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From Rampur to Wagah
A Life of Peace, Protest, and Possibility
Speakers
A writer, activist, policymaker, and advocate for justice, Syeda Hameed has spent her life listening to the voices from the margins and carrying their stories into the corridors of power. From her early work as a human rights advocate to her years as a Member of the National Commission for Women and the Planning Commission of India, she has been a campaigner for gender equity, communal harmony, and social justice. Her journeys have taken her from villages across India to the Wagah border, where she lit candles for peace between India and Pakistan, year after year.
Born into a family steeped in cultural and intellectual legacy, her father was the noted educationist Khwaja Ghulamus Saiyidain and her uncle the legendary writer and filmmaker Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Syeda Hameed’s life has been shaped by both privilege and purpose. She has translated and edited the works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, as well as literary greats like Ghalib, Faiz, Hali, and Sarmad Shaheed, bringing their voices into contemporary discourse with clarity and grace.
In her latest book, A Drop in The Ocean : The Story of My Life, Syeda offers a personal narrative, tracing her journey through moments of joy, struggle, and transformation. Beginning with the story she published at the age of nine, sparked by a moment of childhood exclusion for bearing a Muslim name, it is a memoir that speaks to identity, resilience, and the lifelong pursuit of peace.
The session will begin with a talk by Syeda Hameed, followed by a conversation with Co-founder & Editor-in-Chief, The News Minute, Dhanya Rajendran. A Q&A with the audience will follow. The session will also have musical contributions from Rene Singh.
Speakers
Syeda Saiyidain Hameed
Syeda Saiyidain Hameed is a women’s rights activist, educationist and writer. She is a former member of the Planning Commission of India. Her publications include Islamic Seal on India’s Independence: Abul Kalam Azad—A Fresh Look (1998) and Dr Zakir Husain: Teacher Who Became President (2000). In 2007, the Government of India conferred the Padma Shri on Hameed.
Rene Singh
Rene Singh is a soulful singer and storyteller known for blending music with poetry to promote healing, love, and harmony. Trained in semi-classical music and deeply rooted in Sufi and Urdu traditions, she curates powerful performances and workshops that explore the lives and verses of poets across cultures. Her work spans from conflict zones like Kashmir to the spiritual alleys of Vrindavan, using music as a tool for social change. Founder of Hum – Hamari Urdu Mohabbat, Rene has collaborated with UNICEF, performed for national dignitaries, and featured at major festivals like Jaipur and Lucknow Lit Fests. Her musical journey continues to touch lives through poetry, spirituality, and compassion.
Dhanya Rajendran
Dhanya Rajendran is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute, a digital publication that covers south India. In a journalism career spanning 20 years, Dhanya has a body of work focussing on politics, human rights, gender-based violence, and disaster coverage. She was the recipient of the Chameli Devi Jain award for best woman journalist of India in 2022 and named one of the best entrepreneurs in the country in Fortune’s 40 under 40 list.
Dhanya is the founding chairperson of Digipub, India’s largest association of digital news outlets that has around 120 members including sites like The Wire, Scroll, Quint and Newslaundry. Dhanya runs a feminist and diverse newsroom based out of Bengaluru with offices across south India. Before founding The News Minute, Dhanya worked as the South India head for the English news channel Times Now.
