Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

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  Table of Contents, Mainstream, Aug 10, 2024

  11 August 2024

  * On Violent Political Transition in Bangladesh | Arup Kumar Sen
  * Should We Ready for the Dirge of Demise? | Amarendra Kishore
  * Did the WFI contribute to deprive Phogat of Olympic Gold? | Faraz Ahmad
  * Excerpts from Letters of Insurgents by Sophia Nachalo and Yarostan Vochek

• Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, Aug 10, 2024

  11 August 2024

  The past week saw a dramatic collapse of the authoritarian Awami League Government led by Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh. A sudden unexpected end came with Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India and within hours her home was invaded and looted by demonstrators (a bit of a replay of what happened not long ago in Sri Lanka). For weeks thousands of students led a protest movement against job quotas (for Bangladeshi freedom fighters), but this movement was soon joined by a deluge of people when the brutal (…)

• Tribute to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya | Suresh Khairnar

  11 August 2024, by Suresh Khairnar

  The first political victim due to new economic policies!
  Cultured - learned and honest leader of West Bengal politics Shri. Buddhadev Bhattacharya was the first communist leader in India, who tried to implement the process of liberalization and globalization in the state of Bengal. And with that came the end of almost thirty-five years of rule of him and his party in the state of Bengal. As such, he was very honest in his personal life. From 1977 he was first a minister in Bengal and then (…)

• Will Bangladesh go in the Iranian Way? | Bhabani Shankar Nayak

  11 August 2024

  The successful 1979 Iranian working-class struggle against the monarchical dictatorship was eventually snatched away from people and hijacked by reactionary religious forces, with the covert support of imperialist and colonial powers led by the CIA. The progressive character of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and justice gradually faded, giving way to the rise of reactionary ruling elites who concealed their power in the name of religion and nationalism. This political and economic (…)

• Did the WFI contribute to deprive Phogat of Olympic Gold? | Faraz Ahmad

  11 August 2024, by Faraz Ahmad

  Neeraj Chopra’s Silver medal in the Javelin throw in Paris Olympics raised our spirits a little and India winning a medal, even a Bronze consoled us somewhat. But the heartbreak of Vinesh Phogat our best bet for a Gold has failed to lift our spirits enough to actually stand up and say Hurrah!
  Phogat reached the final of the women’s 50 kg. category defeating defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki of Japan, former European champion Oksana Livach of Ukraine and reigning Pan American Games (…)

• On Violent Political Transition in Bangladesh | Arup Kumar Sen

  11 August 2024, by Arup Kumar Sen

  On August 5, 2024, the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, fled to India in the wake of ongoing student protests and massive state violence unleashed on the protesting students. Despite the tragic loss of at least 300 lives, a curfew, and the deployment of the military, the student protests and resistance persisted under the leadership of the ‘Students Against Discrimination’ collective. What triggered the student protests is a complex question. Fixing higher quotas for the (…)

• Amidst the present turmoil in Bangladesh, A time to recall the most tragic events of 1975 | Bharat Dogra

  11 August 2024, by Bharat Dogra

  Amidst the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh, it is important to remember the extremely important and at the same time extremely tragic events in Bangladesh in 1975.
  When Banglabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman , the first President of Bangladesh, also called the Father of the Nation and revered by millions as such, was assassinated on August 15, 1975 as a part of the wider efforts to overthrow his popular government, there were several aspects of this murder most foul which had shocked the world. (…)

• Impact of the Controversial Changes in NCERT Textbooks | Tamanna Yadav

  11 August 2024

  Parents and students can review the new textbooks featuring these gender-neutral images on the official Kerala General Education Department website. The textbooks are part of the curriculum for various grades, with specific emphasis on Class 3 materials.
  WHILE GENDER-NEUTRAL picture depictions in Kerala’s school textbooks – which challenge norms of patriarchy – are widely appreciated, beyond the State board, students in schools in Kerala and across the country, affiliated to the Central (…)

• The Shrimp Crisis:How U.S. Policy is Sinking Kerala’s Fishermen While Andhra Thrives | Santosh Mathew

  11 August 2024

  Kerala’s tranquil backwaters and sprawling coastline have long supported a thriving shrimp industry. However, the United States’ stringent restrictions on shrimp imports, aimed at conserving sea turtles, have cast a dark shadow over the traditional fishermen and shrimp industry in Kerala. While aquaculture-dominated regions like Andhra Pradesh are faring better, Kerala’s sea-based shrimp fishers are bearing the brunt of this policy. India exports approximately ₹67,000 crore worth of fish (…)

• Should We Ready for the Dirge of Demise? | Amarendra Kishore

  11 August 2024, by Amarendra Kishore

  Amidst hullabaloo of carbon plantation, research reveals that single-species carbon plantations threaten native flora and fauna, while delivering negligible benefits.
  Ecologists caution that monoculture tree-planting initiatives pose a significant threat to tropical biodiversity, offering only marginal climate benefits. They emphasize that ecosystems such as the Amazon and Congo Basin are being reduced to mere carbon repositories, neglecting their intrinsic ecological value. Amidst the (…)