Shohini Chaudhuri

Oct 16, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Vrinda Sharma |Shohini Chaudhuri

Ever since Galileo Galilei faced the Roman inquisition in the 17th century for proving that the Earth went round the sun, scientists have risked being ruthlessly silenced. The Autumn 2024 issue of Index examines how scientists to this day still face censorship, as in many places around the world, adherence to ideology stands in the way of scientific progress.

Oct 15, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Vrinda Sharma |Shohini Chaudhuri |Shoaib Daniyal |Katie Dancey-Downs

We knew it was coming. It was 28 November 2021, and I was meeting my friend Ravish for the first time in nearly 20 months. Because of Covid I had been working from home since March 2020; a home that was 660km away from Delhi. It was a smoggy winter, as is usually the case in Delhi, but that day was a bright sunny one. We walked along Lodhi Road, and at one point in our conversation Ravish turned to me and said with a grim smile: “Don’t worry.

Sep 24, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Mark Stimpson |Martin Bright |Shohini Chaudhuri

Photo: Kennedy Library (CC-BY-NC.20)Banned Books Week is here once again. And so too are more stories of books being censored across the world. This week, Pen America reported that the number of book bans in public schools has nearly tripled in 2023-24 from the previous school year. While the week-long Banned Books Week event, supported by a coalition including Index on Censorship, looks largely towards bans in the USA, we’re taking a moment to reflect on global censorship of literature.

Sep 18, 2024 | indexoncensorship.org | Shohini Chaudhuri |Katie Dancey-Downs

In a perceptive video essay titled Irani Bag, made in 2020, Maryam Tafakory illustrates how Iranian filmmakers get around the Islamic taboo on touch. Interweaving her commentary with film clips from 1989 to 2018, she highlights how bags have long been a recurring device in Iranian films, allowing men and women to “touch” on screen. In one clip, a man and a woman riding on a motorbike are separated – or connected – by a bag lying between them.

Oct 29, 2023 | indexoncensorship.org | Mark Stimpson |Martin Bright |Shohini Chaudhuri |Katie Dancey-Downs

Peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict may seem like a distant dream, but even now there are those on the ground working to build understanding between the two peoples. The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is an umbrella organisation which helps bring together more than 170 groups across the region seeking dialogue and mutual understanding. ALLMEP this week helped organise a seminar, The Gaza War in Israel to amplify these voices.