2016

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) marks 30 years of people’s resistance to dam-projects in the Narmada valley. An icon of non-violent grassroots protest against destructive development, the NBA’s peaceful efforts for equity and justice in the face of deliberate and severe provocation, make it a shining example of Gandhian ideals in an era of extreme corruption in morals and ethics.
Resisting Rape of an Ancient Valley
In the early 1980s, people of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat in (…)

If Karl Marx was the theoretician of the capitalist era, Lenin was one of the imperialist era. They both occupy the same height in the annals of human thought, because they both cover a whole era of human history.
V.I. Lenin, that great theoretician of the present era, wrote his epoch-making work, Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism, exactly a hundred years ago. Marx had in his days encompassed the whole era of capitalism and its transition to socialism. Lenin raised the bar of (…)

Many friends ask me why am I quiet on the issue of Mother Teresa and her canonisation. Well, I have been travelling and not really following much of the news. However, I have my position which I clarified several times in the past too. I have lots of respect for Christopher Hitchens and his absolutely phenomenal analysis. The Mother was a religious woman with a kind heart. Her main aim was to ‘serve’ the God which she found in serving the people. A secular critique of Christianity cannot be (…)

by Rajaram Panda
Introduction
On his way for the G-20 summit meeting in Hangzhou, China, and East Asia Summit and related Summits at Vientiane, Laos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his maiden visit to Vietnam to hold wide-ranging talks with the country’s top leadership on ways to bolster strategic bilateral ties in key areas like defence, security, counter-terrorism and trade. This marked the first by an Indian Prime Minister to visit Vietnam in 15 years. Modi was the fourth Indian (…)

COMMUNICATION
This has reference to an article that has appeared recently titled “Why Vegetarianism is Anti-national”, written by Professor Kancha Ilaiah in Mainstream (August 27, 2016). He has made a reference to Prof M.S. Swaminathan and the policy of vegetarianism at the MSSR Foundation.
We would like to make it known that MSSRF is a not-for-profit institution engaged in research for food and nutrition security. Our work includes agriculture, livestock and fisheries. We also run a (…)

You had the will to stay Without food For sixteen years; So that our conscience awakens! Your act of non-violence In a sea of violence— Rapes, arrests, wanton deaths By the army, with impunity, Touches deep within, And will stay till infinity. The salt that Gandhi once made While walking to Dandi, Now has by its side, The iconic image Of your feeding tube. You resist violence By denying yourself taste; Make haste, O world! Listen to this voice, It carries within it— As you place a (…)

EDITORIAL
As we go to press, news has just come that the Supreme Court has scrapped the acquisition of nearly 1000 acres of multi-crop land in West Bengal’s Singur for the Tata Motors’ Nano car project. Thus the eight-year-long legal battle between the company and the West Bengal Government run by the Trinamul Congress has been brought to an end.
The Apex Court, in its judgment, has directed the State Government to take possession of the land and redistribute it to the original owners, a (…)

The Supreme Court of India, notwithstanding some controversial decisions in the matter of constitutional interpretation, has by far and large contributed to upholding the rights and privileges of the States and individuals.
But with a decision Ajay Kumar Pandey versus State of J&K and Anr. decided by the Constitution Bench on July 19, 2016 there has arisen the apprehension of interfering with the autonomy of J&K, guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
The (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
After forty years of the foundation of our independent republic, the Frankenstein has appeared again—the monster that is out to destroy democracy and plunge this nation into civil war that shall rend asunder thousands of towns and villages of this great country.
The term communalism does not convey the gravity of the crisis that confronts us today—let it be bluntly stated that what we face today is the demon of Hindu-Muslim hatred. Over a large part of this land, (…)

IMPRESSIONS
It is true that India did better in the last Olympics than in this one; just 83 athletes won six medals in London while 117 won two in Rio. But that does not mean that our great country cut a sorry figure before the world. On the contrary. No other country sent its reigning national Sports Minister to Rio to liven up things. The Honourable Vijay Goel and his “aggressive and rude” staff did it so well that the organisers had to warn them of possible expulsion from the arena. (…)