2015

EDITORIAL The arrest of Sameer Vishnu Gaikwad, a “full-time” member of the radical Hindu organisation, Sanatan Sanstha, by the Kolhapur Police on September 16 in connection with the murder of CPI leader and rationalist thinker, Govind Pansare, has by now helped the police of find a link between the killings of Pansare last February and rationalist leader Narendra Dabholkar (an anti-superstition crusader whom Pansare acknowledged as his mentor) in 2013. This was suspected for long but now, (…)

How images affect the human mind is quite evident with the kind of effect the picture had of a crumpled body of a three-year old face-down, washed ashore the Turkish coastline or that of rubber dinghies overfilled with desperate women, men and children. These images have brought out the enormity of the contemporary refugee crises in Europe, the biggest movement of people to Europe since the Second World War.
However, how ironical is the fact that the civil war in Syria, which is entering (…)

by Rohit Chopra
Your Highness, Emperor of India, host of Mann ki Baat, harbinger of achhe din, Lord of the bhakts, I hope you are well. I trust you will not mind if I call you Emperor. I know you are a democratically elected leader, but your regal bearing and magnificent sartorial adventures are worthy of the finest traditions of hereditary monarchy and feudal nobility. And, beside, as pretty much most Indians know, you don’t necessarily have a liking or patience for parliamentary (…)

Liu Shaoqi, the prominent leader and theoretician of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote his would-be famous book, How to be a Good Communist, in 1939. He was ruthlessly criticised by Mao during the Cultural Revolution and then purged. He died in 1969 under harsh treatment.
What is important to us is not to judge the ‘political correctness’ of Liu Shaoqi’s thought. The fact that the Communists of earlier days were concerned with ethical questions, even though in regimented terms, is the (…)

Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickremasinghe’s visit to India (September 14-16) marked an important step in bringing India-Sri Lanka relations to healthy parameters on several counts, the most significant of which is the restoration of India’s faith in the policy-directions of the Sri Lankan Government.
New Delhi’s confidence in Colombo’s intentions, both domestic and international, was completely eroded during the last few years (especially since 2009) of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
Behind the angry protests and almost interminable complainsts of Cease Fire violations, there is a feeling in New Delhi about the overall situation with regard to Pakistan which, though not vocal, is significant.
It is generally conceded here that a full-scale war between India and Pakistan is practically ruled out for the present. The theory that the cessation of hostilities provided by the Security Council Resolution is being utilised as a breathing space by (…)

by Javed Malick
The operation in Uri sector across the Cease Fire Line will remain a golden chapter in India’s military history for a very long time to come. The story is marked with the indefatigable valour and unflinching determination of our officers and jawans.
Advance towards Haji Pir was, however, an uphill task both figuratively and literally. It required a well-planned strategy and careful tactics.
As you go westwards from the border village, Lagama (Uri sector), you have to (…)

For years after Independence and partition of the country, Haji Pir Pass was not much in the news. Even during the 1948 war in Kashmir it did not get as much display in newspapers as its strategic position warranted. After the ceasefire, Haji Pir Pass fell in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It, however, continued to be present fairly prominently on the operational maps of the two armies — India’s and Pakistan’s, and the mental map of the strategic community on the subcontinent.
I was (…)

Maharana Pratap is one of the most courageous heroes of India’s history whose 475th anniversary is being celebrated this year. Pratap defended his much smaller kingdom of Mewar very bravely against the much more powerful forces sent by Akbar, the great Mughal emperor, in the famous battle of Haldighati. Later he continued his struggles from forests and hills with guerilla warfare-type tactics, and by the time of his death he was able to reclaim some of his territory and forts.
This story (…)

If there was any iota of doubt about the links between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispelled it. He presented his key Ministers to the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, and asked them to provide information on the working of their Ministries. That the Prime Minister had no qualms about it was evident from the way the entire presentation was aired on news channels. He has been an ardent pracharak of the RSS before joining its (…)