Maiyoraa is joined by 47 Roots' Vinorshan to discuss India’s current relationship with China, the ongoing tension on their borders, India banning Tiktok and a special tribute to the late and great S. P. Balasubramanyam.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/crackingcoconuts/message…

On May 2nd, screenshots of boys talking about their underage classmates, the way they look and their dressing sense in a derogatory manner, circulated across Facebook and Instagram. In this episode, Maiyoraa is joined by Shruti Balaji, a PhD candidate in LSE’s Department of International Relations, to discuss how social media provides a platform fo…

Protests began in Minnesota, the week before, to end police brutality against black folx in response to a video showing a white police officer killing Floyd, an unarmed black man. The protests have erupted globally calling for an end to police brutality, an end to the police state, and an end to institutionalised racism. In this episode, we will be…

Sri Lanka: The month of May is a momentous one in the long history of the Tamil people. For many Tamils, May is a month of mourning, commemorating and remembering. 11 years ago, tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were massacred. Today, Maiyoraa is joined by Sagi Thilipkumar, PEARL’s Advocacy Coordinator for Switzerland and founder of Tam…

In this episode, we’ll be explaining the violence that has come about in Delhi in the last couple months, starting with the clashes with students in December to the recent state-sanctioned pogrom. This has now escalated to a full-blown discriminatory attack on Muslims in Delhi with at least 51 people killed and around 250 injured. Maiyoraa is joine…

A rape takes place in India every 20 minutes. The rape of the 23-year-old student took place just before Christmas 2012, bringing thousands of people on to the streets to demand greater protection for women. All of this happened before the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, took office, but he would like the entire subject to just go away. Maiy…

In parts of rural Nepal, women are forced to isolate themselves in huts or caves during their menstruation period. Recently, a 16-year-old girl suffocated to death in her goth. In recent years, some women have turned their back on the ritual: a few burnt their sheds. But although the country's supreme court banned practising chaupadi in 2005, the c…

What was Britain’s involvement in the Sri Lankan war other than just arms trade? Phil Miller, an investigative journalist, has written a “Keenie Meenie: The British Mercenaries that got away with war crimes.” This book unveils the work of British mercenaries and former politicians and councillors in training and committing atrocities against Tamil …

On November 17th, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was announced as the new president of Sri Lanka. A man who conducted mass atrocities against the country's minorities has just taken up the highest office. In this episode, our guest, Dr Thamil Venthan Ananthavinayagam, discusses the election result and what it means going ahead in terms of security, economy an…

In this episode, we discuss Vanni, a graphic novel illustrated by Lindsay Pollock and written by Benjamin Dix. The novel draws on research and eye-witness accounts to bring to you a family’s struggle to survive during the Sri Lankan civil war. The conflict claimed the lives of over 220,000 Sri Lankans and generated a global diaspora of 600,00 to 80…

In conversation with Rachel Seoighe of the Tamil Information Centre.Ten years on from the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, minority communities on the island are continuing to face heavy surveillance and further restrictions on their basic human rights. The Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka only reaffirmed this as we saw mobs attack Muslim …

The recent events of March 2019 brought the world’s attention to Kashmir; when Pakistan and India almost went to nuclear war with each other. It’s important to note that the coming weeks will see a major election in India where Kashmir has become a contentious topic and one that has been wielded to gain support. In this episode of Cracking Coconuts…

With the striking of a Colonial Era Law, also known as Section 377, we have seen a surge of support for the LGBT+ community in India. Dancer Shiva Raichandani is best known for his work in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. On this week’s podcast, he and Maiyoraa discuss Bollywood and gender binary in the new era.01:45 - Defining LGBTQIAP 08:30 - Sectio…

Recently, Sri Lankan politics has seen a tumultuous turn of events with the unconstitutional appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM. Rajapaksa, former president of Sri Lanka, oversaw the massacre and genocide of Tamils during the civil war and has an infamous human rights rapport. To dissect and understand the situation further, we have a conversat…