Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Correcting Popular Misconceptions of Marx

  20 August 2011, by Devdatt P. Dubhashi

  BOOK REVIEW
  Why Marx was Right by Terry Eagleton; Yale University Press; 2011.
  The financial crisis and the Great Recession seemed to present, for many of us, a good opportunity to reconsider the current economic, political and social system and alternatives to it. However, mention the “M” word, and it’s a non-starter. No matter how apolitical a person otherwise is, they seem to have a firm opinion on Marx—he’s authoritarian, he advocates violence.... he’s passe. Professional economists (…)

• Chaturanan Mishra: A Constructive Communist

  20 August 2011, by Anil Rajimwale

  It may sound strange that there are, by implication, ‘non-constructive’ Communists, but it is a fact there have not been many constructive Communists. In fact, the very concept of a ‘Communist’ has been distorted by a long period of practice of Stalinism and Maoism, emphasising destruction. Communist and Communism have been reduced to ‘destructive’ actitvities only: destroy this and that, ‘overthrow’ capitalism, ‘smash’ imperialism, and this, that and the other, and then only you will begin (…)

• Identity Crisis of the Bengalis of Bihar

  20 August 2011

  by BISHWAJIT SEN
  It is surprising that the community which was the prime mover behind setting up of modern educational institutions in Patna, is today gripped by a deep identity crisis. R.M.R. Seminary at Khazanchi Road, was established by the great social reformer Shivnath Shastri, who belonged to the Brahmo Samaj. “Aghore Prakash Shishu Sadan” bears the memories of late Dr B.C. Roy’s (the second Chief Minister of West Bengal) parents who brought enlightenment to Bihar, by propa-gating (…)

• No End to Political Drama

  10 August 2011, by SC

  While there has indeed been a temporary relief in the US debt crisis with President Obama and Congressional leaders of both parties—the Republicans and Democrats—disclosing late on July 31 that they had agreed to cut trillions of dollars in federal spending over the next decade and thus pave the way for enhancing the government’s borrowing limit, in India there seems to be no end to the political drama in both the Capital or the States.
  At the moment all eyes are riveted to Bengaluru as (…)

• Amar Sonar Bangla

  10 August 2011

  [(On August 8 this year falls the 22nd day of Sravana. On that day in the Bengali year 1348, Rabindranath Tagore had breathed his last a few minutes past noon. That year, 1941 AD, the 22nd day of Sravana fell on August 7. Every year it is on the 22nd day of Sravana (according to the Bengali calendar) that Tagore’s death anniversary is observed. This time it is the seventieth anniversary of the poet’s death that we will observe early next week. On this occasion we are remembering him and (…)

• Reflections on Indo-Soviet Treaty’s abiding significance

  10 August 2011

  August 9, 1971 was a memorable day. On that day the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was signed. This acted as a reliable shield defending India’s independence during the Indira Gandhi Government’s extension of fraternal assistance for helping the East Pakistani people attain freedom from West Pakistani yoke at the fag end of 1971. On the fortieth anniversary of these momentous developments, we reproduce N.C.’s following pieces written as ‘Political Notebook’ in (…)

• Democratising Democracy, South American Style

  10 August 2011, by Ash Narain Roy

  Rewriting Constitutions comes easy to Latin American leaders. Brazil has modified its 1988 Constitution 14 times. Chile has changed its 1980 Constitution seven times. Colombia has added 16 modifications to its 1993 Constitution. Does it show Latin America’s growing impatience with the non-performing models? Or are they undermining democratic principles in the name of pursuing more radical agenda? What Bolivia and Ecuador have done in recent years begs a serious analysis.
  Ecuador and (…)

• Dynamics of Democracy and Corruption

  10 August 2011, by Chandra Mohan Bhandari

  One of the features of a modern democratic set-up is its inherent contradiction. Like the necessity of thesis and antithesis acting simul-taneously it relies upon opposing trends to propel it. To keep a vast social network together, in a meaningful co-existence and in a more-or-less harmonious mode of existence, is a challenging but manageable task, if that kind of challenge is understood and acknowledged by the people at the helm of affairs supposedly responsible for managing the show. The (…)

• The UID Aadhaar Project - System Design and Security Considerations

  10 August 2011, by S G Vombatkere

  The Unique Identification (UID) project, also known as Aadhaar, has been pushed into implementation by the creation of a UID Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2009. It is slated to spend Rs 45,000 to Rs1,50,000 crores with a sanctioned budget of Rs 3000 crores without approval of Parliament. Nandan M. Nilekani has been nominated to head the UIDAI and accorded a Cabinet Minister’s rank. [Note 1] This is not unconnected with the publication of his book Imagining India in 2009, and his former (…)

• Rethinking Beggary Laws in India

  10 August 2011

  by SUDEEP BASU
  The felt need is to move away from the ‘custodialisation’ framework of anti-beggary laws to one that stresses on ‘vocationalisation’ or skill building exercises for beggars.
  For several decades beggars fending for themselves on the streets of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have been at the mercy of anti-beggary laws meant to create aesthetically appealing and ‘livable’ cities. In August 2010 the media reported a high incidence of death of the inmates in a beggars’ colony in (…)