2023

by Subhashini Ali
The incidents of February 16 that began near Peruka on the border between Rajasthan and Haryana and ended in the Nuh area in Bhiwani district of Haryana, are notable not only for the barbarity and cruel violence meted out to two Muslims, Junaid and Nasir but also for what they reveal about the collusion between the Haryana police and cow vigilantes and the complete impunity with which the latter are allowed to perpetrate crimes in the name of ‘gau seva’ (cow protection). (…)

by Pradip Baksi
Abstract
About a year and a half before the publication of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, Erster Band (1867), there appearedintwo sentences withintwo of his letters, a particular view of the term शून्यता / Śūnyatā: renderedin his own English,asnothingness. He came to know about and understood this term in the context of some meditational practices of the monks, nuns and their householder devotees within some sects of the बौद्ध (Bauddha) धर्म (Dharma)/ धम्म (Dhamma) propagated (…)

by Shalu Nigam
Scholars all over the world have defined `justice’ as a broad concept of righteousness, fairness and equity. However, justice has many dimensions and includes comprehending situations of injustices in everyday lives that need to be redressed. More so, from the perspective of the Global South, situations of injustices exist despite having well-written constitutions, laws, and policies, besides the existence of an expansive legal system and the administrative apparatus. (…)

The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 at Davos makes a strong pitch to overcome several challenges to achieve gender equality by 2030 as targeted in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WEF Global Gender Gap Index for 2022 highlights the increasing gender gap in economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. The meeting at Davos noted that many of these gaps are preventable. The dialogue outlined that a healthier world for (…)

by Arun Srivastava
Notwithstanding lurid claims of the chief of the communication cell of the Congress, Jairam Ramesh “the party knows its role for forging an alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP and oust it from power”, his terse reciprocation to Nitish Kumar’s offer sends a message which is laden with different contour and connotation.
Nitish Kumar’s proposition did not bear the impression that he was resorting to one-upmanship. His was purely a political (…)

March 5, 2023, is 107th birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik whose legacy constitutes the very foundation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party in Odisha. Celebration of Biju’s birth anniversary across the State including the participation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a major programme outside Bhubaneswar signify the party and Government’s mobilisation around Biju legacy which endures and in popular imagination, Bijubabu’s spell persists.
Biju Lives in Popular Imagination
It is not that (…)

Bicentennial Tribute To Rajendra Lal Mitra : The Renaissance Man
Jayanta Kumar Ghosal *
English education and the spread of modern western thoughts and ideas in the first half of the 19th century made great impact on the Bengalees, ushering in age of reasoning, rationalism and liberalism in thought and action. Mere tradition and faith were no more acceptable to the English learned modern western educated Bengalees. Side by side a sense of nationalism also developed in the young (…)

22nd February, 2023
At the time of writing, the War in Ukraine is entering the second year. And we don’t know when and on whose terms will it end. The likelihood of its continuance can be understood by the statement made by US President Joe Biden, the other day, during his surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. He reaffirmed American committment to stand firmly by the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, whatever it takes. His visit also signalled to America’s NATO (…)

by Indranil De *
India is US’s one of the most important trade partners, and their relationship has grown up steadily over a period. Between 2009 and 2019, the export, imports and trade deficit of US with India increased by 10%, 11% and 15%, respectively. Hence, it is in India’s economic interest to maintain a healthy relationship with US. However, India’s economic march along with Russia through the troubled water of geopolitics in the wake of Ukraine war and American protectionism may (…)

War’s most inflexible factor is time. How Ukraine and Russia’s clocks tick down will decide who wins this war.