2017

From N.C.’s Writings
A situation of unprecedented confusion synchronising with the onset of serious crisis for the entire constitutional structure of the Indian state presents before the nation today.
On the one side is the outright challenge of the BJP, the most aggressive of political parties, threatening to defy the entire administration in a manner never seen before; and on the other, the ruling party at the Centre presents a picture of utter disunity with factions not only (…)

by Gautam Sen
Jammu and Kashmir has just gone through a spell of by-elections affected by murder and mayhem, saturated deployment of security forces, huge public resistance to the electoral process and an atmosphere in which no reasonable display of will of the electorate was manifestly feasible. The by-elections were slated to the Anantnag and Srinagar Lok Sabha seats. Unprecedented public opposition to these elections and threats to those electors interested in voting, and intimidation (…)

What is the meaning of victory of Farooq Abdullah from the Srinagar constituency where not even seven per cent votes were polled? In many of the booths merely two per cent votes were polled. I know there are past precedences of such a situation in at least three Indian States when people boycotted and the government determinedly went for polls and was áble to form ministries. But when the world is watching and we claim to be the biggest democracy of the world, shouldn’t it be a matter of (…)

In the emerging situation it appears that possibilities of cooperation between the Congress and Left parties are increasing. There are five main reasons for this.
Firstly, it should be increasingly clear to the Congress that in the emerging situation it can increase its relevance and appeal only by a Left-of-Centre agenda.
Secondly, it should be equally clear to the Congress that in important States where it is weak, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it needs to build alliances but (…)

by Krishna Jha
The blood-soaked walls of segregation, that could be brought down after long-drawn struggles and sacrifices, are here again. The gates of higher education are getting shuttered for larger sections of those thirsty for knowledge. The higher education system in the country is being sought to be placed out of bounds for the general masses.
The blow came last year when the University Grants Commission passed regulations in May 2016, leading to shackle the autonomous character (…)

by Pradeep Nair and Sandeep Sharma
“A University is a place ... where students come from every quarter for every kind of knowledge; ... a place for the communication and circulation of thought ... It is a place where inquiry is pushed forward ... discoveries verified and perfected, and ... error exposed, by the collision of mind with mind, and knowledge with knowledge. ... Thus is created a pure and clear atmosphere of thought, which the student also breathes”.
John Henry Newman, 1854, (…)

by Navneet Sharma and Khem Raj Sharma
‘Catch them young’ is the political and philosophical perspective which guides almost all political parties (except the BSP) when they form their students’ wing which functions across the country in university and college campuses. The most famous and sordid revolutions across the world have also seen higher education campuses as their favourite germination turf. Somehow the most prestigious technical, medical and management campuses in India have been (…)

The following piece, written by Professor Kaseem, a well-known poet and critic (who is also an Assistant Professor, Nizam College, Hyderabad), has been rendered into English by Anishetty Shankar, a writer and freelance journalist, and sent to us for publication. This is about seven members of a fact-finding team that left Telangana for Chhattisgarh to extend support to the Adivasis’ struggle there. The team members were arrested by the Telangana State Police and handed over to the (…)

One bug which has bitten both India and Pakistan and now Bangladesh is the espionage. issue. Anyone who visits from the neighbouring country is considered a spy until proved otherwise. It really depends on the External and Home Ministries whether a particular person would be let off freely. In other words, the police force is an arbiter. And it goes without saying that the sentence awarded to the person would be life-time imprisonment or death.
Normally, the court decides. However, the (…)

BOOK REVIEW
by Arti Khosla
An Alternative Philosophy of Development: From Economism to Human Well-Being by B.P. Mathur; published by Routledge Taylor & Francis; 2017.
This is the latest book from B.P. Mathur’s pen. A former civil servant, B.P. Mathur worked in several capacities with the government and had a ringside view of the administration, its strength and its failures. This extensive experience coupled with his idealism and knowledge of our spiritual heritage has inspired him (…)