Monimala Sengupta

Doctoral Research Fellow at @LingnanU_SocSc

Interests: Poverty, indigenous populations, work, citizenship, politics & policy

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Excited and looking forward to this new journey! #CGIU2022 #SDGYoungLeaders #Commitmenttoaction #PovertyAlleviation #SDG1
@lingnanuni @UNYouthEnvoy @LuGraduate

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

We're celebrating the 165th anniversary of the birth of a true great: Rabindranath Tagore, who was born #onthisday 7 May, in 1861 in Calcutta, India.

The first non-European literature laureate, he was awarded the #NobelPrize "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West."

Read more: https://t.co/cglURuTyvy

#Tagore165

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

The GDP Politics?

[Kaushik Basu @kaushikcbasu]

The GDP has increasingly become a game for rating & ranking nations, which politicians use for their advantage, often to the detriment of the citizens. Get ready for the UN Beyond GDP Report, as we work towards its completion:
https://t.co/LyN2R21Ime

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

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[Jay Shah @JayShah]

I've been passionate about women's cricket for a long time, and the success of the latest @ICC Women's @CricketWorldCup is a testament to so many who have been working openly and behind the scenes for years to see this growth and evolution materialize before our very eyes. #CWC25

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

Amartya Sen's bike played a key role in research on differences between baby boys and girls. After his assistant was bit by a child who resisted being weighed, Sen cycled through the countryside of West Bengal, weighing the children himself.

What will the 2025 economic sciences prize award?

[Tora Agarwala @ToraAgarwala]

In Zubeen Garg’s death, people in Assam are not just mourning the loss of a musician—they are mourning the loss of a leader, a voice they didn’t realise they had or needed.
My profile of this megastar in @Mint_Lounge
Link: https://t.co/IZeTHs9m4l

[taslima nasreen @taslimanasreen]

Fifteen lakh people of Assam walked the streets of Guwahati with Zubeen Garg’s coffin, weeping, wiping their tears as they went. Perhaps every artist dream of receiving such love, but not everyone’s dream comes true. Maybe only one in a hundred thousand is honored in this way.

Zubeen was not a supporter of any political party. He called himself a social leftist—not politically leftist, but socially so. He helped flood victims. He helped the poor and the distressed. He raised fifteen children. He spoke out against injustice. He never compromised with the powerful and the influential. Even at the peak of fame and popularity, he led a simple life. He bought food from roadside stalls and ate sitting on benches like everyone else. He would openly admit that he drank alcohol, saying that some of his best songs had been sung in a drunken state. Unlike many Bengali artists, he never tried to act like a refined gentleman. He was never arrogant. His body was covered in tattoos. He did not own a lavish mansion but lived in a modest middle-class flat. He had a flat in Bombay as well, where he stayed whenever work required. But he never liked living in Bombay. Assam was his true home. Assam was his soul. How could the people of Assam not love such a selfless, generous, humane man?

Though born a Brahmin, he cast aside the sacred thread. He declared that he had no caste, no religion, no god, no political party. He was human—that was his only identity. Perhaps that is why people of every faith, every color, every class, every community, and every party wept at his death, cried out in grief, and mourned together.

I believe Zubeen’s death happened because of the negligence of his companions. From what I have heard, he did not lose vision, nor had he consumed alcohol before scuba diving or entering the water. The post-mortem report confirmed that he died by drowning. He had removed his life jacket because it was too large for him and made it difficult to swim. He should have been given one that fit his body. He should have been advised not to enter the sea with a tired body. His companions should have noticed that he was having a seizure and drowning, and they should have brought him back to shore immediately. They did bring him back—but only after the waters had already claimed his life.

If only Zubeen could have seen the long funeral procession in Guwahati, if only he could have seen how deeply people loved him—perhaps even in death, he would have found peace. After all, every person must die one day—some sooner, some later. But how many artists in a lifetime achieve such greatness?

Zubeen’s life was extraordinarily fulfilled—not because he won many awards, but because he received the genuine, boundless love of countless people.

And yet one question remains. If Zubeen had not been born into the religious majority of Assam, but instead into the religious majority of Bangladesh—if he had cast away his caste and religion there—would the people of Bangladesh have honored him for his songs in the way the people of Assam have?

I leave that question behind.

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Rest in power comrade! @zubeengarg1 #ZubeenGarg #ZubeenDa #ZubeenDaForever

[Sarbananda Sonowal @sarbanandsonwal]

Zubeen will forever live on in the hearts and souls of Assam and beyond.

Paid my final respects to our #BelovedZubeen along with millions sharing the same profound grief and inexpressible void.

