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409. Bengaluru Bus Stories
Shaheen Shasa, Sobin George and Prajwal Nagesh with Ranjana Raghunathan
Speakers
Carrying the people and pulse of a city.
Bengaluru Bus Stories is a conversation on how public transport weaves lives together by connecting neighbourhoods, opportunities, and communities across the city. Drawing from EQUIMOB, an international research collaboration between the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Utrecht University, Bangalore Bus Prayaanikara Vedike, and SAMVADA, the discussion explores how buses shape daily life, build connections, and remain vital to the city’s social fabric.
Moderated by Dr. Ranjana Raghunathan of Vidyashilp University, the panel brings together researchers and activists reflecting on their work with commuters and policymakers, reimagining Bengaluru’s buses as true lifelines that are designed with care, inclusion, and dignity at the core.
In this episode of BIC Talks, Shaheen Shasa, Sobin George and Prajwal Nagesh are in a conversation with Ranjana Raghunathan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Oct 2025.
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Speakers
Shaheen Shasa
Shaheen Shasa is an urban mobility activist and founding member of Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a commuters’ rights collective. Her work focuses on fare equity, gender-sensitive transit, and improving public bus services through better connectivity and accessibility. A passionate advocate for inclusive mobility, she has been instrumental in promoting policies that prioritize public transport over private vehicle use.
Sobin George
Dr. Sobin George holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and is an expert in the intersections of public health, social justice, and labour. His research examines the social gradients of health, marginalities, and the medical industry, offering critical insight into how inequality and policy shape everyday access to essential systems and services.
Prajwal Nagesh
Dr. Prajwal Nagesh is a sociologist with a PhD in Human Geography and Spatial Planning from Utrecht University, Netherlands. His research explores the intersections of urban inequality, mobility, and ageing, with a special focus on equitable access to transport in Indian cities. At MIDS, he studies the political economy of urbanisation, urban transport, and social hierarchies through ethnographic and qualitative approaches.
Ranjana Raghunathan
Ranjana Raghunathan is an anthropologist and Assistant Professor in the School of Liberal Arts at Vidyashilp University, Bangalore. Her research focuses on Bangalore’s neighbourhood histories and the narratives of urban development. At Vidyashilp University, she established an Ethnography Lab to foster collaboration and dialogue through ethnographic research and writing among academics and the broader community.
