2018

MUSINGS
With the recent arrests of members of the Right-wing outfit, Sanatan Sanstha, allegedly involved in murders of progressive rationalist liberals, I have been sitting introspecting on the very basic—why have we taken so very long to look Right! This, when it’s a known fact that Right-wing terror is on and ongoing in our country and also in the West.
In 2011, 92 persons were killed by a 32-year old Right-wing man in Oslo. The facts that emerged from the Oslo killings seemed not just (…)

by L.K. Sharma
It was the best day for Gandhi, it was the worst day for Gandhi. The President, Prime Minister, Governors and Chief Ministers paid tributes to Gandhi’s memory, some Hindu nationalists took to social media to pay tributes to Gandhi’s killer, thousands garlanded Gandhi’s statues, a few saffron-clad Hindus garlanded his killer’s statue, the world celebrated Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2 as Nonviolence Day, some countries marking the day by violent thoughts and deeds. (…)

The four-phase process of election of representatives in 79 municipal bodies in Jammu and Kashmir has started after a gap of thirteen years, with some alarming signals. The two dominant political parties of the State, the National Conference and PDP, announced their decision not to participate in the municipal polls. Reportedly, “of the 598 seats in the Valley, at least 236 will be uncontested. Another 184 have received no nominations.” Barely a day to go before the first phase of polls, it (…)

by Aijaz Ahmad Turrey and Tajamul Maqbool
Life in the Kashmir Valley, especially South Kashmir, has become hell for residents on account of increasing and continued nocturnal raids by the Indian security forces, forcing people to remain wide-awake during nights to foil arrest bids. The raids were earlier limited to family members of active Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and other militant groups. But nowadays no one is free from this dreadful grip conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army’s (…)

by Arun Srivastava
The Tripura election was a big setback This has been the confession of the General Secretary of the CPI-M, Sitaram Yechury, just at the time his political line of having understanding with the Congress was being challenged by his colleague, Prakash Karat. True enough, Karat should have taken the lesson from the BJP how it succeeded in building a total anti-Left Front.
The Marxists may allege that they made all sorts of unscrupulous deals with all, including tribal (…)

Internal documents are disloyal things, They spill the crony beans; Macron must these documents burn For more morsels of our means.
When we say government to government, We mean boss to boss; And any boss worth his politic salt Knows well his gain or loss.
They would have us investigate The “murky” goings-on; But what good Hindu may wish to see Us totter on our throne.
Hence for natonal purposes We must ride Rafale, However they pin our perfidies, Or twist our tell-all tail.
Badri Raina

by Vivek Kumar Srivastava
The following article has been written and is being published on the fiftyfirst death anniversary of the Dr Rammohar Lohia (March 23, 1910-October 12, 1967)
Gandhi and Ambedkar are usually respected as major thinkers in modern times who attempted to reform the caste system in India in their own ways, but Rammanohar Lohia was also a great contributor to the theory of annihilation of caste. He analysed the Indian caste system from a socialistic framework and (…)

IMPRESSIONS
Here is the noblest summing up of civilisational values by an Indian: “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth... Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
by Analyst
On the occasion of Jayaprakash Narayan’s 116th birth anniversary on October 11, 2017 we are carrying the following piece written by N.C. under the pseudonym ‘Analyst’ after JP passed away on October 8, 1979.
Jayaprakash Narayan has carried with him fulsome tributes from all political circles—his adherents and admirers, his adversaries and detractors. A life of ups and downs of heroic times and despairing moments. Living beyond the Psalmist’s assigned (…)

October 20 this year marks the fiftysixth anniversary of the Chinese aggression on India. On this occasion we are carrying N.C.’s ‘New Delhi Skyline’ published in Mainstream seven days after the invasion.
A fresh appraisal of values has overtaken New Delhi with the shock of the massive Chinese aggression on the far-flung frontier from Ladakh to NEFA.
In the course of a single week, the nation faced the dangerous implications of a militarily powerful neighbour indulging in cold-blooded (…)