December 20, 2008 - Annual Number 2008

Mainstream, VOL XLVII No 1, New Delhi, December 20, 2008

This is how my sorrow became visible:
– in dust, piling up for years in my heart,
– finally reached my eyes,
– the bitterness now so clear that
– I had to listen when my friends
– told me to wash my eyes with blood
– Everything at once was tangled in blood---
– each face, each idol, red everywhere.
– Blood swept over the sun, washing away its gold.
– The moon erupted with blood, its silver extinguished.
– The sky promised a morning of blood,
– and the night wept only blood....
– Let it flow. Should it be dammed up,
– there will only be hatred cloaked in colours of death.
– Don’t let this happen, my friends,
– bring all my tears back instead,
– a flood to purify my dust-filled eyes,
– to wash this blood forever from my eyes.
— Faiz Ahmed Faiz
__4__
Annual 2008

Contents

8 Editorial: Our Task Today
– S.C.

9 Embrace Fidel Castro: Historic Opportunity for Obama
– L.C. Jain

Ten Poems on Bhagat Singh
– Nine Proscribed Poems

10 Insaaf ka Khoon (Murder of Justice)
– 11 Bhagat Singh
– 11 The Duty of the True in India
– 11 Piyara Bhagat Singh
– 12 Bhagat Singh
– 12 Lutfi-Shahadat ya Teen Shaheed
– 12 Dialogue between Bhagat Singh and Dutt
– 13 Qaumi Shahid
– 13 Dialogue between Mother India and Bhagat Singh
– 14 Bhagat Singh ki Murat (Statue of Bhagat Singh)
– Fahmida Riyaz

15 Why V.P. Singh Must Be Defended
– Ajit Bhattacharjea

17 Some Aspects of Self-Sufficiency in Energy
– Chaturanan Mishra

From N.C.’s Writings

19 For a New Crusade

21 COMMUNICATION: On Nexus between CIA and Mossad

22 Lexicon of Insolence!
– D. Bandyopadhyay

25 Myth and Reality of Capitalism: Neo-Liberalism and Globalisation
– P.R. Dubhashi

41 On Re-Hyphenating India and Pakistan
– Ninan Koshy

43 Making Pakistan Pay the Price
– S.G. Vombatkere

45 Mumbai Terror Attack: Some Reflections
– Nandita Haksar

49 Dealing with Terrorism: Alternatives for India
– Muchkund Dubey

55 Behind the CIA-run Prison in Thailand
– Mansoor Ali

57 Abolition of Child Labour and Right to Education
– Lakshmidhar Mishra

65 COMMUNICATION: Failure of Loan Waiver to Help Most Farmers

67 Defending Democracy and Peace Process against Terrorism
– Manoranjan Mohanty

70 Book Review: Unique Chronicle of a ‘Barefoot’ Engineer’s Experiences of Floods in North Bihar
– Subrata Sinha

71 From Ayodhya to Mumbai: Communal Frenzy stands Demolished by Indian Secularism
– Nilofar Suhrawardy

73 Dismal Scene in 2008
– Amitava Mukherjee

75 Assembly Election Verdict
– Shree Shankar Sharan

77 A Long Winter of Political Discontent?
– Sandeep Shastri

78 ‘Maya’ in Indian Politics
– Ajay K. Mehra

79 Piracy and Terrorism at Sea
– Latika Nath

83 Status of Urdu in India: Based on Analysis of Language Census 2001
– Syed Shahabuddin

88 Lasting Way to Fight Recession: Revamp NREGA
– Kamal Nayan Kabra

93 Terrorism: Threat to India’s Unity
– Anil Rajimwale

97 China, India and Tibet—Strategies and Responses
– Madhuri Santanam Sondhi

101 Medvedev Visit to India: A Significant Indo-Russian Summit
– Arun Mohanty

104 Recasting Tradition: Dress, Difference and Dissent in Darjeeling Hills
– Swatahsiddha Sarkar

107 ’Destruction of Evildoers’ as ’Spiritual Pratice’!: Why ’Sanatan Sanstha’ and ’Hindu Janajagruti Samity’ should be Banned
– Subhash Gatade

114 India 60: Multiple Readings
– Arup Kumar Sen