2012

The shrine was made of gold Bedecked with jewels And in the altar Lay the redolent image, When they came For the final pillage. First there was a whimper, Then a cry, Finally a crescendo rose To do or die.
Outside the people Wondered what were These endless meetings Those secret confabulations; Was it a question To be or not to be, When infact he could have Existed anywhere Or for that matter, everywhere?
They hoped rationality would reign. But they brayed, No one can refute, There is (…)

The Union Government has been able to defeat in both Houses of Parliament motions opposing the Manmohan Singh dispensation’s decision to introduce 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail. On December 5, it was able to secure in the Lok Sabha a 253-218 majority (with both the SP and BSP, the parties supporting the government from outside, walking out just before the voting) while in the Rajya Sabha today the Opposition’s motion was defeated by 14 votes, that is, 109 for and 123 against (here (…)

DOCUMENT
The signatories to this statement, who are a group of retired officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, are dismayed and distressed at the reported statements by R.P. Singh, the former DG, Telecom Audit, another retired IAAS officer, which has the potential of under-mining the effectiveness and credibility of the Audit Department to which he had the honour of belonging until recently. Without questioning R. P. Singh’s motivations, we condemn his action in the strongest (…)

Four days before his 93rd birthday, former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral breathed his last at Gurgaon’s Medicity Centre on November 30, 2012, suffering from multiple ailments aggravated by lung infection that could turn fatal in advanced age. He left behind his two sons, Naresh and Vishal, their respective spouses, Anjali and Ragini, and their children besides IKG’s brother, celebrated painter Satish, and his wife Kiran. His wife, Shiela, had predeceased him some time ago. Apart from (…)

The main subject of my talk at this august forum is the tidal waves of change in the Soviet Union. Let me begin with a confession. It is not an easy subject to dwell upon. What we are witnessing is not change in the daily meaning of that word. It is a dissembling of history, of much that has gone into the making and un-making of the world during this century.
When we see before our eyes the discarding of communism by the leaders and peoples of the Soviet Union; the CPSU banned from most of (…)

AAP KAHAN JAYENGE?
Contrary to the criticism voiced at several levels about the decision of Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues to form a political party (AAP—the Aam Aadmi Party), there is nothing inherently wrong in social activists and movements opting for electoral politics. Indeed, the need for some kind of alternative politics has become more pressing over the years. The high level of corruption, at the Centre or in various States, is only one reason for this. The absence of a policy (…)

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina only articulated her people’s sentiments when she rejected the invitation by Pakistan to attend the summit of the Developing Eight. Even a short visit to Dhaka, which I undertook a few days ago, showed the depth of Bangladesh’s alienation. Even after three decades when they freed themselves from West Pakistan, they recall the excesses committed by Islamabad and particularly remember the atrocities by the retreating Pakistan Army. During its last few (…)

The State of Manipur is in throes of militancy and violence for the last few decades. The Meiteis are the predominant people of the State principally inhabiting in the Imphal valley. The valley comprises about 10 per cent of the geographical area of the State. The surrounding hill areas are al inhabited by sundry tribesmen. The Meiteis are demographically almost 57 per cent of the population.
The majority of the Meiteis are much peeved about the forced merger of the State with India in (…)

FROM N.C.’S WRITINGS
The following piece, which was published as ‘Political Notebook’ in Mainstream (December 12, 1992), is being reproduced on the twentieth anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6 this year.
The vandalism that brought down the Babri Masjid structure on December 6 will remain a Black Sunday in the annals of independent India. Like the insensate violence of fratricidal communalism of the partition days that culminated in Gandhiji’s killing (…)

Eric Hobsbawm was a bold theorist, keeping alive the thought process of scientific Marxism as opposed to its mechanical and orthodox variety. He straddled the world of theory for long decades, leaving deep imprint on thought and practice. He was also an outstanding figure of the CPGB (Communist Party of Great Britain). His death has really made the world of Marxisn and theory much poorer.
His was an eventful life, uncommon in certain senses. Eric Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on (…)