Rest in eternal peace #ZubeenGarg

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Assam's hearthrob @zubeengarg1 forever in our hearts! #ZubeenDa #ZubeenGarg #legend

[GPlus @guwahatiplus]

Lakhs turn up on 21 September to bid a final farewell to Zubeen Garg.

#zubeengarg #Zubeen #zubeenda

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Rest in power and melody! #ZubeenDa #ZubeenGarg #ZubeenDaForever #Assam #NortheastIndia

[A.R.Rahman @arrahman]

Along with all your fans, family and friends, we will miss you deeply, Zubeen. 🌹🫶🏼

Rest in peace

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

#Urbanpoverty #Zambia

[TheAfrikan @cleopas_sambo]

From the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN) working paper series my analysis of the dynamics of urban poverty in Zambia. Highlights: Local resilience in a crisis of livelihoods, dysfunction in local democracy but many low hanging fruits for action:

https://t.co/Wvkh2N6c1o

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Terrific collection of essays by great minds! Grab your copy now!!! @inkanibooks

[Grieve Chelwa @gchelwa]

Hello friends, I am happy to share that a new book from @inkanibooks edited by me has just been published!

The book, titled Can Africans Do Economics?, examines the intersection of economic development and freedom across the Africa. Drawing on the powerful ideas of former African leaders such as Thomas Sankara and Julius Nyerere, this book explores their belief in the inseparable link between political independence and economic progress.

With a powerful introduction from @vijayprashad and informed by the scholarship of economists Grieve Chelwa, @MarionOuma , @redgenkosi, @cleopas_sambo and @nssylla , Can Africans Do Economics? redefines development as a process of emancipation, not simply economic growth. Combining historical context with forward-thinking policy proposals this book presents an urgent case for transformative policies grounded in African realities, and rejecting foreign-led interventions on the continent.

The book is published by @inkanibooks , a people’s movement-driven publishing house in Johannesburg, South Africa.

You can order the book here:
https://t.co/i56pKKjyqE

Lots of gratitude to Efemia Christiana, Inkani’s Managing Editor, for her magic touch in seeing this project through to conclusion.

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

End of an Era!

[CPI (M) @cpimspeak]

Comrade Buddhadeb Amar Rahe!

It is with deep sorrow that we inform of the death of outstanding communist leader, former Polit Bureau member and former Chief Minister of Bengal, comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, at 8.20 AM this morning.

We dip the red flag in tribute.

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Deeply troubled by the reports of violence against peaceful protestors in Bangladesh. The government(s) must protect the right to demonstrate and seek resoulution through dialogue, not force.Solidarity with the brave youths!
#Bangladeshstudentprotest #PeacefulProtest #PeoplePower

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Its a win for the the people of Kenya! The power of common people is undeniable. Despite the heartbreakingn loss of innocent lives it has lead to a meaningful change.
#Kenya #FinanceBill2024Rejected #PowerOfProtest

[BBC News Africa @BBCAfrica]

President Ruto of Kenya has abandoned planned tax rises in response to deadly protests on Tuesday. William Ruto said huge protests had made it clear that people wanted nothing to do with the legislation.

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Excited about this New Book! Where my favuourite Gurus have come together engaging on critical welfare debates in the Global South 📚🌍 #Newbook #Socialwelfare #SocialPolicy #GlobalDevelopment #SDGs

[TheAfrikan @cleopas_sambo]

#Newbookalert.

Can welfare in the South develop in the same way as the North?

This and many questions are answered in this edited volume with @sattwickdb & @PellisserySony on The Politics of Welfare in the Global South available for pre-orders at Oxford University Press.

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Unmasking the Global North Powers! Viva South Africa 🫰
#Righttolife #ICJGenocideConvention

[Clayson Monyela @ClaysonMonyela]

Let history record that #SouthAfrica led the international community in fighting to give meaning to "never again"....! The people of #Palestine also have a right to life. Amandla!!! ✊🏿 #ICJGenocideConvention

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Hopefully we can have more such innovations in agriculture so that countires can be self-sufficient and the excess can be exported!
#sustainableagriculture #SDG2

[James Hall @hallaboutafrica]

Congrats Malawi: makes its first successful large-scale wheat harvest after trying for years to find a grain variety suitable for its soil. Malawi imports 200,000 tonnes of wheat at $48 million. To achieve self-sufficiency, it may take four years to produce enough - but on way!

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

This year's theme: Education for Sustainability: Navigating the Changing Landscape of Higher Education

You may join via the link below:

https://t.co/ds3J3UJ9Ai

[Monimala Sengupta @Monimalaa]

Conference for Higher Education Research - Hong Kong 2023 @lingnanuni more info: https://t.co/SAGPK3pIyT

#phdchat #phdlife