On the Fringe
On the Fringe is an informal programme on Discord which—through myriad topics—thinks of boundaries and their functions in our world, dissecting what it means to categorize, marginalize, and circumscribe. Diving into nebulous spaces between boundaries, we speak with young adults, creative practitioners, researchers, and activists to reflect upon our established world views. We run one episode each month, dealing with a different and relevant topic each time.
Field
Programme Design
Client
Science Gallery Bengaluru
Year
2021 - current
My role
Research and conceptualisation, graphic design, discord management
2021
What are the rippling effects of laughter? How do comedians thread the slippery boundaries between humour, criticism, and offense?
Guest: Sundeep Rao
What are millennials eating? Are boomers becoming more spiritual? Is Gen Z changing the way we communicate?
On what basis are these generational divisions made? Do these boundaries help us better navigate through life, or do they reinforce a culture of circumscribing communities? Perhaps they do both, perhaps they do neither.
Guests: Boomer - Jyothirghosh; Gen X - Tanishka Kachru; Millennial - Nomaan; Gen Z - Riz Rishi
The earth is flat. The 1969 moon landing was staged. Climate change is a myth. Conspiracy theories may originate on the fringe, but often they become mainstream—inspiring documentaries, spawning cults, and triggering political upheaval.
But why do conspiracy theories hold power over some of us? How does society view the people who believe them? And how do they take hold and spread from one person to the next? What happens when a fringe theory proves to be true?
Guests:
Geeta Seshu, Journalist
Michael Biddlestone, Social Psychologist
Development. A seemingly promising goal to aspire to. But in this rapidly urbanising world with ‘developed’ cities, what happens to lakes, parks, and wetlands? How do we reconfigure our relationship with them? How can these urban commons help us simulate wider conversations about bridging inequalities, reclaiming common rights, and reimagining future cities?
Guests:
Neha Sami, Urban Planner, Academic Dean, Indian Institute of Human Settlements
Himanshu Burte, Urbanist, Indian Institute Technology-Bombay
“It’s all in your head.” “But you look fine!” “Maybe you’re just lazy.”
If you’ve ever faced an illness that has no discernible physical symptoms, you might have heard these comments. There are countless invisible diseases that remain shrouded within the body and mind, outwardly imperceptible. So what happens when the physical body does not betray the signs of an illness? What are the unique challenges and pressures they pose? What kind of expectations are assumed from seemingly able-bodied people?
Guests:
Abhishek Anicca, Writer, Poet, Performer
Suzanne Sanghi, Lupus patient-activist
How do countries, educational institutions, and powerful individuals work together to restrict access to knowledge? How do we critically engage with the past and contemporary issues when the tools we require, to do so, are out of our reach? The internet—once imagined as an open and free space is now barricaded. How did this transformation occur?
Guests:
Anand Chitipothu, Technologist
Anup Kumar Das, Information professional
Dreams are weird. Why do we dream? What kinds of dreams exist? Why do we remember some and not others? We want to hear from you about them!
Together we will share the types of dreams we have—the calm, the fun, the shocking.
Narcotics in popular media and culture have been portrayed as a substance that destabilises law and order and an object utilised for leisure.
How far does the media mirror ground realities? 😶🌫️ How do political institutions police substance use? 🔒What is the role of law in terms of punishment and rehabilitation? 🤯
Love. The popular, confusing, and elusive phenomenon has been the subject of many studies across disciplines. What does it even mean? Is love a feeling, a heightened degree of attachment, an unpredictable emotion, or a mere phase in time?
Facilitator: Arjun Yadav
