2018

The Army in Pakistan seems to have devised a way where a particular person is elected even without a valid cause. Imran Khan is a product of such a phenomenon. Long before the elections, his name was tossed around. One can now assume that probably nobody else fitted into the scheme of things which the Army wanted. Nawaz Sharif had been elected in the past but was found wanting in the eyes of the Army. Even the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf was not up to the mark.
Why then has (…)

by Purusottam Bhattacharya
In the just concluded general elections in Pakistan, arguably the most violent in recent memory, former World Cup winning cricket captain of the country Imran Khan has emerged victorious; psephologists had predicted a close race between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led in the elections by his brother, the outgoing Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif.
The (…)

While so much is being talked about regarding commitment to reduce poverty, it is strange that the most important step which is needed for reducing poverty is being neglected and ignored like never before. If the most important factor in the context of poverty, hunger and the related discontent in India has to be identified in just one word, then this word undoubtedly will be ‘land’. It is injustices and distortions relating to land distribution which are the single most important cause of (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
It is surprising how intelligent people in politics sometimes take up positions which should logically belong to their adversaries.
The Muslim League in 1940 picked up the so-called ‘two-nation theory’ which a bunch of extremist intellectuals had first coined to back up their demand for Pakistan. Other parties in India rejected it. The Congress made it clear that it did not accept the theory itself though it agreed to the partitioning of the country on the basis of (…)

by Arun Srivastava
Bandhs are the regular social features with political nuance in India. Bandh is a form of mechanism to send across some message. The proposed August 9 bandh is different from all the previous bandhs. For the first time this bandh has been called by the Dalit organisations. Bandhs are usually called by the political parties. But the Dalit-sponsored bandh aims at asserting their identity and rights.
The immediate provocation for giving the call for Bharat Bandh is the (…)

by R.G. Gidadhubli
The BRICS Summit, held on July 25, 2018 in the South African city of Johannesburg, was an important event as it marked the tenth anniversary of the formation of the grouping. In fact it was 20 years back that the leaders of Russia, India and China (RIC) conceived the formation of this regional trade organisation, somewhat comparable to the European Economic Union. Subsequently, the RIC became BRIC when Brazil joined this organisation and BRICS with the addition of South (…)

They made sure the cows were home While his lungs spouted blood; They made sure their tea was warm, While he waited to be dead.
They were the good Samaritans Serving a primal rage; Their task is to help usher in A pure spiritual age.
The weak with diverse groan despoil The glory of the helm; As among the animals they must yield To the predators of the realm.
Badri Raina

by V. Mathew Kurian
Capitalism as a socio-economic system arose in Europe initially as ‘merchant capitalism’ and subsequently through a technological revolution metamorphosed into ‘industrial capitalism’. ‘Colonialism’ was the main force behind the establishment of capitalism. It was also instru-mental in imparting ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal inequality’ in the world. However, there was reaction to colonial capitalism which resulted in ‘socialism’ and ‘political decolonisation’. But (…)

by Seema Mustafa
The Indian Women’s Press Corps, an august body promoting segregation in a profession that can only function effectively without, is in the midst of deep conflict. Currently. Why? Because of an interaction with Congress President Rahul Gandhi with over 50, some say 100, women journalists held at the India International Centre amidst deep secrecy.
The Congress likes secrecy, surprised though that women journalists like it too.
The controversy is on who was, or was not (…)

Ashoka is probably the greatest marvel of Indian history. For what can be more marvellous than the transformation of a cruel, bloodthirsty prince, who would stop at nothing including the killing of his brothers to capture the throne, into an enlightened and compassionate emperor? Yet this is what happened post-Kalinga. Surely, Buddhism, which was still a living force, must have been an important factor in his transformation but that does not take away anything from his greatness.
And what (…)