Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Hunger and Distress Peak towards Alarming Levels in Bundelkhand

  26 December 2015, by Bharat Dogra

  While hunger, deprivation, mass distress and migration have been widely reported from Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh in recent years, this year has seen the peaking of these distress conditions. Adverse weather conditions have worsened due to official neglect and apathy. If urgent steps to check the fast deteriorating conditions are not taken imme-diately, the situation will get out of hand within a few weeks resulting in avoidable loss of precious human lives. In addition many farm and (…)

• Democratic Decentralisation in J&K: Gender and Political Change

  26 December 2015

  by Gull Wani and Effat Yasmin
  Introduction
  The democratic renewal globally has created opportunities for more decentralisation of economic and political power. Panchayati Raj Institutions or democratic decentralisation is the development of the reciprocal relationship between the Central Government and local governments and between local governments and the citizens. Decentra-lisation has been helpful in the process of democratisation of polities and societies. In India, since 2005-06 (…)

• Candidly Baring out the Stark Realities of Kashmir

  26 December 2015, by Humra Quraishi

  BOOK REVIEW
  The Many Faces of Kashmiri Nationalism—From the Cold War to the Present Day by Nandita Haksar; Speaking Tiger, New Delhi; 2015; pages: 335; Price: Rs 350.
  The Many Faces Of Kashmiri Nationalism— From The Cold War To The Present Day (Speaking Tiger) is Nandita Haksar’s latest book and, perhaps, the most significant. It not just captures the very historical backgrounders to Kashmiri nationalism but in that process also throws open the dark realities of the prevailing situation. (…)

• On Reservations

  26 December 2015, by Anand Teltumbde

  The following is a note by the author on a discussion on Affirmative Action in the private sector during a two-day international seminar on ”Dalits and African-Americans in 21st Century: Learning from Cross-Cultural Experiences” in Bengaluru on July 10-11, 2015. It is rejoinder to the comments in favour of reservations made by Prof Sukhdeo Thorat.
  During the customary question-answer session following the presentation of Armugam Raju on Affirmative Action (AA) at the international seminar, (…)

• Indo-Naga Framework Agreement: Apprehensions and Expectations

  26 December 2015, by Tapan Bose

  The Indo-Naga Framework Agreement is a catalytic moment promising a more flexible template of peace-making. The agreement, signed on August 3, 2015, has established the broad principles that would guide the future delibe-rations between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-IM. The content of the agreement has not been disclosed. The Prime Minister did not share the details with members of his Cabinet or Members of Parliament. The NSCN-IM also did not give any (…)

• Attempts to Obliterate the Nehru Legacy ignoring Tributes paid to It

  26 December 2015, by B N Arora

  “To endeavour to forget anyone is a certain way of thinking of nothing else.” —Jean de La Buruyers, French Satirist
  We are indeed passing through a saddening scenario when the birth anniversary of a gigantic hero of our nation does not receive the celebration he richly deserved. This is the case with Jawaharlal Nehru whose birthday on November 14 did not get the highly merited respect, like the year gone by. The present dispensation, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has shown a (…)

• Pandit Nehru’s Vision of a Tolerant Society

  26 December 2015, by Sharad Rajimwale

  Religious tolerance and liberal acceptance of diverse faiths within an accommodative fold have always been the central concern of India’s social character since ancient days. It can be said that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s views on how to build a strong and secular India were mostly an extension of that inclusive philosophic legacy. Through his speeches and writings runs the urge to revive that spirit of tolerance which suffered grievously under the post-1857 British policies, for he made it (…)

• A Communist Speaks: Memoirs of a Namasudra

  26 December 2015, by A K Biswas

  REVIEW ARTICLE
  Amar Jeevan: Kichu Katha (Bengali) by Kanti Biswas; Ekush Shatak, Kolkata; October 2014; pages 144, Price: Rs 150.
  The privileged can rarely assess and analyse the damage and hurt caste can inflict to the personality and psyche of the underdogs. The cost to human dignity and esteem is incalculable. Memoirs of Dalit writers, who have suffered caste-based assault and humiliation, portray this aspect almost without exception. Caste-driven prejudice against the lower social (…)

• In Dhaka Language Movement: Lessons in Student Politics

  26 December 2015, by A K Biswas

  Kanti Biswas took up teaching in Quaid-i-Azam Memorial College, Gopalganj in his native place and earned unreserved goodwill and approbation from all sections—students, guardians and the public alike. As a student of Dhaka University he was a member of the Action Committee which launched the historic language movement against the imposition of Urdu as the country’s sole official language on the Bengali-speaking people of East Pakistan. His celebrated friends—Barkat, Salam, Rafique and (…)

• Rabindranath Tagore and the Freedom of India from British Rule

  26 December 2015

  by Purusottam Bhattacharya
  There is a prevailing misconception that Rabindranath Tagore was not robust enough in his opposition to British rule in India. It is even thought in some circles, that Tagore composed his ‘Janaganamana Adhinayaka’, which has been the national anthem of India for nearly 70 years, as an eulogy for King George V on the occasion of the King Emperor’s visit in 1911 even though history has well recorded and even Tagore also offered numerous clarifications to establish (…)