Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Karl Marx and Lessons of ‘Capital’ Are Back!

  12 April 2009, by Lucien Degoy

  Whether as a philosopher, economist, and anthropologist, the author of ‘Capital’ and the persistent relevance of his analyses are justified by the major crisis which now defies the premises of global capitalism.
  “If Marx imposes himself as one of the ‘unsurpassable’ thinkers of our time, the reason is also, and mostly, that he was the first to detect the dynamics intrinsic to capitalism.” These are not the words of some obscure, antediluvian follower of Marx, but the pronouncement of (…)

• On G-20 Summit

  12 April 2009, by Girish Mishra

  Whether the decisions of the recently held London Summit of the G-20 will provide a way out of the present worldwide depression is not certain, but one thing is crystal clear: the Thatcher-Reagan approach based on the Mises-Hayek-Friedman thinking has been buried fathoms deep. Obviously, the much trumpeted ultimate wisdom, the Washington Consensus that has formed the basis of the ongoing globalisation, has vanished into thin air. In our country where a band of economists with their received (…)

• Right to Fair Trial and Ajmal Kasab

  12 April 2009, by Nandita Haksar

  Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab must be given a fair trial. Protection of all his rights under the international human rights law is not to protect one individual but to uphold the basic norms of rule of law and human rights. The question is not whether he deserves our sympathy or not, the question is whether we love our Constitution and cherish the principles enshrined in it.
  I believe that those who support the right to fair trial for Kasab are really the true patriots while those who (…)

• On Ajmal Kasab’s Trial

  12 April 2009, by S G Vombatkere

  Communication
  Every Indian is convinced that Kasab (Moha-mmad Ajmal Amir Iman) was one among the terrorists from Pakistan in the Mumbai 26/11 attack and was, fortunately for India but unfortunately for him, the only one captured alive. However, howsoever firm individual beliefs may be in this case, India as a civilised society cannot afford to have him sentenced without due process of law according to Article 21 of the Constitution concerning depriving any person of life or personal (…)

• Would Terrorism become a Thing of the Past: When and How?

  12 April 2009, by Balmiki Prasad Singh

  We are living in difficult times and in a dangerous neighbourhood. The spectre of terrorism has acquired alarming proportions. The story of terrorism from 9/11 of New York to 26/11 of Mumbai to 3/3 of Lahore is not a closed chapter. New areas are coming in its fold with a bearing on our lives and democratic governance.
  Setting and Argument
  The story of terrorism is not new. In contemporary history New York became a major victim of terrorism on one September morning in 1920. A car bomb (…)

• J&K: Elections with a Difference

  12 April 2009, by Karuna Thakur

  The Assembly Elections of 2008 in J&K were one of the most intensely contested elections in the State in terms of multi-cornered contests, number of rallies and the voter turnout. They were so even when compared with the 1977 elections, known to be the first fair and compe-titive elections in the State since independence. The levels of political mobilisation became significantly evident when within a month of the announcement of poll schedule on October 19, a total of 862 political (…)

• Stage set for a High-Profile SCO Role in Afghanistan

  12 April 2009, by Vladimir Radyuhin

  The Special Conference on Afghanistan, held in Moscow on March 27, reflected the growing clout of Rusia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the region. The Conference was organised by the SCO, which comprises six full members—Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrghyzstan and Tajikistan—and four observers —India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia. It was remarkable for a broad range of participants from outside the organisation. They included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; (…)

• No Time for Banality

  12 April 2009, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  Within the space of one month, barely thirty days, the national scene has conspicuously changed. After the traumatic experience Indira Gandhi’s ghastly end, there seems to be little realisation of the magnitude of the change that has overtaken not only the polity but the entire ethos of this nation.
  On the surface, it looks as if things have continued to be more or less the same. Within hours of Indira Gandhi’s passing away, Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as the new Prime Minister. (…)

• Varun Gandhi: Albatross Round BJP’s Neck

  12 April 2009, by Sandhya Jain

  If politics is the art of winning power by convincing people that you have the ability to wield it wisely, then the BJP may as well pack its bags. Having closed its ears to common sense and reason, the party has permitted an absolute non-entity to hijack its agenda and eclipse the persona of its prime ministerial candidate.
  Unless prompt remedial action is taken, L.K. Advani, who ruthlessly hacked all opposition within the party to emerge as the declared prime ministerial candidate (…)

• A Story of the Bees—A Fable for Our Times

  12 April 2009, by Sagari Chhabra

  The following, published in the Sahitya Akademi’s Indian Literature (November-December 2008), is being reproduced with due acknowledgement and the author’s permission.
  Once there was a woman who knew a story, but she kept it to herself. She never ever told anyone about it. One day the story got tired of growing and growing within her, he clamoured to be heard; but the woman would not let him out. “My lips are sealed,” she would say grimly to anyone who asked her about herself and her face (…)