Freedom can be a very individual experience. For e.g., Saifeena are probably not free to go to a restaurant or a movie – the paparazzi would turn it into an unpleasant outing. Anil Ambani, probably, cannot go on his morning run without his security guys hovering behind him. At the  other end of the spectrum, a woman in the slums may be free to swear, or throw out her drunken husband, but her freedom to choose different  kinds of work, or jump several layers of social and economic strata, may be limited. And , the middle class man or woman, while having it good in many ways, is hemmed in by outside perceptions of how free or he she ought to be – that would mean not being perceived as a good son, or a good mom…

In this issue, we explore ideas of freedom – in the social sector.

-- We start by saluting the women freedom fighters of Karnataka who gave us our first, baby steps to freedom.
-- We talk to SICHREM which helps poor and uninformed people learn about and fight for their rights.
-- We look at our animal co-habitants of this planet, and their lack of freedom
-- We meet Socare’s Mani, who tries to make sure that the children of prisoners are not restricted in their life choices.
-- In Diversecity, we attend the ‘dalit-sexual minorities dialogue’ to listen to traditionally marginalized people.
-- In Expert Speak, we look at freedom and the media
-- In our Guest Column, we talk to poet-writer, Dr L.Hanumanthaiah about the Dalit Movement
-- In Refractive index, we talk to people about the freedom they would hate to lose and the ones they’d love to have.
-- In Postscript, we come full circle and look at baby steps to freedom – in the literal sense–to find how the Montessori system encourages children to make free and responsible choices.

We are grateful that we are free to explore and express these ideas, and we hope you feel free to revert to us about what you think about these issues.