The Le Thinnai Kreyol Founders Prof Ananya and Ari Anna, introducing the epistemic foundations of this globally ground up research project on Creole Circulations for Prof Toral Gajarawala’s class at NYU Abu Dhabi.

This was a deep dive into the varied understanding of the initiative which is a glorious illustration of what it means to create a ‘safe space for refugees from the hegemonic narrative’.

The academic analycal rigor of deciphering the text was refreshing given the ivory tower audience.

Ari Anna explained how he writes his stories and the why behind his words.

Brilliant presentation on ‘contractual circuitry of circulation’ of Dhow Capitalism and Bazaars by Prof Fahad Bishara @TheNakhoda in the Jamia-Wits Indian Ocean Circulations Remote Conference. I am massive fan of his book’The Sea of Debt’. There is so much of Masqat in the book, my Bayt.

Present day Gujarat, Gulf Ports and Basra were intimately connected, and the region is connected through documentary infrastructure such as captain log books or ruz-namahs and payment notes.

Prof Ananya J Kabir speaks on the Konkani ‘Kreyol’ in the Jamia-Wits Indian Ocean Circulations Conference.

Prof Dilip Menon opens the Jamia-Wits Indian Ocean Circulations 3 day conference by speaking on thinking history with the ocean. Thinking History Differently and What is an Oceanic Imagination are key probes being asked in his opening note.

Thanks to Zoom Conferences one is able to attend these amazing intellectual engagements.

The link: https://asiangeek.net/2020/11/23/the-reskilling-misfire-understanding-the-sub-text-of-the-edutech-mayhem/

In this gap years of the pandemic, the proliferation of webinars and podcasts are a significant oral history register in the making for future historians and social scientists. Instagram is a life history archive of the everyday.

Saturday Evenings with Thinnai Matinee with Ari Anna and Prof Ananya led ground up globally networked Creole Cultures Research Initiative ‘Le Thinnai Kreyol’. Today the conversation focused on French-Bengali Connections with Prof Annu from NUS and Mr. Joy Banerjee. Great fun lah as always on many levels.

This one is closer ‘home’ as i am a NUS alum, have worked there as well in migrant worker research at the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

Good convergence on issues hardly spoken about in popular culture anymore such as the horrid Bengal Famine. And the French in the seminar with three Bengali speakers is not an issue really as I grew up listening to French Rai Music in Muscat. French is a pleasant language like Bangla.

I start a PhD soon pandemic permitting.

This wallet has been with me for 7 years across geographies. A sturdy Hugo Boss Limited Edition Wallet bought from the Orchard Road Singapore Store, has been a living remainder of material memory of days gone by!

🇸🇬❤️ is missed, always will be.