Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

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  The Challenge of Diversity

  8 June 2008, by Eduardo Faleiro

  Cultural diversity is a fact of modern life and it exists now in practically all countries of the world. In addition to conventional elements such as race, religion and language, cultural diversity is accentuated by new factors including globalisation, the breakdown of the traditional moral consensus, the emphasis on individual choice regarding issues like the place of religion in public life, family discipline, relations between parents and children, and other aspects of life today. (…)

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  Indian Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation through Traditional Knowledge

  8 June 2008, by Bharti Chhibber

  Nature has always been very vibrant, giving and resilient to a very large extent. We, as Indians, take pride in our strong cultural heritage. Religion protects and nurtures nature. If we take a look at Hinduism, we worship the sun, wind, land, trees, plants, and water which is the very base of human survival. Likewise, respect and conservation of wildlife—garuda, lion, peacock, and snake—are part of our cultural ethos from time immemorial. Almost the entire living of God Ram and Goddess Sita (…)

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  Exploring the Different Meanings of Autonomy

  8 June 2008, by Shagun Sharma

  BOOK REVIEW
  The Politics of Autonomy by Ranabir Samaddar (ed.); Sage Publications, New Delhi.
  The edited volume contains detailed essays on the theme of autonomy. While viewing the dynamics of autonomy in India from various angles, the editor in his introductory essay suggests that the demand for autonomy has been one of the core issues in Indian politics. The essays in this volume invariably paint a dismal picture as far as the realisation of autonomy is concerned since that could not (…)

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  Terrorism’s ’Tenkasi’ Moment

  8 June 2008, by Subhash Gatade

  New Delhi, April 30: The Left and the BJP were involved in a war of words in Parliament on Wednesday, when the Left accused the saffron party of “having an attitude of selective concern” about national security. The Left also blamed the Sangh Parivar of inciting communal disharmony, even as the Centre admitted that it has information on some religious groups creating “bad blood” in the name of religion, caste and language in the country.
  On a question on the Tenkasi bomb blast case and its (…)

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  Commercial Banking for the Rural Sector : Some Suggestions

  8 June 2008, by Anil Kumar Jain

  Introduction
  After the adoption of the New Economic Policy in 1991, the Indian economy is becoming more and more mature with the passage of time on account of structural changes undertaken in different sectors and areas. The GDP growth rate has been much higher than the neo-Hindu rate growth and it has averaged over eight per cent during the past three years. While there has been acceleration in the industrial sector, especially manufacturing and services sector, and the country is (…)

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  West Bengal, Genesis of Violence : Time for Left Introspection

  8 June 2008

  Recent happenings in West Bengal is a further pointer to the fact that politics in our country has reached its nadir, an unfortunate inevitability to which all the political parties, most of all the Left bloc, have contributed. It was almost a re-enactment of the political scenario of the late 1960s when a foul-mouthed CPM, backed by cronies like the CPI and RSP, had tried to browbeat a courageous and conscientious Governor named Dharam Vira but ultimately got the bitter lesson when Indira (…)

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  In Defence Of Freedom Of The Press

  8 June 2008

  Of late freedom of the press is under attack in different parts of the country. On June 1, the Ahmedabad Police filed a complaint against Bharat Desai, the [. . .] the newspaper against City Police Commissioner O.P. Mathur’s alleged links with a mafia don. And on June 5 there was an attack by hoodlums allegedly associated with a political organisation now sharing power in Maharashtra on the Thane residence of Kumar Ketkar, the editor of Lok Satta and a prominent journalist, for having (…)

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  Should India have a New Political Party?

  8 June 2008, by Bharat Dogra

  India’s democracy has several strengths, but it is also a fact that an increasing number of citizens have a feeling at the time of elections that none of the contesting candidates truly represents their aspirations. If we make a list of the most pressing needs of our society, then we find that none of the leading parties (which have been in power at the Centre or in some States at some time or the other) have shown a firm commitment for striving to meet the real needs of society. There is (…)

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  Momentous Event against a Depressing Backdrop

  2 June 2008, by SC

  With the Gujjar protest assuming menacing proportions to affect not just Rajasthan but also other neighbouring States and even the National Capital Region, both the Rajasthan Government and the Centre have their hands full. The demand for ST status for the Gujjars is nothing new—the community members have been seeking this for quite sometime and resorted to a similar agitation a year ago. However, as has been highlighted in several analyses and commentaries, a tenacious and concerted (…)

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  Karnataka: Behind the BJP Success

  2 June 2008, by Sandeep Shastri

  The Karnataka Assembly election results categorically indicate that he electoral battle was very intense with several of the candidates winning their seats with wafer-thin margins. How best can one explain the rationale of the Karnataka verdict? The devil is clearly in the detail.
  In this election, across the State, the results indicate that the BJP has assumed the role that the Congress played in the 1960s and 1970s. In many constituencies, the division of the Opposition vote (Congress (…)