Binalakshmi Nepram is an award-winning civil rights indigenous activist and writer from Manipur, an Asiatic Nation that was “merged under duress” with India in 1949. She is a founder of three organizations: The Manipur Women Gun Survivor Network, Control Arms Foundation of India and Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace. She is a prolific writer whose publications include Poetic Festoon (1990), South Asia’s Fractured Frontier: Armed Conflict, Narcotics & Small Arms Proliferation in India’s Northeast (2003), Meckley: A Historical Fiction on Manipur (2004), India and Arms Trade Treaty (2008),Where are our Women in Decision Making on UNSCR 1325 (2016) and Democracy, Diversity, Racial and Gender Violence, 2019. 

Ms. Nepram has been the recipient of the Sean MacBride Peace Prize (2010), CNN IBN Real Heroes Award (2011), Femina Women Award (2015), Women Have Wings Award (2016), Jijabai Women Empowerment Award (2017) & Anna Politskovsykaya Award (2019), amongst many others. She has been named as one of “24 Minds That Matter” by Forbes (India) magazine and one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World on Armed Violence Reduction” by the Action on Armed Violence organization based in London. Bina is also recipient of the IIE-SRF Fellowship and taught at Connecticut College. She also started The New York Dialogues to share literary ideas, food and community spirit. She tweets at @BinaNepram 

Photo credit: Hadi Nasiri