The AsCon Dispatch|November-March 2021 | Vol. 3

Warm greetings from the Asian Confluence. It is our pleasure to release the official newsletter of Asian Confluence: "The Ascon Dispatch" for the months of November 2020 to March 2021 at the outset of this lunar new year. These few days are celebrated in various ways within India and the immediate and extended neighbourhood: "Gudi Padwa" in Maharashtra, "Navreh" in Kashmir, "Ugadi" In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Vaisakhi in Punjab and "Poila Baisak" in Bengal. In adjoining Bangladesh it is celebrated as "Poila Baishak" and "Navvarsha" in Nepal. It is also celebrated as "Songkran" in Thailand, "Thingyar" in Myanmar "Chaul Chnam Thmey" in Cambodia, & "Pi Mai" in Laos. These shared threads of tradition and culture, that run deep within the grooves of this continent, form the very basis of our work here at Asian Confluence. While the challenges posed by a second wave of the pandemic loom large, it is also apt to take a momentary break and to celebrate common traditions that bind us together. We draw strength from their symbolism, as we reflect on learnings from a difficult year passed and the opportunities they present for us. In the last few months, the Asian Confluence hosted several new dialogues and released several publications. We also curated several conversations as part of the new "Groundspeak" series that reflect voices from the ground up. The "NADI Conversations" and the "ASCON Conversations" reflecting various aspects of the region being connected by shared waters and shared ideas also continued.