2022

by Dr. A. K. Sinha *
Covid 19 is a pandemic known to each and every individual of the globe today in all its unforeseen dimensions, severity and catastrophic casualties, which is unparallel in the history of mankind. COVID 19 stands for—Co-Corona, Vi-Virus, D-Disease-2019, though, more scientifically, it is called as SARS-C0 V—2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2) —both names given by WHO on 11 February, 2020. By then (11th February, 2020), globally, more than 1,18,000 cases (…)

by Siby K. Joseph
The National Flag of India has a special place in the hearts of every Indian. It was unique due to the Khadi fabric with which it was made and one could easily distinguish it from flags of other countries. It was a symbol of the historic struggle of freedom led under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and other great patriots of India. When Gandhi took the leadership of the country in 1920s, he called the British Government and it flag as Satanic which made us slaves in our (…)

We came out from the brothel,
Daddy, mummy and me,
Shouting at the top of our voices
“Long live the bourgeoisie!”
Daddy is a celibate,
I know for certainty,
When my hands went round and round his buttocks,
He sang: “God save the bourgeoisie!”
When organs and circles go round and round
And round and round...
And round
And round
.............and round.
To metaphysical silence,
I am permanently bound,
And when the fascists appear,
I go hunting with both hare and hound. (…)

by P. S. Jayaramu
21st May 2022
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is an ongoing, yet unfortunate, phenomenon. It is not clear as to how long it will prolong and on whose and what terms it would end, since both Russia and Ukraine, are not showing any interest in finding a diplomatic solution to the problem. At this stage, it is worth reflecting on the war aims of Putin, those of the US and NATO powers and of Ukraine itself. Going by the intensity with which the Biden Administration is (…)

by Emma Goldman
Spain and the World, Vol. 2, No. 27, January 5, 1938
The glad tidings from Moscow under date of November 27th about the pact between the Soviet Trade Unions and the International Federation of Trade Unions (Amsterdam International) shows once more the staying power of a myth.
The Soviet Trade Unions have long ago ceased to exist as a living body, as have indeed all other organisations that have played their part in the Russian Revolution. As long ago as 1920, they had (…)

* Sri Lankan situation is fraught with danger | M K Bhadrakumar
* Open letter from the sanitation workers to the residents of Chennai
* Sino-Indian Border Dispute & Arunachal Pradesh | Pranjit Agarwala
* Overthrowing Roe V Wade: Crushing Blow To Women’s Rights | Vijay Kumar

Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, May 21, 2022
Unemployment is on the rise, inflation is on the rise, a heat wave like never before is in the air with no government advisories on safety and protection, electricity cuts are reported from across the country, there is alarm on water levels running short in our rivers, high air pollution levels in our cities, a spike in coal production, new permissions for coal mining zones given contrary to our big commitments to a transition away from (…)

IMPRESSIONS
The Allahabad High Court has rejected a petition seeking the opening of the Taj Mahal’s closed rooms. The petition was prompted not by archaeological interests but, as more usual these days, by Hindutva interests. They wanted to see if the shuttered chambers were home to Hindu idols and scriptures. There have been enthusiasts who believed that the immortal memorial was originally Tejo Mahal, a Shiva temple, until the Mughals came and violated everything.
The Sree (…)

Freedom as ‘mukti’
“Human freedom, in its widest and deepest sense is fundamental, and needs to be fought for at every step. That is the most central of Vedantic messages” — was a comment made by a learned friend, during a conversation about freedom. This is of course, about “mukti” as a spiritual concept of freedom or final liberation from mortal bonds. But it is equally about striving for freedom of thought, belief and expression in real-life, without which contemplation for “mukti” (…)

May 15, 2022
India finds itself between the rock and a hard place in its approach to the Sri Lankan crisis. There is no question that the government attributes primacy to Sri Lanka remaining a practising democracy. But the developing situation in that country is going to be a cliff hanger right up to the final whistle.
Things can take different turns. The best hope is that although the political class is throughly discredited and the legislative is dysfunctional, the democratic spirit (…)