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Soni Sori – India’s fearless tribal leader

Soni is a leading tribal activist in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. But life wasn't meant to turn out that way - her story has very ordinary beginnings.

Soni Sori hadn't intended to become a public figure. In the early 2000s, she was living a quiet life with her family in Bastar, a district in the Central Indian state of Chattisgargh. But when her husband was arrested and imprisoned, everything changed for Soni. She would go on to become a leading tribal activist.

Outlook's Colm Flynn takes us on an unusual tour of New York city, through the eyes of Beat poet enthusiast Timothy Speed Levitch.

Damian Le Bas describes himself as an English Gypsy. This can be considered an offensive term in some parts of the world where Romany or Traveller is preferred. But Damian doesn't consider it a derogatory word, simply a description of his ethnicity. Damian's great-grandmother was born on the road and she would fill his childhood with stories of the old times, travelling around, resting in so-called stopping places. Her stories inspired him to go looking for those old stopping places, and the Gypsy history that's often forgotten.

(Picture: Soni Sori. Photo credit: Saikat Paul/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images.)

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Thu 30 Aug 2018 06:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 29 Aug 2018 11:06GMT
  • Wed 29 Aug 2018 15:06GMT
  • Wed 29 Aug 2018 17:06GMT
  • Thu 30 Aug 2018 03:06GMT
  • Thu 30 Aug 2018 05:06GMT
  • Thu 30 Aug 2018 06:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected