together to resist new farm laws that the government had introduced. There were many arguments for and against the laws, just like there are many varied practices of farming across the country. The protest continued for over a year, through the COVID 19 pandemic, with farmers’ communities setting up camps that became almost temporary cities on the borders of Delhi. Families from villages came and spent weeks at these sites. For many of the children who came too, this was an experience like no other. The poem in this episode shows us how such an experience influences a child’s understanding of community, of power and of resistance. And in that understanding lie possibilities of imagining change.

About the Guest
Poonam Batra is one of India’s leading academics in the field of elementary and teacher education, formerly with the Central Institute of Education, University of Delhi. Her work spans multiple areas of knowledge: public policy in education; curriculum and pedagogy; teacher education and gender studies. Her recent research examines the politics of school and teacher education reform; comparative education imperatives; inequalities, education, and sustainability; and decolonisation of teacher professional development. She is Co-Investigator and India lead on the GCRF funded Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures (TESF) southern-led research network.

Find more at:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0049085720958809?journalCode=scha https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11125-020-09518-6 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16823206.2013.877358 https://oxfordre.com/education/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-427 https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S1479-367920190000036011/full/html

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://tesfindia.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Revised-TESF-Background-Paper-Addressing-Inequalities-Jan-2023.pdf

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://iihs.co.in/knowledge-gateway/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/TESF-India-Background-paper.pdf

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/www.researchgate.net/profile/Rafael-Mitchell/publication/364521313_Decolonising_Teacher_Professionalism_Foregrounding_the_Perspectives_of_Teachers_in_the_Global_South/links/63569b766e0d367d91c0a264/Decolonising-Teacher-Professionalism-Foregrounding-the-Perspectives-of-Teachers-in-the-Global-South.pdf.

https://tesfindia.iihs.co.in/

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CREDITS
The Hum Hindustani Poetry Podcast is a production of The Magic Key Centre for the Arts and Childhood.

Conceived, Written, and Hosted by
Samina Mishra

Poems read by
Aanvi, Arudra, Danyal, Haniya, Ishanvi, Labina, Lakshmi, Kashvi, Kyra, Rohan, Ronish, Samaa, Sarah, Sediqa, Ulfa

Children reading the poems mentored by
Anannya Tripathyi

Studio recordings
Amartya Ghosh, Quarter Note Studios

Music
Shireen Ghosh

Vocals
Ishaan Chintamani

Artwork
Alia Sinha

Additional Research
Rhea Kuthoore

Co-Writer
S Gautham

Hindi Translation
Tazeen Ali

Produced by
Vaaka Media

Acknowledgements
Anannya Tripathyi
Gaurav Chintamani
Priya Mathews
Shikha Sen
Simurgh Centre
TESF India
All the children who participated in the Hum Hindustani workshops and wrote the poems

Support for this podcast comes from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.
The Hum Hindustani research project is part of TESF India.