Is activism a moral duty? Ash Sarkar is a journalist and speaker known for her left-wing views — but now she believes she took a wrong turn in the past.
The writer called ‘Queen of the Woke’
Controversial: Sarkar, above, insists she is a "conflict-averse person" — despite regularly arguing with right-wing figures in the public sphere. Glossary
Piers Morgan - The British journalist was sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror for running fake photographs of alleged torture by British soldiers in Iraq, and resigned from Good Morning Britain after making disparaging remarks about the Duchess of Sussex.
Communist - An economic system entailing collective ownership of all means of production in contrast with capitalism, which holds that industry and businesses are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government.
Left-wing - A range of beliefs that are the opposite of right-wing ideas. People on the political left usually believe in collective responsibility and the good of society. They often, though not always, support higher taxes and a more active, interventionist government.
Journalists - People whose job it is to report on the news.
Bengali - The sixth most-spoken language in the world. In 1952, Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and the government tried to impose Urdu as the national language.
Ancestors - The people related to us who lived a long time ago.
Social worker - Someone whose job it is to help people who have social disadvantages or problems in their life.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Woke - Awareness of injustice in society, particularly related to sexism and racism.
Right-wing - Sometimes referred to as 'conservative', this is a range of political beliefs that emphasise the value of tradition, individual freedom and responsibility, low taxes and a hands-off approach to government.
Gender - A person's gender identity (whether they feel like a man, woman or something else) is not the same as their biological sex (which is determined by genitals, hormones or chromosomes).
Poverty - The state of being very poor.