2022

One of the most important requirements of our troubled world is a meaningful system of education which is able to create joyful, interesting conditions of learning linked to strong ethical values of justice, equality, honesty, truth, compassion, non-violence, care of all living beings, protection of environment and courage. A key question that any student should be exploring is—how can I best contribute to a more just and protective world and how I can increase my potential and capabilities (…)

by Sreedeep *
All that we have gone through is rather unheard of, or unfelt by several generations. What we have gone through is unpredictably unsocial—as the nature of the virus mandated social-distancing, which was drastically imposed by many states in the most draconian manner. In a manner that was rather absurd that did not care for the state of its citizens to plan or prepare. Such awkward times arrive once in a century or once in several centuries. Many of us lost our near and dear (…)

by Bhabani Shankar Nayak *
The Hindu right wing forces are planning for a while to make the Bhagavad Gita as a national scripture and access to absolute state power is allowing them to fulfil their long-time dream. The decision of the Gujarat government to incorporate the Bhagavad Gita within the school syllabus for Class-6 to class-12 students from 2022-23 academic year is a dangerous move. This announcement by Gujarat education minister Jitu Vaghani is against the ethos of the Indian (…)

by Dr Ajayakumar Kodoth *
“Only by a united struggle, carried on step by step, day by day, only by tirelessly extending the anti-fascist movement of the masses and thoroughly strengthening the people’s front will the working people in town and country cut the claws of fascist beast and carry the struggle against fascism to a victorious conclusion.” – Georgi Dimitrov
These words were written by Georgi Dimitrov (1882-1949), the Bulgarian Communist leader and General Secretary of the (…)

Splintered lies the ethics, In varying degrees Which both have bent The Pandavas less, the Kauravas more Oh, when will this bloodletting end …? (’Andha Yug’, Dharamveer Bharati) The Russia-Ukraine war shows no signs of ending. However, there continue to be constant statements, discussions, and write ups from leaders, diplomats, experts, officials, scholars and ordinary citizens on various aspects related to the war.
Whatever the significance of this whole exercise in the discussion of (…)

by Arun Srivastava
Majoritarian’ propensities has completely riveted the Indian politics and its social order. This majoritarian principle has not only vitiated the political structure, instead it has also affected the judiciary; the bureaucracy is already dancing to its tunes. Stimulating majoritarian is the part of the well designed strategy to convert India into a Hindu Rashtra.
The attack has been so intense that only a week back Supreme Court CJI N V Ramana while presiding over a (…)

[fond noir][blanc]MUSINGSblanc]fond noir]
5 May 2022
The ground realities are turning painful and disturbing by the day. In fact, on this just passed by Eid-ul- Fitr, I know of several Muslims who travelled from Haryana’s Gurgaon to New Delhi to offer the Eid namaaz. Why? They were not too sure which Gurgaon masjids would be ‘open’ for Eid namaaz and which ones would be ‘safe’ in terms of the Hindutva goons lurking around!
Well, such are the apprehensions today that a Muslim has to (…)

by Mustafa Khan
By no standard is this civilized behaviour that female madrassa teachers have slaughtered fellow female teacher in the same seminary as it happened in Dera Ismail Khan on March 29 2022 or e-rickshaw driver, Afsar Ahmad, being beaten and paraded as his daughter clung to him in August 2021. This is a clash within. How long it will take to eradicate will depend on how early we become rational and better educated. Why did Benjamin Franklin and fellow minded others like the (…)

By Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, Priyanka Singh, Beena Sarwar
[30 April 2022 A Sapan news feature] The last Sunday of April 2022 marked the ninth anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Dhaka. It was also the birthday of late Southasian feminist activist Kamla Bhasin who always stood for workers’ rights, as a May Day-related discussion last weekend highlighted.
Organised by the Southasia Peace Action Network, or Sapan, the online gathering featured songs and speakers including (…)

Open letter released on 5th May 2022
Ahara Namma Hakku/Our food, our right
As a group of concerned activists, doctors, nutritionists, parents, advocates and researchers, we are deeply concerned at the recent irrational attacks on the food habits and nutrition rights of people, in the form of laws, bans and calls to boycott the sale and consumption of meat. While these bans and calls to boycott meat have been isolated incidents as of now, this culture of interfering in people’s choice of (…)