In Episode 47 [9] of the CounterVortex podcast [10], Bill Weinberg speaks with Punnag Tej Hazarika of the Brooklyn-based small-press imprint Coolgrove [11] and affiliated BorderTalk [12] blog, which explores questions of cultural intersection. Among Coolgrove's recent titles is Winged Horse: 76 Assamese Songs [13], a collection of translated lyrics by Tej's father, Bhupen Hazarika [14], the "Bard of Brahmaputra," who campaigned through his music [15] for a dignified place in India for the peoples of Assam and other minority ethnicities. Last year, Tej traveled to New Delhi to receive [16] the Bharat Ratna [17], India's highest civilian award, on behalf of his late father. But the honor came with India—and especially Assam and the restive Northeast—on the cusp of exploding into protest [18] over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. The politics of the situation, and the dilemmas of interculturality from Assam to New York, are discussed in a wide-ranging interview. Listen on SoundCloud [9], and support our podcast via Patreon [19].
Music: Xomoyor Agrogoti [21] (Winged Horse of Time) by Bhupen Hazarika
Excerpt: Motherland Assam [22] by Cosmic Horizon (contemporary protest song with xenophobic overtones)
Production by Chris Rywalt [23]
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