2022 marks 75 years of India's independence. To commemorate the occasion, the Goethe-Institut is producing contributions on the theme of freedom. Artists, authors and thinkers from India and Germany explore the question: How is freedom perceived today? What makes people free? Where does freedom find its limits, and what are its conditions? Where is freedom currently threatened, and how can it be protected? What potential for freedom do arts offer? How do individual freedom and society relate to each other?
In this rendezvous with Delhi’s mythical past, Rana Safvi, narrates fascinating stories and explores freedom through the lens of the city's unique historical heritage. The iconic Red Fort and a quaint little street shop that sells Chole Bature, Safvi introduces 4 places that she associates with Freedom.
Journalist Nimish Sawant shows us around Berlin, taking us to such spots as he understands to be markers of true freedom in Germany - The transparent dome of the Reichstag Building, the gay districts, the Berlin Wall and the Tempelhofer Feld.
Storyteller, poet and writer, Janice Pariat takes us on a fascinating journey across people, centuries and continents, exploring the wonders of nature and human life in her new book ‘Everything the Light Touches.’ In this conversation with Rishi Majumder, she discusses freedom and the search for the self.
Music is an expression of freedom, conveying experiences and emotions like nothing else. In this live, the musician Harpreet illuminates the meaning of freedom through the lens of language, poetry and music.
With Osheen Siva & Rishi Majumder Artistic Freedom
Is artistic freedom meant to be complete, without boundaries, or should it be confined to a framework with applicable codes of conduct? The guests discuss vandalism and destruction of art displayed in public spaces and the aspect of State versus audience censorship.
With Gurmehar Kaur and Rishi Majumder Small Acts of Freedom
Academic, social activist, and author of Small Acts of Freedom, Gurmehar Kaur talked about the choices she made in her life and career, about what freedom means to her and how she chooses to exercise her freedom.
To preserve freedom of expression, we must protect people from state censorship of social media and the ones being attacked in the digital space. Anna-Lena, journalist and founder of HateAid GmbH, explains how this freedom of expression comes under threat.
A functioning democracy vis-à-vis authoritarian governance spells a lot about how freedom works. Coupled with the concept of dematerialization, Bernd Ulrich comments on the need to return to actual freedom and manage the task at hand, i.e. climate emergency.
Meena Kandasamy is a writer, translator and activist. Among her works is the for the Women's Prize shortlisted “When I Hit You”. Here she speaks about the meaning of freedom to writers and artists today.
Sandip Roy is a writer, podcaster columnist and the author of the novel ‘Don't Let Him Know.’ In this video, he speaks about preserving and expanding sexual freedom and the importance of fighting for it.
Annie Zaidi is a writer of fiction and poetry, like "City of Incident' and "Bread, Cement, Cactus". In this video, she describes freedom as a naturally occurring rather than a granted experience.
Bijan Moini is a lawyer and author of "Save the Freedom - A Wake-Up Call in the Digital Age". In his video, he talks about how digitalization can expand or destroy our freedom - and that we need to actively work toward the former.
German author and activist Sarah Diehl reflects on the traditional ideas of family, family policy and patriarchy still continue to dictate a woman’s way of life, as an individual, partner and mother.
Civilized coexistence with respect for personal and societal boundaries are a few important ingredients of freedom for the German journalist and writer Hasnain Kazim.
Ronny Sen is a filmmaker/photographer based in Kolkata. In his video, he discusses the concept of freedom for a filmmaker and the need for finding new ways to make work in an age of intolerance and majoritarianism.
Nikita Dhawan holds the Chair in Political Theory and History of Ideas at the Technical University Dresden, Germany. In contrast to a neoliberal vision of unfettered freedom, she proposes that freedom is not the right to do as one pleases but the responsibility to do what is right.
Saumya Roy is a journalist and author of "Mountain Tales." In her video, she outlines how pollution, waste and growing consumption impact the lives of waste pickers and what freedom means to them.
Sameera Iyengar is a creative producer and theatre person. Here she speaks about how freedom was perceived in a pre-independent India, and what freedom means to artists and art itself in a modern democracy.
Artistic Contributions on Freedom
Art is a medium to reflect on issues of freedom - through film, poetry, prose, performance, graphic or photography. Here are the selected artworks from India and Germany that received grants for shaping their artistic proposals.
Monica Narula is an artist and is trained in cinematography and filmmaking. She is also the co-founder of Raqs Media Collective, well known for its contribution to contemporary art through installation, sculpture, video, performance, text, lexica and curation.
Germany Will Fredo Furtado
Will Fredo Furtado is a non-binary artist, writer, and deputy editor of Contemporary And, a platform for visual arts. In their practice, they explore power dynamics, cultural dislocation, and the intersection of pop culture, decolonial thought, and technology.
India Aditya Mehta
Aditya Mehta is the Founder and CEO of Art&Found — a curated marketplace for art and collaboration. His career path has relentlessly focused on monetising the creative economy and making art accessible.
