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Welcome to the Sunil Abraham Project (TSAP). This space brings together notes, essays, research, and reflections on technology, policy, and society. It aims to make knowledge freely accessible, encourage collaborative learning, and preserve insights.
The project reflects years of engagement with digital rights, open technology, and social research in India and beyond. It seeks to connect individual thought with public understanding, bridging ideas across disciplines and communities.
Featured article
Rev. Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (1933–1996) was an Indian theologian, priest, and scholar whose work bridged faith, culture, and social justice. Educated in philosophy and theology in Pune, Rome, and Oxford, he combined pastoral life with a deep interest in the moral and social struggles of ordinary people. His ministry in the Church of England and later in India reflected a conviction that religion must respond to the realities of oppression and inequality.
After returning to India, he joined the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society in Bangalore, where he became Associate Director. Working closely with theologian M. M. Thomas, he explored how Christian thought could engage with caste and class through the lived experiences of Dalit communities. His research on folk religion, ritual, and oral traditions offered new ways of understanding theology as a form of cultural expression and resistance.
Among his major works are The Sacred in Popular Hinduism, Swami Anand Thirth: Untouchability, Gandhian Solution on Trial, and the posthumous Essays on Dalits, Religion, and Liberation. Until his death in 1996, Ayrookuzhiel remained dedicated to a theology rooted in the struggles of the marginalised—a vision that continues to shape Indian Christian and social thought.
Read full article... Visit the portal...Sunil Abraham
Sunil Abraham (IAST: Sunīl Ābrahām; IPA: suːˈniːl ˈɑːbrəˌhɑːm, born 17 June 1973) is an Indian internet researcher, public policy advocate, and social entrepreneur known for his work at the intersection of technology, society, and governance.
Sunil is a co-founder and former executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), a Bangalore-based non-profit research organisation established in 2008 to explore the relationship between the internet and social change. CIS brings together scholars, technologists, and activists to study issues such as internet governance, privacy, accessibility, and freedom of expression.
In 1998, he co-founded Mahiti Infotech, a social enterprise designed to make technology affordable and effective for the voluntary sector through Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Under his leadership, Mahiti has supported hundreds of civil society organisations with digital tools, training, and open technology solutions.
His contributions extend to advising governments, UN agencies, and advocacy groups on open standards, internet policy, and digital rights. A frequent lecturer and writer, Sunil's work highlights issues of openness, equity, and accountability in technology. His lifelong mission remains to ensure that innovation strengthens democracy and social inclusion rather than deepening inequality.
Read full biography...Featured media
Aadhaar by Numbers
This talk explores Aadhaar from a technical angle. It examines how biometrics work as identification and authentication tools, looks at the UIDAI's claims of openness, and discusses alternative identity system designs that could offer the benefits of digital identity without the risks of centralised biometric databases.
Sunil posted this video on 𝕏 (then known as Twitter) on 17 October 2016 with the note: "Dear #FriendWithoutAadhaar — If you have an hour to waste. Please watch this:". It has remained pinned since then, as the debate around Aadhaar continues to be relevant and important.
Oxford MA Certificate — Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel (1974)
This University of Oxford Master of Arts certificate was awarded to Athanasius Mathen Abraham Ayrookuzhiel of Campion Hall on 2 May 1974, as recorded in the Register of the Ancient House of Congregation of Doctors and Regent Masters. Campion Hall is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford, historically associated with the Society of Jesus.
The certificate, formally attested on 4 December 1975 by the Assistant Registrar, is preserved as part of the family archive connected to Sunil Abraham.
Annual Report 2009–10: Front Cover
Front cover of the Centre for Internet and Society Annual Report 2009–10. Cover photograph by Michael Greenwood.
Featured cartoon
TSPA #0028 is the twenty-eighth comic strip in TSPA, the original comic strip on The Sunil Abraham Project, started by Tito Dutta.
In this comic, a farmer in a drought-stricken field prays for rain to save the crops. Cha also prays, asking for plenty of water to cool its data centre. The farmer's startled, disbelieving reaction provides the punchline.
Read TSPA #0028... Explore TSPA...From the Newest Pages
In this section we feature selected newly created pages from across the site. For a complete list, see all newest pages.
Useful Websites
A growing, alphabetically organised list of useful websites and online tools explored for The Sunil Abraham Project (TSAP).
Cloudflare Services (Documentation)
Documentation of Cloudflare services used by The Sunil Abraham Project (TSAP), including their purpose, implementation, and the reasons for selecting them.
The Living Hindu Popular Religious Consciousness and Some Reflections on It in the Context of Hindu-Christian Dialogue
A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel's study of popular Hindu religious consciousness in Chirakkal, Kerala, and reflections on Hindu-Christian dialogue, religious experience, moral values, ritual, and changing understandings of the sacred.
Saral Kumar Chatterji
Biography of Saral Kumar Chatterji, theologian, social thinker and director of the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society from 1976 to 2002.
Indian Website Certificate Expiry Monitor
An independent public dashboard tracking TLS certificate expiry for selected important Indian websites.
Religion and Justice
A 2022 edited volume by Y. T. Vinayaraj, published by the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), examining religion and justice in relation to theology, ethics and public life.
Year One Lookback
A look back at the first year of The Sunil Abraham Project, from 2 October 2025 to 2 October 2026.
Authority Control: Y. T. Vinayaraj
Authority control identifiers, bibliographic records, scholarly profiles, institutional references, and related metadata associated with Rev. Dr. Y. T. Vinayaraj.
High Level Comparison and Analysis of the Use and Regulation of DNA Based Technology Bill 2017
An August 2017 CIS blog post by Elonnai Hickok comparing the Law Commission's Use and Regulation of DNA Based Technology Bill 2017 against the 2015 DNA Profiling Bill, calling out positive changes, remaining issues, and missing safeguards, and tracking incorporation of CIS's Expert Committee recommendations.
Big Data and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011
An August 2015 CIS blog post by Elonnai Hickok examining how Big Data practices strain the provisions of India's 2011 IT Rules on reasonable security practices and sensitive personal data, covering scope, consent, notice, access, purpose limitation, security, and remedy.
About
This project serves as a living documentation space for research, writing, and reflection. This is built to create, organise, and publish documentation in a structured yet flexible manner, enabling continuous learning and open exchange of ideas.
It aims to:
- Create and maintain documentation — capture insights, notes, essays, and drafts across themes and disciplines.
- Encourage knowledge sharing — make ideas accessible, referenceable, and adaptable for wider audiences.
- Support learning and reflection — develop patterns of learning, synthesis, and critical thought through open writing.
- Enable collaboration and contribution — allow others to engage with, remix, and build upon existing materials.
- Host brainstorming and ideation — serve as a space for developing and refining emerging ideas and projects.
This documentation evolves over time, not as a static archive, but as a continuous process of thinking, writing, and sharing.
Whether you are a researcher, student, practitioner, or reader exploring questions of openness, equity, and digital transformation, this documentation offers a growing archive of material to study, share, and build upon.
Read more...Licence
Content are released under the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) licence, unless otherwise stated. You are free to share and adapt this material with proper attribution.
📄 This page was created on 19 October 2025. You can view its history on GitHub, preview the fileTip: Press Alt+Shift+G, or inspect the . Last updated on 12 October 2026.