Teesta Setalvad began to focus on communal issues at a time when India was experiencing deep conflicts and tensions between religious groups. The cultural plurality that had been so much a part of the Indian ethos for centuries was being questioned and threatened by resurgent religious fundamentalism. Teesta, originally a journalist with the mainstream media, decided to respond to the challenge by publishing a magazine, Communalism Combat, which stood for sanity, tolerance, and communal amity, and intervened in various ways during events of communal violence.
Engagement with these issues came naturally to Teesta, thanks to her family background and upbringing in multicultural and multireligious Mumbai. Her father is a legal luminary, an expert in jurisprudence, and an authority on Constitutional law; her husband, Javed Anand, is, like her, a journalist and activist working for communal harmony. Teesta was exposed from an early age to the issues of conflict and human rights.
The areas Teesta works on are conflict amelioration, communal harmony and tolerance, and human rights issues in conflict situations. She also analyzes mechanisms that endanger peace, and documents both violations of human rights and communitarian peacemaking efforts.
Apart from her media work, Teesta also negotiates on communal issues, organizes interventions such as citizens' inquiries, meetings and other forms of advocacy, and seeks redress for human rights' abuses through the courts.
All these aspects of her work came together during and after the genocidal killings in Gujarat in 2002. Teesta's role in trying to dock the guilty earned her widespread respect and admiration. She worked tirelessly to deliver justice to the victims of the carnage in the state, bringing to light atrocities that had been suppressed, and she supported victims who had been unable to speak up, for whatever reasons. This was particularly evident in the controversial case of Zahira Sheikh, who witnessed one of the most horrific communal murder incidents, eponymous as the Best Bakery case.
Many people have drawn inspiration from Teesta's work. She stands for peace in the midst of conflict and has had the courage to face up to dangerously divisive forces currently operative in society. Since fundamentalist and chauvinist lobbies are politically active and well-endowed with funds, Teesta has had to risk her security and mental peace to face up to them. But she is standing her ground.

Teesta Setalvad began to focus on communal issues when India was in the grip of deep religious conflicts and tensions. The country's cultural plurality was being questioned and threatened by resurgent religious fundamentalism. Teesta, originally a mainstream journalist, decided to respond to the challenge by publishing Communalism Combat, a publication that stood for tolerance and communal amity, and intervened in various ways during communal irruptions.
Engagement with these issues came naturally to Teesta. Her father is a legal luminary, an expert in jurisprudence, and an authority on constitutional law; her husband is also a journalist and activist working for communal harmony.
Teesta works on conflict amelioration, communal harmony and tolerance, and human rights issues in conflict situations. She also analyzes mechanisms that endanger peace, and documents both violations of human rights and communitarian peacemaking efforts. Furthermore, she negotiates on communal issues, organizes interventions such as citizens' inquiries, meetings, and other forms of advocacy, and seeks legal redress for human rights' abuses. These aspects of her work coalesced after the communal killings in Gujarat in 2002. Teesta's role in trying to nail the guilty earned her widespread respect. She exposed atrocities that had been suppressed and supported victims muted by choice or force. This was particularly evident in the case of Zahira Sheikh, witness in the Best Bakery case, one of the most horrific incidents of communal murder.

Gujarat 2002 was a turning point in India's much-vaunted "secular" history, with religious fanatics turning into remorseless hatchetmen for politically vested interests in the state administration, particularly right-wing dominators of the nation's honor.

Communalism Combat