2022

Feb. 13, 2022
The White House readout of US President Joe Biden’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday conveys the impression that its leitmotif was Washington’s threat of sanctions against Russia if it attacked Ukraine. But it is a hackneyed message that wouldn’t have taken more than a minute or two to convey. Yet, the conversation lasted “a bit over an hour.”
The Kremlin readout is still to be released, but Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov gave a briefing to the (…)

* The Legacy of Lata Mangeshkar in Polarised Times | Vijay Kumar [12062]
* Whither India’s Sovereign Green Bonds | Kavaljit Singh
* Rent-Seeking Culture in Universities in Kerala | Chathukulam & Joseph
* Interlinking Rivers — History And Analysis | S G Vombatkere

Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, February 12, 2022
State assembly elections involving millions have just begun across five states of India including its most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. In the preceding weeks practically all political behaviour of major parties has been driven by electoral calculations towards these elections. The Election Commission (EC) is supposed to keep a tab on all political parties including the ruling party to not cross any limits just prior to elections, (…)

Lata Mangeshkar was, perhaps the last, albeit the most important link in galaxy of geniuses, whose collective endeavour established Hindi film industry at a time when the country was itself struggling to come to terms with the horror of partition that accompanied independence. Lata Mangeshkar, along with other singers like Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar and Talaq Mahmood from the playback singing, great lyrics like Shakeel Badayuni, Shailendra, Sahir Ludhianvi and (…)

IMPRESSIONS
To call Franco Mulakkal India’s Rasputin would be unfair to Rasputin. The Russian mystic, though eccentric in his use of power, had dimensions of greatness. He gained influence in the court of Tsar Nicholas II by using his inherent abilities. Russia’s traditional nobles resented the rise of an outsider — and finally got rid of him by feeding him cyanide. But they still feared him. So they threw the body into the river. The fear did not go away. So they tied heavy (…)

Corruption in universities are common these days and authorities mostly turn a blind eye fearing backlash and political vendetta. However, with the recent arrest of a university staff on bribery charges in Kerala shows that such unethical practices can no longer be kept under wraps. This article also offers some practical solutions to reduce corrupt practices in institutions of higher learning.

In view of Union Budget 2022 giving prominence to interlinking rivers (ILR), it becomes necessary to take an overview of ILR.

In her Union Budget 2022 speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the issuance of sovereign green bonds during the upcoming fiscal year. “As a part of the government’s overall market borrowings in 2022-23, sovereign green bonds will be issued for mobilizing resources for green infrastructure. The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy,” Ms. Sitharaman stated. Several Indian non-financial (…)

2021 was the birth centenary year of Phanishwarnath Renu, who enriched Hindi literature by his unique style and language of writings. He was born in the village of Aurahi Hingana in Purnea district of Bihar in 1921. He led an active political life and got himself involved in several peasant movements as a member of the Socialist Party. He also played an active role in the revolt against the monarchy in Nepal. Renu was a close associate of Jayaprakash Narayan, and was arrested in 1975 for his (…)

I have written five-six articles on the unprecedented farmers movement organised under the aegis of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) against the three agricultural laws. Therefore, to avoid repetition, this short comment.
The peasant movement was kept apolitical in the sense that the leaders of any political party were not allowed to use the platform of the movement. However, the opposition parties/leaders supported the movement and tried to win the sympathy of the farmers so that they could (…)