Bengaluru: Each year, in a small room in Kolkata, my friends Mitali, Abir, Sagarika and their friends meet to discuss the next theme for their annual calendar project titled, ‘Canvas of Untold Histories.’Five years ago, they started the initiative of creating and producing a calendar on a theme of those kinds of stories that have either been forgotten or cleaned out from the slates of history by the powers that be. Over the years, this has included narratives of women freedom fighters who have contributed to our independence but never receive acknowledgment, various kinds of food eaten in India and how their origins interrogate ideas of ‘local’ and ‘foreign’, unknown struggles of women’s movements from across the country, and beautiful stories of communal harmony found all around us.When asked why they started this initiative Mitali says, “This is our way of resisting. Through writings and images we revisit movements rarely spoken about, trace the roots of our collective beliefs, and uphold enduring truths against the loud propaganda of the powerful. Not forgetting, remembering is our way of resistance”.This year the theme is slogans from struggles against oppression from all over the world. Race, class, caste, climate, queerness – the calendar is a celebration of words and phrases that not just capture the essence and mood of the movements, but have actually become the rallying force and connecting device for generations to come. There is a brief history of each of the slogans and their import in their context written in English and Bengali at the beginning of the calendar. Each slogan has also been interpreted through an artwork by an artist which becomes the central image on that page. While the renderings of the various artists differ in style and technique, they all embody the spirit of courage and persistence of the movements that gave birth to the slogans.The experience of using a calendar that engages with untold histories like these has been very rewarding for me over the years. It allows me to sit for a whole month with one image and story on my desk which becomes a stop-over, a resting place, a sanctuary during pauses in my work. Sometimes I search the net to find out more about the topic sitting there that month, and at other times look for more work by the artist who has made the image. Often friends who come by ask a question intrigued by the page of the calendar and this gives me an opportunity to share the story. It really makes for an enriching conversation and we end up exchanging so many related tales.These days when the world seems to be in the grip of fascism of all colours and shades, these collective sharings become even more significant to challenge their stronghold and control. The stories and images on the calendar are not just reminders of the strength of continuing struggles and sacrifices being made by those who are at the forefront of these movements – they are also inspiration and the recharge we all need to be part of the larger resistance against this fading of the light. Eduardo Galeano had said, “Many small people in small places doing small things can change the world.”And I feel this calendar project that each year brings to us stories that have been silenced, erased or ignored by dominant powerful narratives is no exception. It impacts us, influences us, and encourages us – one month at a time.Arundhati Ghosh is a writer, cultural practitioner, social activist and traveller living in Bengaluru.