2013

From N.C.’s Writings
The following piece, which appeared within a fortnight of the demolition of the Babri Masjid (December 6, 1992), is being reproduced on the twentyfirst anniversary of that infamous event.
To build a temple to mark the brithplace of Ram, a mosque was destroyed by deceit.
Those who swiftly and competently did the demolition job on Sunday (December 6, 1992), did so before the very eyes of those leaders who had been assuring Parliament and the public that the disputed (…)

In October 2013, Khaitan Holdings Mauritius Ltd (KHML), a Mauritius-registered company owning 26 per cent equity in Loop Telecom, slapped an international arbitration notice against the Indian Government seeking a compensation of US $1.4 billion over the cancellation of its 21 telecom licences by the Supreme Court of India on February 2, 2012. The Supreme Court had cancelled 122 licences of 22 telecom operators as it found the allotment of spectrum was “unconstitutional and arbitrary” and (…)

‘Though this be madness yet there is method in it’ —Hamlet, Shakespeare
The 2014 elections aren’t merely about changing the government. The rhetoric ahead of the polls makes one believe that it’s an attempt at once to change historical narratives handed down to successive generation of Indians. And the man in the forefront of it all is the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
(http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/separated-at-birth/2013/11/11/debating-history-berating-history/) (…)

Throughout the forties of the last century a cultural movement had grown in Bengal—some had characterised it as ‘yet another renaissance’ by comparing it with the social reform movement in the province in the nineteenth century—and among the major organisations spearheading that movement were the Progressive Writers Association, Youth Cultural Institute, Indian People’s Theatre Association, Friends of Soviet Union Society, Anti-Facial Writers and Artists Association as well as Bengali (…)

One Who Knew Him
On May 19 in Calcutta there passed away a man the greatness of whose peronality could be perceived in its full magnitude in the days and weeks after his departure. And as months and years will pass what he has achieved through his toil and dedication shall come to light. His was not just a meteoric intellectualism, it was a solid contribution to the thought pro-cess of a greater and richer India of tomorrow.
Chinmohan Sehanavis breathed his last when he was nearing 74. (…)

A very sound criterion for judging the character of any social movement, is its attitude towards the toiling people, denizens of the “lower depths” of the society. This is particularly so because it has a very pertinent relevance to our contemporary world with its widespread and deep, underlying social tensions and conflicts.
Insofar as the Brahmo Samaj signifies a vital social movement during the modern phase of our history—rather than yet another in this land of countless religious (…)

India-China relations over the years have seen a meandering course. Decades ago India supported a young communist China, making every effort to end its isolation at the international level. Today Sino-Indian relations have moved away in different directions. China has overtaken India in international trade, finance and marketing, to mention a few. China’s border differences as in the case of neighbours have also increased over the years as in the case of India and Japan. The South China Sea (…)

India’s interests would have been served better if Sardar Patel, in place of Jawaharlal Nehru, had been the country’s Prime Minister. This hypothetical possibility had been voiced by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the poll campaign as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Parliament elections.
Of all the leaders, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Nehru’s friend, guide and philosopher, came to the same conclusion after watching Nehru as an administrator. (…)

IMPRESSIONS
Essentially Arvind Kejriwal is a political accident, the kind that flashes across the scene one moment and is forgotten the next. But his movement is making a buzz that no one can deny. While his ideas are a contributing factor, the main reason for the buzz lies outside his persona and programme. He has become a symbol of the general public’s disgust with the reigning political class. For too long have the people been suffering at the hands of exploiters robbing and ruining the (…)

Nikhilda was brought into journalism by Puran Chandra Joshi, better known as P.C. Joshi, during the Bengal famine of 1943. Joshi was the General Secretary of the CPI at that time. Before that, for a brief period, Nikhilda had taught history in the Calcutta University. Under Joshi’s guidance, several other young Communist activists contributed their best during that period and earned a name for themselves in their respective fields like Sunil Janah as a photographer whol chronicled the famine (…)