2020

The Himalayas are of tremendous ecological, cultural and religious significance for the people of India. Yet, for the past several decades the region’s abundant natural resources are being exploited and its ecosystems destroyed in the name of development. Now, the ambitious 900-kilometre Chardham Highways project, work on which began in 2018, seems set to propel the Himalayas towards unprecedented environmental disaster.

by Suranjita Ray
The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020 spurred the #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) movement back into action. The video clip of a white police man crushing the neck of a black man under his knees and choking him till he breathed his last, shocked the world. Social media was flooded with voices against police brutality, violence and barbarism inflicted on black communities by the state and its vigilantes. In solidarity with the (…)

by S. R. Darapuri
Till now Dalit politics / Dalit movement has been limited to saving reservation in government jobs only and Dalit leaders have been considering gaining power as the victory of Dalit politics. Their goal has been very narrow. It is well known that even if a Dalit becomes Prime Minister in today’s capitalist system, Dalits cannot be saved. In such a situation, the benefit will be only for those Dalit leaders who will get power and their number will be limited to a few (…)

It is the eve of Independence day, 14th August and as I write this the faces of the freedom fighters I have met and recorded over the years, flash before me.
Sushila Nayar was deep into meditation when I met her at her home. I waited and after what seemed a long time she opened her eyes and gave me an exquisite smile. She was soft-spoken and gentle but her memory was sharp. She recalled being jailed with Gandhi and Kasturba inside the Agha Khan Palace detention camp, shortly after the Quit (…)

IMPRESSIONS
Narendra Modi of course has gifts of leadership that put him above his challengers. But even his admirers will agree that the weaknesses of the Congress are a big factor behind his success. Consider how the Congress reacted to his victory in 2014. Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president, but the Congress was too confused to get out of its dynastic fixation. It refused to accept his resignation. How did the confusion end? By choosing Sonia Gandhi as interim (…)

On August 5 last year, when Narendra Modi led Bhartiya Janta party (BJP) government stripped off special status of the erstwhile State of J and K. It was done on the pretext of development, good governance, and peace. It was argued that abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A will open the floodgates for development and prosperity. The former State was bifurcated into two federally administrated Union Territories. Nearly all mainstream leaders and dissenters were arrested after the revocation of (…)

by Arun Srivastava
With Modi’s rise in the national politics a shift in the power structure within the BJP and broader Sangh Parivar was noticed. The RSS brought in its committed cadres and those who cannot emerge as the focal point of politics on their own to the centre stage. Modi’s 2014 victory was interpreted as purely development-oriented, and an impression gained that the new government’s reign would be marked by a laser-like focus on implementing economic reforms and (…)

by Badre Alam Khan
Buddha’s Challenge to Brahminism by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd January 2019 | 260 pages | SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd
Before participating in the Bhumi Pujan (ground-breaking ceremony) at Ayodhya on 5th August, the PM Modi has earlier highlighted the rich legacy of India’s heritage and philosophical thoughts of Lord Buddha and said that his teachings as vividly described in the Eight-fold Path can help to overcome the current global crisis in general and India in (…)

A precarious situation prevails at the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) amidst Covid-19 pandemic. Like many other Central research institutions, CGCRI too has already lost its past glory, primarily due to the saffron show. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) calls the shots and at the helm is one Dr K. Muralidharan, whose main qualifications are not scientific and academic achievements but his adherence to saffron ideology.

by Subhash Kumar Sengupta*
Time and again removal of existing chairman and instead appointment of a new one in state-owned Bank has now become a fashion or tradition in Bangladesh. In the relatively recent past (2011), following widely discussed hallmark scandal, the government terminated the whole Board of Sonali Bank. However, the chairman of the Basic Bank was given the opportunity (in 2014) to resign from his post. On the other hand, the government has acquitted Jamaluddin Ahmed (in (…)