2019

October 2, 2019 being the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we are publishing here several articles on different facets of Gandhiji’s contribution to national life.
Introduction
In today’s world, Gandhi and his thoughts seem to be out of date to a majority and especially the young. It is often argued that Gandhi was relevant in a different era when the nation needed independence from foreign rule. It is also argued that technology has dramatically improved since Gandhi’s time (…)

by Jayanta Kumar Dab
As we have entered the new age, we have become more stronger towards ourselves. If we examine our life-style, we will find our new phase of life different from our past. No doubt that we started our civilisation with the violent ways but slowly and with proper growth we began adopting the non-violent ways and means of living. Mahatma Gandhi, the millennium man and a person of the 21st century, a man with the weapons of truth and non-violence, a man who is regarded as a (…)

From N.C.’s Writings
The following is the text of the Gandhi Peace Foundation Lecture 1995 delivered by Nikhil Chakravartty in New Delhi on January 30, 1995. It first appeared in Mainstream (October 3, 1998) after N.C.’s demise.
I am deeply touched by having been asked to deliver this year’s Gandhi Peace Foundation Lecture. Nobody is more conscious than I am about my inadequacy in speaking on this sacred occasion, the day of the martyrdom of the greatest son of my country. Perhaps my (…)

by Prem Singh
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with the announcement of the results of the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, deep concerns were voiced by numerous comrades expressing anguish as to what would Narendra Modi’s victory portend for the Constitution and democracy. During the last five years we have often heard from secular and progressive friends that we are wading through dark and bad times. The crisis is indeed deep; constitutional institutions are being devalued; the economy is almost on the verge of (…)

by Satya Narayana Sahu
With all humility and with a prayerful disposition to Lord Jagannath of Puri temple, the Odisha Government, headed by Shri Naveen Patnaik, has taken measures to clear commercial buildings and centuries-old dilapidated struc-tures around 75 meters of the sacred shrine. The bold measures of the government, implemented with all modesty, have the approval of the Supreme Court which gave the go-ahead signal to clear the constructions within the demarcated area of 75 (…)

by Markandey Katju
Something has happened in India which reminds me of what happened in Germany during the Nazi era.
After Hitler took power in January 1933 almost the whole of Germany went mad, people shouting ‘Heil Hitler‘, ‘Sieg Heil ‘, ‘Juden Verecke‘, and adoring that madman like hypnotised zombies. One can see it all on YouTube.
Germans are such highly cultured people, who produced great scientists like Max Planck and Einstein, great writers like Goethe and Schiller, great poets (…)

I recently attended the Peoples’ Tribunal on the ‘Contested Citizenship in Assam’, in Delhi. At the outset, I am grateful for a few brave and courageous citizens who are bringing the voices of the impoverished and unlettered before us, as the mainstream media drumbeats us into a stupor.
So the NRC list is out declaring: 1.9 million people are not in it and, therefore, stateless. The tribunal pointed out, through testimonies, the tremendous and unspeakable human costs of the anxiety, fear (…)

EDITORIAL
The ripple-effect of PM Narendra Modi’s speech before a 50,000-crowd of mostly Indian-Americans in Houston is still being experienced in this country. There have been several thought-provoking write-ups and articles in various publications but few can match the analytical essence of what the contributing editor of The Indian Express, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, wrote in the daily the other day. Dissecting Modi’s rhetorical speech he succinctly observed:
“We can contest the facts, point (…)

COMMENTARY
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced several economic packages to boost the sagging economy. What is noteworthy about them is that each of them is aimed at benefitting the corporate sector. Huge tax exemptions have been announced and those will amount to a revenue loss of Rs 1.45 lakh crore. It is quite obvious that forgoing taxes will mean curtailing of Budget allocations on different heads. Since the Modi Government is a corporate-friendly government, it can be (…)

The following is one chapter of Subhash Gatade‘s recently published book, Modinama: Issues That Did Not Matter (LeftWord Books, June 2019). We are reproducing the following chapter from the book with the author’s permission for the benefit of our readers.
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When the Indian Constitution was promulgated, Dr Ambedkar said that it had ‘ended the rule by Manu’. And yet, Manu seems back, his magnum opus Manusmriti in the news on a regular basis. The Manusmriti, it needs to be said, was put (…)