Bitter Leaves: Women Workers in Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantations

Bitter Leaves: Women Workers in Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantations

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we speak with Menaha Kandasamy of the Ceylon Workers Red Flag Union in Sri Lanka. Tea from Sri Lanka reaches cups around the world. But the workers behind it—most of them women—continue to face low wages, unsafe conditions, and the long shadow of a colonial plantation system. In this episode, Menaha discusses the workers’ tribunal on plantation labour, the challenges of organizing in the estates, and why international solidarity still matters. Listen to the conversation. Disclaimer: Views are personal and not necessarily those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Multipolar Asia and the Future of Nepal’s Left

A deep dive into Nepal’s geopolitical landscape as the world moves toward multipolarity. Dr. Khagendra Prasai and Tauqueer Ali Sabri unpack the global transition from US-led unipolarity to a more contested multipolar world. We explore how these shifts shape Nepal’s position between India and China, the risks of great-power rivalry, and the openings and challenges for left movements in South Asia. Disclaimer: Views are personal and not necessarily those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Land, Dignity, and Justice: Single Women’s Struggles in Uttarakhand – A Conversation with Renu Thakur

In this episode of Indian Ocean, Vinod Koshti, Project Manager at Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS) South Asia, speaks with Renu Thakur, founder of Association for Rural Planning and Action (ARPAN), about the untold struggles of single women in rural Uttarakhand - widowed, divorced, deserted, or unmarried - who continue to be denied their rightful share of land. Together, they explore why land is far more than a piece of property: it is about dignity, identity, and survival. What does it mean to be a farmer without land in your name? Tune in to hear how women in India’s hill regions navigate patriarchy, legal blind spots, and systemic neglect in their fight for recognition and justice. Disclaimer: Views are personal and not necessarily those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Bottom-Up Capitalism, Agricultural Labour and Agrarian Crisis in Bangladesh with Prof. M. M. Akash

What does agrarian capitalism really look like in Bangladesh? In this compelling episode of Indian Ocean, Prof. M. M. Akash, one of Bangladesh's leading economists, joins host Vinod Koshti from RLS, South Asia to explore the layered realities of rural life, agricultural labour, and evolving class structures. From the resilience of smallholder farmers and the rise of bottom-up capitalism to the critical role of women and the precarious future of agricultural workers, this conversation offers rare, on-the-ground insights into the shifting socio-economic landscape of rural Bangladesh. Prof. Akash also speaks candidly about the threats posed by corporate agribusiness, the future of 21st-century socialism, and the urgent need for fair trade and dignified wages.” Listen in to understand why Bangladesh’s countryside is both a site of survival struggle and a space of hope—and why it matters to all of us, globally. Disclaimer: Views are personal and not necessarily those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Heinz Bierbaum on Left Politics in a Shifting World Order

In this episode of Indian Ocean, Tauqueer Ali Sabri speaks with Dr. Heinz Bierbaum—Chairman of the Executive Board of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation—on the urgent challenges and possibilities for the global Left. From democracy to the gig economy, far-right populism, migration, and climate justice, the discussion explores how the Left is responding to a rapidly shifting world order. Disclaimer: Views are personal and not necessarily those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.