Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Déjà Vu: FCRA comes to Haunt Church and NGOs Once Again

  14 October 2010, by John Dayal

  The more things change, the more they remain the same. Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s aphorism fits the Foreign Contribution Regulation Bill, whose many incarnations, including the latest last month, continue to haunt civil society and non-governmental organisations, including major initiatives not only of the Christian churches, but also of such biggies as Ma Amritanandamayi and Satya Sai Baba, both god-persons noted for their development work at the grassroots in South India as well.
  Not (…)

• Is ‘Inclusive Growth’ a New Stage before Socialism?

  14 October 2010, by Chaturanan Mishra

  This article is for requesting the readers of Mainstream, particularly those of the Left and Communists, to send their comments on my suggestion that history has created a new stage of ‘inclusive growth’ before socialism. I am of the opinion that China and Vietnam are also going through ‘inclusive growth’ and not socialism because they are allowing capitalists, including foreign capital, to help in their growth. Simul-taneously they are fighting poverty in their countries in a big way. They (…)

• Role of the Intellectuals in West Bengal

  14 October 2010

  by Debraj Bhattacharya
  Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri, in his reply to Sumanta Banerjee’s Open Letter to the intellectuals of West Bengal (Mainstream, September 4, 2007), has tried to convince us that the only way in which the movement for democracy can be strengthened is by supporting the TMC in its quest for power in the next Vidhan Sabha elections. Rai Chaudhuri, a radical Leftist, is of the opinion that firstly CPI-M must be overthrown by supporting the TMC and then “people will learn that (…)

• Musings of a Pensionjivi on Sumanta Banerjee’s Letter

  14 October 2010, by D. Bandyopadhyay

  I am touched by Sumanta Banerjee’s ‘Open Letter’ (Mainstream, September 11, 2010) where he described me as an intellectual by putting my name along with that of Mahashweta Devi. There is a boy in every old man. And that boy in me felt highly elated by this description. But the old man in me was not amused because that appellation was not quite correct. In Bengali an intellectual is called buddhijivi (one who lives by his intellect). But I do not live by my intellect. I live on pension. Hence (…)

• How Billions of Rupees have been Snatched from Workers

  14 October 2010, by Bharat Dogra

  On September 10 the Supreme Court strongly criticised the government for denying benefits to construction workers for which legislation was enacted as much as 14 years ago. The reality is that as a result of such delayed action on the part of the government, billions of rupees which should have been spent on the construction workers’ welfare and social security have been snatched from them.
  We see them standing precariously at a height of over one hundred feet or perhaps two hundred feet, (…)

• Kashmir Conundrum: A Simple Complexity

  14 October 2010, by Ajay K. Mehra

  BOOK REVIEW
  Identity Politics in Jammu and Kashmir by Rekha Chowdhary (ed.); Vitasta Publishing, New Delhi; 2010; pp. 470; Rs 895.
  “We have decided to work with and die for India…. We made our decision not in October last, but in 1944, when we resisted the advances of Mr Jinnah. Our refusal was categorical. Ever since the National Conference has attempted to keep the State clear of the pernicious two-nation theory while fighting the world’s worst autocracy.”
  —Sheikh Abdullah at a (…)

• The Kashmir Calculus

  14 October 2010, by Uddipan Mukherjee

  To an average high school science candidate in India, the mathematical intricacies of Calculus can appear to be intractable, at least in the preliminary approach. He or she would waste no time indeed to curse both Newton and Leibnitz to eternal perdition for innovation of the subject. Furthermore, it becomes a tormenting exercise to solve problems involving applications of the same.
  And Calculus can turn out to be bizarre as one goes up the ladder in his or her educational enterprise. (…)

• Kashmiris Must Discover The Real India

  14 October 2010, by Amitabh Mattoo

  The visit of the all-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir has generated hope and the expectation that it may still be possible to redeem the situation. The immediate task is now for New Delhi to move from the symbolic to the substantive, utilising the opportunity provided by the delegation’s visit. And as the Central Government reaches out to build trust and confidence, it is essential that this is matched by the people and their leaders in the State, in word and deed.
  Even cynics will (…)

• Widespread Fraud Mars Afghan Parliamentary Poll

  14 October 2010

  by Riyaz Ahmed
  Elections to Afghanistan’s parliament, that took place on September 18, were marred by widespread fraud which could affect results in a third of the country’s provinces. The elections were successfully held despite the Taliban insurgents’ threat to disrupt the ballot but release of preliminary results has been delayed till the middle of this month (October 17) not only because of allegations of fraud but also due to the need for more verifications and recounts.
  The (…)

• Starve. This is Incredible India

  14 October 2010, by T J S George

  What’s it with these economist wizards— that they can see figures and percentages so clearly and yet are blind to human beings? Food rotting in godowns when people go hungry attracts little or no attention. But the slightest suggestion that foodgrains likely to rot are better given away to the poor makes them throw textbooks at you.
  Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the very picture of wizardry when he said that free distribution of grains would not be good for food security. The implication is (…)