Soni Sori – India’s fearless tribal leader

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Soni Sori hadn't intended to become a public figure. In the early 2000s, she was living a quiet life with her family in Bastar, a district in the Central Indian state of Chattisgargh. But when her husband was arrested and imprisoned, everything changed for Soni. She would go on to become a leading tribal activist. Outlook's Colm Flynn takes us on an unusual tour of New York city, through the eyes of Beat poet enthusiast Timothy Speed Levitch. Damian Le Bas describes himself as an English Gypsy. This can be considered an offensive term in some parts of the world where Romany or Traveller is preferred. But Damian doesn't consider it a derogatory word, simply a description of his ethnicity. Damian's great-grandmother was born on the road and she would fill his childhood with stories of the old times, travelling around, resting in so-called stopping places. Her stories inspired him to go looking for those old stopping places, and the Gypsy history that's often forgotten. (Picture: Soni Sori. Photo credit: Saikat Paul/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images.)