2022

by Raghuram Rajan *
War is horrific, no matter how it is waged. Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, with its scenes of Ukrainian civilians being murdered or driven from their homes as refugees, undoubtedly had to be opposed. In addition to supplying Ukraine with military weapons, governments around the world also have deployed economic weapons against Russia — a dangerous nuclear power. Russia, an economic midget relative to its military power, may still lash out by expanding the range (…)

by Jos Chathukulam and Manasi Joseph
Abstract
At a time when gruesome political killings and violence are increasing at an alarming rate in Kerala, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is gearing up for the 23rd Party Congress in Kannur from April 6 — April 10, 2022. The cold-blooded murders in the name of hatred and politics should end. Similarly those who justify the murders on the lines of ‘Banality of Evil Thesis’ by Hannah Arendt should understand that when butchered human lives (…)

by Karli Srinivasulu *
There are striking similarities between the rural life in the late colonial India that is in the inter-war period and today’s liberalising India. Rabindranath Tagore living in close contact with the rural Bengal and intellectually reflecting on the socio-economic life displayed an unusual sensitivity to the rural crisis that engulfed the agrarian and rural artisan communities. This led to certain concrete initiatives like Sriniketan with the aim of educating the (…)

IMPRESSIONS
Mani Shankar Aiyar hit a political bull’s eye when he said recently that Uttar Pradesh voted for Jinnah in the latest election. Jinnah’s partition philosophy was based on the 80:20 ratio of Hindu-Muslim population. Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the UP election campaign with the same 80:20 argument without realising the trap he was getting into.
But the trap trapped him. It became clear that there was really no difference between Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Yogi (…)

by Ram Puniyani
Major weapon of sectarian nationalism is to spread misconceptions and create hate against the religious minorities. This process which has been going on since long has now got a new tool, a film, “Kashmir Files”. As such misconceptions against minorities are based on half truths, selective truths, lies and this film is another addition to that. The slogans-misconceptions against religious minorities have gone through various phases. It began with communal historiography. (…)

MUSINGS
30 March 2022
No, I have not seen the film – The Kashmir Files. Nor do I plan to view it because the reviews that one has been reading point at two basic flaws: The projections in the film are not necessarily based on pure facts, rather on slants and tilts and distortions and much more along the strain. Also, apparent traces of the vested political interests cum motives behind these projections. And once politics creeps into creativity, it is a dangerous concoction, out to (…)

Terming the Tribal Unrest as a law and order situation would be gross underestimation of this long-drawn symptom. Exploring the historical root of unrest would be the right way to formulate pragmatic response to this problem.
1946-51 Telengana Kisan Andolan spearheaded by Leftists is even now termed by some as the golden period of Indian Peasant Movement. Mao’s People’s Movement that took place at the same time in China gave a philip to Indian Communist Movement. As the movement (…)

by Ajailiu Niumai *
Introduction
Firstly, I would like to draw my personal experiences to highlight diversity and inclusion. To me, making the personal a part of our larger professional, academic and activists lives is logical and relevant for bridging the gap between ‘us’ (people of North East India) versus ‘them’ (the mainstream Indian people). Let me share that I migrated to Hyderabad to work since October 2000 onwards. My husband is Telegu and he is a Missile Scientist in DRDO. My (…)

by Beena Sarwar
25 March 2022
“Aur bataiye” – tell me more, a polite invitation to keep talking. I can hear her voice, perhaps naturally husky, made deeper with years of cigarette smoking and perhaps more recently with pain and other medications.
She’d send her love to Pakistan whenever I’d call before flying out from Boston, where we had both ended up around ten years ago – she after retiring as Professor Emeritus of English from Yale University. I had transplanted myself from my home (…)

Recently former legislator of Himachal Pradesh Bambar Thakur has made a strong indictment of indiscriminate and illegal tree felling at various places in Bilaspur District. He has pointed out very specific sites where such felling of trees has taken place. He has also alleged that when local persons have drawn attention to such felling no action has been taken and hence the mafia involved in such felling has felt emboldened to continue its destructive activities. He has also threatened to (…)