Talk on ‘Bangalore: the IT city that could (but doesn’t)’ | HUPA Chair on Urban Poor and the Law

NLSIU’s HUPA Chair on Urban Poor and the Law is organising a talk titled ‘Bangalore: the IT city that could (but doesn’t)’, being delivered by Dr Padmini Ray Murray.

About the talk

Despite the ubiquitous moniker of being the “IT city” there is very little evidence of how digital technology can be meaningfully beneficial for Bengaluru’s citizens. Even in times of crisis, such as the pandemic, citizens scrambled to create their own digitally mediated informal responses such as WhatsApp groups and websites: but despite the city’s much vaunted technological readiness, very little of the state’s resources could be harnessed in service of citizen needs. In this talk, Dr Padmini Ray Murray describes how access to technology by citizens, especially those on the margins and disenfranchised such as gender and sexual minorities as well as the disabled, is not sufficient and meaningful unless the city itself imagines itself as an interface for citizens to benefit from state resources, and will discuss recommendations for the same.

About the speaker

Dr Padmini Ray Murray is a feminist researcher, maker and the founder of Design Beku — a collective of researchers, artists, technologists and designers who work towards making design and digital practice more locally rooted, community-led, contextually relevant and ethical. Her research and practice focuses on challenging acts of infrastructural and algorithmic violence, and creating alternative digital spaces and imaginations that are characterised by feminist values, specifically an ethics of care. Design Beku has partnered with a range of community based organisations and NGOs such as Enable India, Point of View, Sangama, Maya Health, and Janastu on projects which range from feminist digital interventions, public health, and digital self determination for people with disabilities.

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