2016

by Murzban Jal
Ontology cannot lay hold of a fart. —Jacques Derrida, Glas
Searching for the Public Space
It was Surendra Barlingay, one of the charismatic figures of the philosophical movement in Maharashtra and the founding figure of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pune (now Savitribai Phule Pune University), who had talked of the origins of philosophy lying in wonder (for him with Plato and Western philosophy) and misery (in India).1
In a certain sense (especially (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
CPI stalwart and legendary Communist parliamentarian Bhupesh Gupta, the longest serving Member in the Rajya Sabha, would have turned 102 on October 20 this year. We remember him now with the following tribute that N.C. had penned after his death in Moscow on August 6, 1981. We are also reproducing Bhupesh Gupta’s memorable speech in the Rajya Sabha on June 22, 1977 when he was felicitated on completing 25 years of meritorous service as a Member of the Upper House of (…)

A little while earlier in the evening, a journalist from a well-known Delhi paper phoned me up for a ‘byte’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s enigmatic remark on Tuesday (October 18) at a rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh that the Indian Army ‘is no less’ than the Israeli Army about ‘doing such a thing’ as our surgical strikes on the Line of Control on September 29. (The Hindu)
That set me thinking. I first told my inter-locutor evasively that it all (…)

by Saikat Ghosh
‘Dylanesque’ is not a word in the OED though anyone who is familiar with the enormous cultural upsurge of the global sixties will know exactly what it means. It pertains to the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, though not in an entirely direct sort of a way. It refers to a climate of protest which brought a generation’s anger, despair, alienation and yet, an acute historical consciousness, alive in the age-old lyric tradition of Bluegrass music.
More than a hundred (…)

Is home lost forever, then, Lost for evermore? Every creek I crossed ahead Was cooler than before. The things that I set out to do I know not what they are; Dear people of my little town, I’ve strayed, I’ve strayed too far. At rise of dawn I see no sun, At dusk no voice from home; O mother, this city has So little, so little room. I think, nor care, nor feel, nor share, I am busy all the time; And what I do I only do Because it brings a dime. Is this the way it has to be? Is (…)

BOOK REVIEW
by M.M. Ansari
State, Policy and Conflicts in Northeast India by K.S. Subramanian; Routledge India; 2016; pages: 213; price: Rs 795.
The North-Eastern States of India widely differ in terms of geo-climatic conditions, culture, ethnicity and levels of development. India’s vibrant democratic and federal polity seeks to address the diverse and at times contradictory politico-economic aspirations of the people in the region, the outcome of which has generally been (…)

EDITORIAL
The RSS-controlled Narendra Modi administration in New Delhi is taking major strides in implementing the issues which were characterised as ‘contentious’ and kept in abeyance during the A.B. Vajpayee Government’s tenure at the Centre from 1998 to 2004.
The three contentious issues not touched by Vajpayee and his team were: (i) building a Ram temple at Ayodhya; (ii) abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution relating to special status for Kashmir; and (iii) introducing a Uniform (…)

by suranjita ray
The dexterity to create a buzz about nationa-lism is essentially meant to consolidate what the ruling political class consents. The Hindutva ideologues campaign for a Hindu Rashtra as the ideal of nationalism.The angst that many citizens feel is due to the drum-beating of ‘Hindu Nationalism’ which is identified with the culture of the Hindus. The raging controversy over bigoted nationalism has led to rising intolerance of the tradition of nonconformity with the claims of (…)

After the Uri attack at atmosphere of jingoism is being built which can lead the country to war. While war may be necessary for the rulers, no war is in the interest of common citizens. An India-Pakistan war has the added danger of being converted into a nuclear war. People who are talking about war should be asked if they are prepared for a number of cities on both sides turning into Hiroshimas and Nagasakis. India and Pakistan have already fought four wars. There was no solution, neither (…)

I was against surgical strikes because I thought it would escalate things and probably go to a point of no return. But now that the strikes have been made I back the government. I am reminded of George Bernard Shaw, the eminent literary personality, who said that he was a worst critic of the British Government but since it was in the midst of war he supported it.
Probably, India had no option. Terrorists, who were taking shelter on the Pakistan soil and operated from there, had to be (…)