2024

Introduction
Bharat Mata, a national personification of India, has been a salient political icon since the late 19th century. Abanindranath Tagore’s 1904 painting of Bharat Mata holds particular significance, as it visually encapsulates the complex interplay of nationalism, aesthetics, and identity. The term Bharat Mata itself emerged during this period, popularised by the Bengali novel Anandamath (1882), where it became inseparable from Hindu goddesses like Durga and Kali. This depiction (…)

In 1949, George Orwell published "1984," a novel that stands as one of the most profound warnings about the perils of totalitarianism, surveillance, and the distortion of truth. As we navigate the complex political landscape of the 21st century, the themes Orwell explored resonate with unsettling clarity. Although our world does not exactly mirror the dystopia of Oceania, the similarities between Orwell’s fictional universe and modern political realities are striking.
Surveillance and (…)

by Arun Srivastava
The battle for the Hindutva crown between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Narendra Modi has gone beyond the realm of a scuffle for supremacy and has acquired the dynamics of assertion of caste authority. In this multi-dimensional battle, while Modi has been targeting Rahul Gandhi to consolidate his grip on the saffron ecosystem, the backward castes and Dalits are drifting away from RSS who only six months back were its trump card. Nonetheless, this battle will redefine the (…)

Abstract
This essay investigates the role and significance of the state in the context of neo-capitalism. The act of the state outsourcing essential services, which are inherently its responsibility, to the private sector leads to the emergence of a "delegating state." This results in a crisis of legitimacy for the state, ultimately leading to state-induced anarchy. Additionally, the essay argues that while individuals can be both altruistic and egoistic, the state plays a crucial role in (…)

The disinterestedly wise ought to desire the holding together of all being Bhagavad Gita, Verse 3.25
Normal men do not know that everything is possible David Rousset
Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present Albert Camus
The liberal democratic apparatus has been imploding, and the more I think about the lying world order [[A lying world order: political deception and the threat of totalitarianism https://dsimian.com/2024/06/09/a-lying-world-order], the more I (…)

[fond noir][blanc]BOOK REVIEWblanc]fond noir]
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The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance That Won the War by Giles Milton
John Murray (Hachette India) May 2024 Pages: ix + 372; Price: Rs 999 ISBN: 978-1529398519
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There can be no doubt that steely and raw courage proved the tripping point in the beleaguered Soviet Union’s near impossible military triumph over Germany in World War II. At a time when it was widely feared that Hitler would overrun Moscow after having (…)

The following statement was issued to the press today 23.08.2024 after the joint meeting of the Platform of Central Trade Unions, Sectoral Federations/Associations and Samyukta Kisan Morcha on 21st August 2024.
Workers and Farmers to increase their coordination and joint mass actions on their pressing demands | Will observe 26th November as Nationwide Protest Day
The joint meeting of the Central Trade Unions and Samyukt Kisan Morcha expressed their anguish over the fact that the NDA (…)

At last, we have reliable information which allows us to understand the true character of the Kronstadt movement, which the Bolshevik government has just crushed. And we can affirm, without hesitation, that this movement was shamefully slandered: it has absolutely nothing in common with the Whites, generals, Monarchists, agents of the Entente, etc. It is also not a movement of dupes, led without their knowing by reactionaries.
It is an absolutely spontaneous movement, without preparation, (…)

Statement by Reclaim the Night Campaign, Kolkata
‘Reclaim the Night’ is a mass movement demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder incident. It has united many people across West Bengal, across the country and even outside India in several places. It has brought people out onto the streets, united them in rage, and one could say it is making – not “history” – but her/queer/trans* story. This movement has brought school and college students, women working in call centres, nurses, (…)

[fond noir][blanc]BOOK REVIEWblanc]fond noir]
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Rachel Nolan. Until I Find You: Disappeared Children and Coercive Adoptions in Guatemala. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2024. 309 pp. (cloth), ISBN 978-0-674-27035-0.
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Reviewed by Sarah Foss (Oklahoma State University)
Every so often, we hear a statistic that seems improbable at best, unfathomable, even, given the reality we think we know. Such a moment occurs in the opening pages of Rachel Nolan’s book, Until I Find (…)