An Iranian student came to Pune in 2002. India changed what she studied - The Indian Express

Economic sociologist Maryam Aslany came to Pune from Tehran in 2002 as a Physics student, and the city she calls her second home set her on a lifelong study of the countryside. Her new book, Peasants: Makers of the Modern World (Bloomsbury), travels from India’s sugarcane fields to Cambodia’s rice plains, Peru’s cocaine valleys and Ghana’s cocoa belt, speaking to farmers and migrant labourers, including those driven to extremism or suicide by failing livelihoods.

Aslany is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and a Research Associate at the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. Edited excerpts: 

I came to Pune from Tehran in 2002 for my undergraduate studies in Physics at Wadia College and stayed on until 2008 to finish my postgraduation. Pune was a natural choice as many Iranians come here for higher studies. I went on to do my Master’s at Oxford and a PhD in economic sociology at King’s College, London. But ever since, I have found myself coming back — to India and Pune, which I consider my second home. I often say Pune is the only city where I don’t need a Google map to navigate.

Around 2005, though, I noticed the city changing from the quiet, retirement city it was. Suddenly, it was booming with construction and crowds; migration and malls. Everyone talked about this change only from an urban perspective, but I found myself thinking that the change must be happening in the countryside too. This became the topic of my thesis: The rural middle class in post-1991 India. So India is where all my curiosity begins.

Yes, there was a comfort level with Maharashtra and the villages around Pune. I had even picked up a bit of Marathi during my stay, which was a huge help. Initially, I ventured into the Vidarbha region, known for farmer suicides, but then gravitated to western Maharashtra and the sugar belt.

The 2020–21 farmers’ protests were remarkable, both in scale and in their ability to sustain mobilisation for a long period. The fact that the government eventually had to listen demonstrated that organised farmers can still exercise considerable political power. Are we likely to see more such protests? I think farmer protests will remain a significant feature of political life.

Farmers are fighting from a position of enormous structural weakness. That’s one of the reasons global capitalism has remained so attached to peasants — it knows it can out-manoeuvre them. They are geographically dispersed, have limited resources and cannot abandon their fields for long. Meanwhile, political institutions, capital, markets and media are overwhelmingly concentrated in cities. It isn’t just a struggle over prices or legislation; it’s a war of ideas, over how urban societies see farmers and the land that feeds them.

All three crops are grown by small farmers and are vital supply-chain commodities. Coca — let me compare legal and illegal peasant economies — the leaf itself is legal in Peru, but whom you sell it to isn’t. The selection also spans Asia, Latin America and Africa. These crops shape society deeply — be it their family, marriages or land management. Also, despite different ecologies, all these farmers share nearly identical economic and political struggles.

I spent quite a lot of time trying to write about the remoteness of these places. Beyond this remoteness, there is a familiar world. I have never seen the degree of hospitality anywhere in the world. One person I was struck by during my fieldwork was Anil, a sugarcane cutter in Maharashtra, who didn’t know how old he was. When I asked about his dreams, he said, “My dreams died when I was born.” He described himself as a knife or koyta or a machete, that’s how they are counted as labourers in the sugarcane fields, each hand is a knife, the children are counted as half a knife. I was really, really shaken.

The big threat is actually debt: moneylenders are growing everywhere like mushrooms and are charging astronomical interest rates. The situation of small farmers, anywhere in the world, is a cycle of eternal debt. Climate change enters a system already in crisis and intensifies it.

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More