2019

Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, which took place in China on June 4, 1989, we are reproducing the following article by N.C. (comprising two of his despatches from Hong Kong) that appeared in Mainstream (June 10, 1989). We are also reproducing the “Political Notebook” that appeared in the same issue by S.C. who was then the Associate Editor of Mainstream.
From N.C.’s Writings
End of Maoist Monolith
Anarchy has gripped China. The massacre of unarmed people (…)

by Atanu Sengupta, Sanjoy De, Sayantan Mukherjee
Introduction
In recent times, there has been quite a hue and cry about the implementation of the universal basic income (UBI). In short, it has meant an unilateral transfer of an ‘equal’ amount of income to each and every citizen of India. The idea has become a major poll issue this year with each party trying to vie with each other in taking the credit of promulgating this scheme to its catchment area. In the debates, of course, the UBI (…)

by Joseph Abraham
Ever since US President Donald Trump declared “Trade War”against China, the world is witnessing an unprecedented resurgence of protectionism which is the greatest threat to free trade and free markets in gross violation of the WTO regulations on global free trade. No wonder, Zhang Hanhui, the Vice-Foreign Minister of China, has recently termed the premeditated instigation of trade conflict by the US against China, which is the largest trade war in economic history, as (…)

by Nilofar Suhrawardy
The “news” spread and propagated about the Arab Spring spelling a “democratic revolution” did not convince me from day one. This prompted me to write articles for Mainstream,Aakrosh and other outlets of the print media. My approach towards the issue, from the very beginning, was a communication-oriented analysis. Though numerous books have been written on the subject, with a few even critical of the United States and its allies’ role regarding the so-called Arab (…)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—and more than that, Narendra Modi—has come back with a larger mandate than what it was given by India’s voters in 2014.
At one level, this is remarkable given the economic distress all around, which should have led to a strong anti-incumbency and a decline in the saffron party’s votes. The mandate is, in part, a reflection of short-term politics trumping the longer term issues facing the nation.
This is not the first time that this has happened in India. (…)

by R.G. Gidadhubli
On May 17, 2019 Rossat (Russian Statistic Service) reported that Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose just 0.5 per cent in the first three months of 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018. This is far lower than the prediction of 1.5 per cent by the Central Bank of Russia. In fact the Russian economic growth had been facing a declining trend during the years 2015 and 2016 reflecting negative growth even as there was slight recovery and positive growth of 1.2 (…)

The closing hour finally chimes; you step out on the street. A new reality stares at your face: retirement.
You feel you’re free: no deadlines, no pressure. You try to settle down in the last phase of life.
First, it stretches out like a holiday—a long holiday, but gradually you realise an emptiness creeping up.
As if something within you has been turned off; the major part defining your identity seems shut out.
It’s sailing into sunset; yet gleams a newer world with softer hue, (…)

BOOK REVIEW
by Naren Singh Rao
Media’s Shifting Terrain: Five Years that Transformed the Way India Communicates by Pamela Philipose; Orient BlackSwan, New Delhi; 2019; pages 320; Price: Rs 575 (paperback).
The character of the Indian media has undergone a radical, dramatic change in the past two decades, particularly after the advent of the new media. This change essentially is a reflection of the paradigm shift in the domain of the Indian economy, popularly known as economic (…)

West Bengal has witnessed significant political transformations in the 17th Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The BJP has emerged as the main political contender of the ruling party in the State, Trinamul Congress (TMC). The vote-share of the Left came down from about 30 per cent in 2014 to less than a two-digit figure in 2019, and the Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI-M]—could not win a single parliamentary seat in the State. The outcome of the 2019 elections in West Bengal has been aptly (…)

Where is the need to worry now, When the Lord watches over us?— He peers from walls and lampposts, His care is ubiquitous.
What god did ever reveal himself With tireless insistence? What fools were ever rewarded With hair-raising recompense?
Savour, o mere mortals, This moment with embrace; Miracles are never here to stay, They come and go apace.
Badri Raina