Did Someone Say Liberalism?
by Murzban JalThe following paper emerged from a seminar on “Pluralism and the Crisis of Identity” organised by Zaheen Ali and Surendra Jondhale at the Mumbai University on March 12 and 13, 2017. The...
View ArticleRussian Revolution and Soviet Power
One read with great interest the articles of Rosa Luxemburg (Mainstream, November 5, 2016) and Dr Paresh Chattopadhyaya. (Mainstream, Annual Number, 2016) Both bring to light the contra-dictory nature...
View ArticleEuropean Union at 60: Integration and its Aftermath
by Purusottam BhattacharyaOn March 25, 2017, 27 leaders of the European Union (EU) gathered at the Italian capital, Rome, to celebrate 60 years of the European project which was literally born from the...
View ArticleTrouble over China getting land in Sri Lanka
Trouble has broken out in Sri Lanka over its allocation of land to China for a supermarket and naval facilities. The government in Colombo had moved some shops and business houses from Hambantola to...
View ArticleIn Memory of my Friend Syed Shahabuddin
Syed Shahbuddin's demise on March 4, 2017 came as a great personal loss to me. My association with Shahab, as I affectionately called him, dates back to our year of matriculation from the Patna...
View ArticleOn Uniform Civil Code
The question of a Uniform Civil Code is one of the most controversial issues in Indian politics today. The Uniform Civil Code is intended to replace personal laws based on customs and religion of the...
View ArticleFake News, Post-Truth, Ethics and Me
Leftist thinker Kobad Gandhy has sent this short piece for publication from Cherlapalli Central Jail, Cherlapalli, Medchal district, Hyderabad where he is currently lodged.In the West the people have...
View ArticleDoomsday for UP!
MUSINGSDoomsday for the State of Uttar Pradesh with the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister. Well, that was my first spon-taneous reaction as soon as that news had trickled in. And...
View ArticleBack to Square One
We are back to square one. The Supreme Court has advised the two parties, those who want the Babri Masjid to be reconstructed and those who claim that the site is that of Lord Rama's. In its judgment,...
View ArticleTowards Bosnia?
From N.C.'s WritingsBombay is burning. Sopore is burning.Bombay marks the worst of Hindu-Muslim communal violence since the bloody days of the partition that came with the independence of India. The...
View ArticleConversion of a Hindu Priest in India
by L.K. SharmaIndia is a happening place. It has just witnessed the rare event of a Hindu priest becoming the Chief Minister of its politically most influential State of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Ajay Singh...
View ArticleThe Real Message from Uttar Pradesh
by S.P. ShuklaA lot has been written about the results of the UP Assembly elections which seem to have confounded the critics as well as the participants in equal measure.Much of what has been said is...
View ArticleCommunalism Trumps Social Justice For Now
After the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations by the Vishwanath Pratap Singh Government at the Centre in 1990, it has been only an Other Backward Classes or a Scheduled Caste leader in...
View ArticleWhy and How BJP Won So Massively in Uttar Pradesh
The recent elections in Uttar Pradesh were very important and the results have surprised most people. It is very important to try to understand the election results in an unbiased way with a view to...
View ArticleSelection of Yogi Adityanath: People's Verdict Sabotaged
The following statement has been issued by Debabrata Biswas, the General Secretary of the All India Forward Bloc, on March 20, 2017.By appointing Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,...
View ArticleThe Growing Lawlessness
POLITICAL NOTEBOOKAfter the elections in five States, the country has seen a disturbing trend of growing lawlessness. During the election campaign the charge against the Akhilesh Yadav Government was...
View ArticlePIPFPD expresses Concern over Arrest of Indian Fishermen by Pakistan's MSA
The following is a press statement issued by the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy on March 28, 2017.It is a matter of serious concern that more than hundred fishermen from India...
View ArticleWe stand Reduced to what Pathetic Lows!
MUSINGSAs an Indian Muslim I'm sitting not just apprehensive but very upset. I don't feel I'm living in a democracy, as Hindutva forces have begun ruling this land. Camouflages are off. Stark realities...
View ArticleEmasculating a Genuinely Popular Governing System
BOOK REVIEWEssays of Inclusive Growth and Some Reminiscences by C.H. Hanumantha Rao; published by Academic Foundation; 2014; price: Rs 995.00.The prime quality of reviewing a book is objectivity. The...
View ArticleIf gangsters have taken over the education ‘industry', all talk of...
IMPRESSIONSEducation in India is in tatters because of horrendous corruption. This is making the country wobble like a skyscraper detached from its foundations. The authorities ignore the crisis...
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