Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Aping the Adversary

  7 August 2018, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  From N.C.’s Writings
  It is surprising how intelligent people in politics sometimes take up positions which should logically belong to their adversaries.
  The Muslim League in 1940 picked up the so-called ‘two-nation theory’ which a bunch of extremist intellectuals had first coined to back up their demand for Pakistan. Other parties in India rejected it. The Congress made it clear that it did not accept the theory itself though it agreed to the partitioning of the country on the basis of (…)

• First Bharat Bandh by Dalits on August 9

  7 August 2018

  by Arun Srivastava
  Bandhs are the regular social features with political nuance in India. Bandh is a form of mechanism to send across some message. The proposed August 9 bandh is different from all the previous bandhs. For the first time this bandh has been called by the Dalit organisations. Bandhs are usually called by the political parties. But the Dalit-sponsored bandh aims at asserting their identity and rights.
  The immediate provocation for giving the call for Bharat Bandh is the (…)

• Tenth BRICS Summit — Urging for an Open World Economy

  7 August 2018

  by R.G. Gidadhubli
  The BRICS Summit, held on July 25, 2018 in the South African city of Johannesburg, was an important event as it marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of the grouping. In fact it was 20 years back that the leaders of Russia, India and China (RIC) conceived the formation of this regional trade organisation, somewhat comparable to the European Economic Union. Subsequently, the RIC became BRIC when Brazil joined this organisation and BRICS with the addition of South (…)

• Good Samaritans

  7 August 2018

  They made sure the cows were home While his lungs spouted blood; They made sure their tea was warm, While he waited to be dead.
  They were the good Samaritans Serving a primal rage; Their task is to help usher in A pure spiritual age.
  The weak with diverse groan despoil The glory of the helm; As among the animals they must yield To the predators of the realm.
  Badri Raina

• New Capitalism and Growing Inequality as a Menace to Humanity

  7 August 2018

  by V. Mathew Kurian
  Capitalism as a socio-economic system arose in Europe initially as ‘merchant capitalism’ and subsequently through a technological revolution metamorphosed into ‘industrial capitalism’. ‘Colonialism’ was the main force behind the establishment of capitalism. It was also instru-mental in imparting ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal inequality’ in the world. However, there was reaction to colonial capitalism which resulted in ‘socialism’ and ‘political decolonisation’. But (…)

• Are We Journalists or Just Women Journalists? Journalism has no gender

  7 August 2018

  by Seema Mustafa
  The Indian Women’s Press Corps, an august body promoting segregation in a profession that can only function effectively without, is in the midst of deep conflict. Currently. Why? Because of an interaction with Congress President Rahul Gandhi with over 50, some say 100, women journalists held at the India International Centre amidst deep secrecy.
  The Congress likes secrecy, surprised though that women journalists like it too.
  The controversy is on who was, or was not (…)

• Ashoka — The Great Marvel of History

  7 August 2018, by Ashok Celly

  Ashoka is probably the greatest marvel of Indian history. For what can be more marvellous than the transformation of a cruel, bloodthirsty prince, who would stop at nothing including the killing of his brothers to capture the throne, into an enlightened and compassionate emperor? Yet this is what happened post-Kalinga. Surely, Buddhism, which was still a living force, must have been an important factor in his transformation but that does not take away anything from his greatness.
  And what (…)

• How do we Promote Peace in India Today?

  7 August 2018

  by Ram Puniyani
  We are passing through times when hate against weaker sections of society and religious minorities is increasing by leaps and bounds. The increase in the mob lynching all over the country on the pretext of child lifting is coming on the back of mob lynching on the pretext cow-beef, public flogging—humiliation of Dalits on the issue of beef and other issues related to their caste humiliation. Mobs seem to be emboldened by the fact that there has been an approval of these (…)

• Decoding the Shanghai Spirit: What does China Actually Mean by it?

  7 August 2018

  by Bhartendu Kumar Singh
  While the Shanghai spirit has been in vogue since the inception of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2001, only recently it was brought out of dormancy by the Chinese leadership. Both before and during the Qingdao Summit of the SCO held recently, the Chinese leadership marketed the idea in a mercantile fashion. However, an analysis and decoding of the Shanghai spirit raise doubts about its relevance in international relations. At best, it seems to (…)

• Kashmir: Compounding the Perfidy

  7 August 2018, by Badri Raina

  It should be clear by now that in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party signed the Agenda of Alliance with the People’s Democratic Party as a mere ruse to find a foothold in the governmental structure in Jammu and Kashmir.
  It may be recalled that at the time there were those, who had cautioned the PDP about the course it had set its heart on. Given the history of the “nationalist” Hindu Rightwing, especially so with respect to the Jammu and Kashmir State, it was nothing more than a tragic leap (…)