Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Religious Tolerance in Sikhism

  19 June 2007, by K S Duggal

  There are not a few who believe that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, never intended to found a new religion. Essentially a man of God, he wanted the Hindus of his time to be good Hindus and the Muslims to be good Muslims, urging them to live in peace and harmony in the ambience of religious tolerance. Were a proof needed, it is provided in the fact that when he passed away, the Hindus wanted to cremate him and the Muslims insisted on giving him a burial. His incipient utterance—there is (…)

• President, Constitution and Democracy

  19 June 2007, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  An exchange of electioneering polemics has brought to the forefront an issue of first-class significance which no party interested in the maintenance of the present democratic system, despite all its faults, can afford to sleep over.
  On May 12 Indira Gandhi told the press at the Calcutta airport that he CPI-M was trying to knock together all the Opposition parties “to get a President elected who can oust me”.
  Two days later, Jyoti Basu, refuting Indira Gandhi’s charge, said that it (…)

• Urdu and Muslim Identity

  19 June 2007, by Balraj Puri

  Nineteen eminent scholars, belonging to different disciplines, including foreigners, commissioned by Ather Farouqui, have joined in an exercise in Redefining Urdu Politics in India, in the form of a book with this title.
  Many among them do not know Urdu. But all of them are friends of Urdu. A majority of them are non-Muslims (twelve in number). But all of them are friends of Muslims. Thus they cannot be accused of a bias against Urdu and Muslims when they hold, with varying emphasis, that (…)

• Union Budget and the Rural Sector

  19 June 2007, by Kripa Shankar

  The overall economic performance may be satisfactory but the agricultural sector is stagnating. Foodgrains production has not increased during the last six years and per capita availability of foodgrains is declining and is at the same level as it was fifty years back. It was expected that the Budget would address this issue in a bold manner by, among other things, considerably |
  Provision of cheap and hassle-free institutional credit is crucial for agricultural growth. But despite much (…)

• Harbinger of Genuine Change?

  9 June 2007, by SC

  After weeklong violence the Gujjar unrest has abated for the present with the success of the negotiations the leaders of the agitation held with the Vasundhara Raje Government in Rajasthan. By all indications it is a temporary reprieve for the State administration but a valuable breathing space. It is most welcome given the ferocity of the Gujjar indignation which prompted the Supreme Court to describe the arson and vandalism accompanying the stir in Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Delhi in (…)

• Punjab: Let the Clergy Stay its Hand

  9 June 2007, by Prem Singh

  The recent turmoil in Punjab, which has now apparently calmed down, was caused by a photograph of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of Sacha Sauda Dera. It is significant that this photograph which appeared in some newspapers on May 13 was published as a paid advertisement. It showed the Baba attired in a dress similar to that worn by the 10th Master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh. The Baba was shown preparing what he called ‘Jam-e-Insan’ in replication of the ritual that the Guru had (…)

• The Turnaround in Uttar Pradesh : A Significant Inaugural?

  9 June 2007, by Badri Raina

  Epigraph -By the pricking of my thumbs, Something pregnant this way comes. (with apologies to the bard for the plagiarism)
  Why does the feeling persist, certainly with this hack, that notwithstanding some astute and trustworthy analyses of the electoral verdict in Uttar Pradesh, there is a seminal kernel to it that still eludes professional comprehension?
  And the concomitant feeling that the seed within the kernel may in the days to come burgeon into a decisive determinant of North (…)

• Corporate Accountability : Is Self-regulation the Answer?

  9 June 2007, by Kavaljit Singh

  The globalisation of trade and investment flows has been paralleled by the emergence of Codes of Conduct. Although the first corporate code of conduct was created by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 1949, the 1990s witnessed a plethora of voluntary codes and corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines. There is no consensus on the precise definition of a code of conduct. Codes can range from one-page broad statements to detailed benchmarks and guidelines on how to conduct (…)

• Inhuman Economics of the ’Human Face’

  9 June 2007, by Bharat Jhunjhunwala

  The Congress party is rightly agitated with its defeat in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Delhi and the latest lacklustre performance in UP. The Left parties and many Congress workers feel this is due to the adverse impact of the economic policies being implemented by Dr Manmohan Singh on the common man. On the other hand the Prime Minister and Finance Minister repeatedly harp on the eight per cent-plus growth rate that has been achieved and suggest that the defeats have more to do with (…)

• Public Sphere and Participatory Development: A Critical Space for the Left in Kerala

  9 June 2007, by Biju B L

  Public sphere is considered as a corrective against the oppressive state, a curative of the irrationalities of civil society and a deterrent to the exploitative market. Jurgun Habermas (1989) remarks that public sphere can ensure undistorted communication evolving critical public opinion. According to Kellner (2007), public sphere is an arena closely linked to the organic life world in which people would be able to discuss public issues in an egalitarian and non-instrumental manner. There (…)