2021

by Dr. Suresh Khairnar
The mythological tale of the demon Bhasmasur is well-known. On whomsoever’s head he would put his palm on was burnt to ashes. It appears that now-a-day it is the SanghParivar which is bent upon converting itself into Bhasmasur. It has started putting its hand on the heads of many of our national leaders—right from Swami Vivekanand to Yogi Arvind to RamkrishnaParamhans, to Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Mahatma Gandhi. Everyone has fallen under its pail. For the past few (…)

Year 2020 began, as every New year does with the promise of hope and possibilities. It soon turned into a nightmare. COVID- 19 ravaged our world. Even the mightiest nations on earth have felt the chill of 350,000 dead in nations such as the US. But with far fewer dead, India still suffered possibly its worst social impact. It ruined the lives and livelihood of over 1,000 million marginalised and vulnerable Indians. These toiling and exploited Indian citizens have a historic resilience (…)

by Chaokang Tai, Bart van der Steen and Jeroen van Dongen
Astronomer and Marxist Anton Pannekoek was a remarkable figure. As an astronomer, he pioneered quantitative astrophysics and founded the renowned Astronomical Institute in Amsterdam that now carries his name. Before World War I, however, he was employed as a Marxist theorist by the Social Democratic Party of Germany, making him one of the leading intellectuals of international socialism. Because of his significant (…)

The end of the Year: pausing moment
of the parting sun.
Skyline changes into deep russet;
the evening brings down
a shadowy curtain;
falling dusk obliterates
the page of the day.
Once again the train of time
slowing down
halts at the last destination
of the Old Year.
Another engine waits in the yard
to take it to an unknown station.
Corona, the spoilsport, at the border;
yet no damper on the spirits, rejoicing;
rolling pistons moving faster;
smooth crossing into the New (…)