About the Lecture

Three states now have laws that go against India's constitutional ethos by criminalising inter-faith love. These laws come at a time when a fake narrative, "love jihad", has entered the popular lexicon and has been normalised by vigilantes and the State. These laws and the love-jihad narrative are emerging as more young people meet and mingle with those from other faiths, castes and backgrounds in educational institutions and the workplace. The India Love Project is an attempt to counter this fake narrative by offering true stories of love beyond the boundaries of caste, faith, race and gender. In less than 4 months, it had gained 32,000 followers on Instagram and is flooded with stories of couples who describe how their love transcended India's traditional boundaries. The talk will describe the project and its goals.  

About the Speaker

Samar Halarnkar is a cofounder of the India Love Project, currently an Instagram handle that curates stories of love beyond the boundaries of caste, faith, gender and ethnicity. Former managing editor of the Hindustan Times, he is currently editor of Article 14 (www.article-14.com), a website focused on issues related to the rule of law in India, and a columnist. A journalist for 30 years, Halarnkar has been a visiting lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley and a fellow at the Nieman Foundation, Harvard University. He has won national awards on investigative and technology reporting and is the author of two books.