Spring 2024 Archives

Introducing AGITATE! Volume 5

Abdul Aijaz and Richa Nagar

This is a striking black and white photograph, characterized by strong contrasts and deep shadows that create a sense of quiet intimacy and contemplation. The filename "CHUP" (meaning "silent" or "quiet

The editorial introduction to AGITATE! Journal’s fifth volume—Stories and Ecologies of Violence: Walking Together in Solidarity and Silence/ Chup by Richa Nagar and Abdul Aijaz.

In the Absence of a Corpse

Soibam Haripriya

This is a black and white line drawing, minimalist in style, depicting organic, flowing shapes on a plain white background. The image appears to be a stylized representation of a human-like figure intertwined with

In this poem, Soibam Haripriya asks what we should we do in the absence of a corpse.

Solidarity with Palestine from Kashmir: Kashmiri, Hindi, and Urdu translations of Refaat Alareer’s ‘If I Must Die’

Ather Zia and Idrisa Pandit, with Richa Nagar and Abdul Aijaz

This image is a framed artwork by Rita Ponce de León, titled "Artwork 1". It is a drawing or watercolor, presented in a simple, rectangular white frame that casts a subtle shadow on the white

Translations of Palestian poet Refaat Alareer’s poem, ‘If I Must Die’ in Kashmiri by Ather Zia and Idrisa Pandit, in Hindi by Richa Nagar, and Urdu by Abdul Aijaz. In her introduction Ather Zia writes of the deep love that Kashmiris have for Palestinian people and their struggle.

Buried Waters

Efadul Huq

This image is a visually striking, text-heavy piece with a somber and reflective tone, set against a textured background that evokes dried earth or handmade paper. **Overall Appearance:** The image

Efadul Huq’s visual poem revisits journeys along Dhaka’s besieged rivers, where the silent struggle against land developers echoes through cracked lines traced from memories captured on the banks of Turag.

Act One: The Multan Railway Station

Abdul Aijaz

This image captures a vibrant scene at the entrance of an old brick building, likely a mosque, shrine, or historical site, under a clear blue sky. The building itself is constructed primarily of reddish-

Reflecting on his journey with Chup, Abdul Aijaz writes about how stories come together in surprising ways.

Silence | CHUP

Fawad Khan

This image is a diptych, meaning two distinct photographs are presented side-by-side, sharing a common theme or event. The overall impression is of a staged performance or a deep discussion

English translation of the script of CHUP | Silence by Fawad Khan.

Performing Chup: Resonance Across Borders

Fawad Khan, Tarun Kumar, Sunil Shanker, Parakh Theatre

This image captures a dramatic scene, likely from a stage play, featuring three individuals – two men and one woman – seated in a dimly lit room with a dark reddish-brown wall. The overall mood is

Recordings of the performances of CHUP in Karachi (2018) and Bombay (2023).

चुप्पी की बोली: एक मंथन

Richa Nagar

Richa Nagar interweaves collective reflections of Parakh Theatre group and Chup’s audiences in Mumbai.
Roman transliteration by Gwendolyn Kirk & Richa Nagar.

Playing With Silence: Fawad Khan Speaks with Richa Nagar and Abdul Aijaz

Fawad Khan with Richa Nagar and Abdul Aijaz

This image is a composite of five photographs arranged in a grid, with a large portrait on the left and three smaller, stacked images on the right, plus a small image at the bottom right. The overall

Fawad Khan speaks to Richa Nagar and Abdul Aijaz about the journey of writing ‘Chup,’ bringing it to the stage given its critique of the oppressive state apparatuses, his vision and hope for art, and what the border-crossing by ‘Chup’ has meant for him.

