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A Gandhi Jayanti Special: Do Hunger Strikes Still Work? Aameen Amitoj on Student Resistance

On Gandhi Jayanti, host Nandini (Pause with Nandini / NRI Affairs), speaks with Aameen Amitoj of the All India Students Association about whether Gandhian methods like satyagraha, civil disobedience, and fasting still work under today’s near-absolute state power.

The episode, partnered with Hindus for Human Rights Australia, is framed by the July Jantar Mantar student hunger strike protesting a leaked medical entrance exam, where protesters carried the Constitution and images of Gandhi, Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, and Bhagat Singh; India’s education minister resigned on 25 July.

Aameen recounts his motivations, family reaction, the physical reality of fasting, and how the strike shifted from trying to move government to moving people, amplified by social media.

He discusses holding Gandhi and Ambedkar together by humanising historical figures, reflects on organising after the protest amid repression, and says Gandhi’s key legacy is stopping communal violence through moral force despite flaws.

00:00 Hunger, Gandhian Legacy, and Student Activism

02:50 The Guest: Aameen Amitoj

07:55 Strategy: Moving People

11:12 Social Media & The Movement

13:43 Reclaiming History

17:43 Aftermath: From Moment to Movement

23:22 What Gandhi Means Today

Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs