To a Dalit
Sporting an upturned moustache,wearing jeans, shades,riding a horse to the wedding—and you face a roadblock of hatred.They say these are privilegesyou're not supposed to enjoy.You react: ‘the Holy...
View ArticleIreland Marches towards Liberalism:Referendum on Abortion of May 25, 2018
by Gautam SenThe Irish people have convincingly voted in a historic referendum on May 25 this year, by a 67 per cent to 33 per cent majority, in favour of restoring the right of women to abortion. Only...
View ArticleDrifting Apart: Transatlantic Alliance in Disarray
by Purusottam BhattacharyaEver since he came to power sixteen months ago, President Donald Trump has been an enigma—both to his admirers and detractors. In the opinion of many analysts his...
View ArticleThey Flee From Me Who Sometime Did Me Seek
(With Acknowledgement to Thomas Wyatt)They flee from me who sometime did me seek,Finding fault where none was before;Every proclaimed success now seems to themA canny cover-up for failure.Once a man of...
View ArticleRemembering Tiananmen
No miracle will ever cleanThe memory, bestial and obscene,Of those who, having fouled their trust,Grew warped with dread and powerlust—And ordered fire on the square,On unarmed people everywhere,Brave...
View ArticleContours of China Crisis
From N.C.'s WritingsTwentynine years ago, N.C. had left for China when the Tiananmen bloodbath took place on June 4, 1989. Apart from his despatches which appeared in The Times of India on the tragedy...
View ArticleDr B.R. Ambedkar, Constitutional Morality and Karnataka Elections
by S.N. SahuThe Karnataka Assembly election results of 2018 have been seen from many perspectives of power politics and their critical importance have been underlined for shaping the possible electoral...
View ArticleTwentyfive Years of PRIs: A Few Disquiets
by Suranjita RayThe local governance through the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in rural India came into force on April 24, 1993 with the adoption of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment which was...
View ArticleThe Future Beckons
There comes a time when Caesarism begins to breed discontent and thoughts of another possible world begin to take hold. Indeed, when what might have been a reassuring visage becomes a daily...
View ArticlePoll Results: Threats and Promises
IMPRESSIONSNever have byelection results made waves of the kind that last week's did. Only two out of fourteen seats were won by the BJP, the party that is generally projected as the unstoppable force...
View ArticleMany Faces of the Fury
by Fayezah IqbalIt feels disrupted,It feels stagnated.To make their point masses have stranded,The life that was while away taken for granted.As activism pledges to achieve the demanded,And exert...
View ArticleA False Step
Pranab Mukherjee is a man of all political affiliations. He had occupied the highest position as a Congressman and had also floated a political party with a few of his associates in the Congress. But...
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Pranab's Tryst with the RSS
POLITICAL NOTEBOOK“Here is our vast country, Hindusthan, the land of the Hindus, their home country, hereditary territory, a definite geographical unity, fulfilling all that the world should imply in...
View ArticleJ &K — At the End of the Tether
The Kannada saying “murthi chikkadaadaru keerthi doddadu” (meaning that even if the physical form is diminutive, the virtue is great), applies to Lal Bahadur Shastri who, as the Prime Minister, led...
View ArticleLetter to North Korean President
The following is the text of the letter sent on June 12, 2018 by the office-bearers of the All India Indo-Korean Friendship Association to Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea,...
View ArticleNalanda Mahavihara — Victim of a Myth regarding its Decline and Destruction
by O.P. JaiswalNalanda1 has a very ancient history going back to the days of Mahavira and Buddha in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. According to the Jaina texts, it was a suburb (bahariya), situated...
View ArticleRemembrance: The Enduring Legacy of Justice Bhagwati
by Vijay KumarJustice P.N. Bhagwati, whose first death anniversary falls on June 15, 2018, was one of the most trail-blazing judges of the Supreme Court. His first landmark judgment was rendered in the...
View ArticleTerrorist or Patriot?
When Nathu Ram shot dear Bapu dead,Was he a terrorist or a patriot?The answer lies in the hat you wear—A white Gandhi topi or a black Nagpur fit.But when an Abu son picks up the gunFor a purpose...
View ArticleWest Asia Mess. Where is India?
IMPRESSIONSDonald Trump's impetuousness often gets boosted by his ego. This makes him a dangerous player in conflict situations. West Asia, already on edge with clashing ideologies, has been brought...
View ArticleWhy do Soldiers Still Keep Dying at India-Pakistan Border?
In 1947 India was divided by the foreign rulers by playing a game of divide and rule to which the religious fundamentalists fell prey. India and Pakistan since then have a chequered history and uneasy...
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