Carrying Silences Across Borders: Tarun Kumar Speaks with Abdul Aijaz and Richa Nagar

Tarun Kumar with Abdul Aijaz and Richa Nagar

This image captures an informal gathering of six people and a dog in a brightly lit living room, likely engaged in a discussion or interview. The overall atmosphere appears relaxed and attentive. **The Setting:**

Tarun Kumar reflects on Parakh Theatre’s journey with Chup in the midst of the Pandemic and dwindling spaces of artistic freedom and expression in India, in this conversation with Abdul Aijaz and Richa Nagar.

A Haunting, Howling Chup: Literature and Ecology of Violence

Abdul Aijaz

This image is a stark, monochromatic line drawing, primarily in black ink on a plain white background, with subtle accents of thin red lines. The composition is highly dynamic, creating a strong sense of depth and

Reflecting on Chup, Abdul Aijaz asks, “How do you tell a tale that resists narration and yet screams to be told? How do you weave a narrative around a ‘chup’ that is haunted by what it cannot say. How to share a story that so clearly unveils what it does not tell?”

New Gaza

Marwan Makhoul and various translators

This image is a minimalist, text-based graphic on a solid black background, likely serving as a title card or promotional material for an artistic project or event. A faint, hand-drawn

Marwan Makhoul’s poem ‘New Gaza’ with translations in various languages that have been organized by a transnational solidarity effort.

New Narratives of Old Wars: Testimonios from the Co-Madres of El Salvador

Heider Tun Tun, Ruby Steigerwald, and Inez Steigerwald

This black and white photograph features two women, identified as Patty and Alicia, standing side-by-side and smiling warmly. On the left is Patty, a younger woman with dark, short, wavy

Heider Tun Tun, Ruby Steigerwald, and Inez Steigerwald write about how the testimonios of Co-Madres in El Salvador resist war narratives and break the conspiracy of silence about the scale of death, violence, and displacement during years of civil war in El Salvador.

Untitled

Ather Zia

A short story by Ather Zia set in Indian-occupied Kashmir where the Indian army routinely disappears Kashmiri men.

غزہ کی خُدائی | ग़ज़ा की ख़ुदाई | Ghaza’s World

عمران فیروز | Imran Feroze

This is an abstract artwork on a light, off-white, textured surface, resembling paper or canvas. The composition is dominated by a repeating, interlocking pattern of organic, rounded shapes, arranged

Imran Feroze’s poem asks us to “Listen to the pleas of the dwellers of Ghaza, unsung, written in blood.”
English translation and Devanagari transliteration by Gwendolyn Kirk and Abdul Aijaz.

Poetics is Political: Politics and Poetics of Difference Across the Borders of the Nation-States

Papori Bora

This is a minimalist, black-and-white ink drawing depicting a large group of stylized human figures on a plain, light off-white or cream-colored background. The figures are arranged in ascending

Papori Bora highlights how the political condition of Palestine resonates with the Northeast (India)—a global interconnected history of violence of colonialism and its aftermath in the life and politics of postcolonial nation-states, shared in histories of modes of governance, militarization, racial projects, and capitalist development.

इंतिफ़ादा | Intifada | انتفادہ

अशोक कुमार पाण्डेय | Ashok Kumar Pandey

This is a high-contrast black and white ink drawing, dominated by a strong vertical composition and a sense of forceful action. The image depicts three stylized hands, appearing to be right hands,

This poem by Ashok Kumar Pandey mediates on how hope and resistance stubbornly persists in Palestine.
English translation by Richa Nagar & Medha Muskan.
Transliteration in Nastaliq by Abdul Aijaz & Gwendolyn Kirk.

Amaithi as Stillness: Holding Palestine in the Batticaloa Justice Walk

The Batticaloa Justice Walk

This sepia-toned photograph, titled 'Batticaloa-3.png', captures a group of people, predominantly women, walking along a dusty, unpaved road in what appears to be a

In this interweaving of visuals, poetry, and collective reflection, the justice walkers from Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, express their feelings about the war in Palestine within the silence of their everyday walk of protest—a collective practice of reflection, protest, grieving, hope, and healing.