April 2009

For the last year-and-a-half, the world economy is in the throes of a global recession. It started with the collapse and bankruptcy of some of the most important multinational financial corporations of the United States and soon engulfed the financial sector of the countries of the European Union. Thereafter, it spread to the real economies of major developed countries. With the passage of time, the crisis has deepened and is now affecting the lives of people in every country of the world. (…)

The award of the Bharat Ratna posthumously on B. R. Ambedkar raises mixed feelings. No doubt Ambedkar was one of the stalwarts of modern India; the high-water mark of his career was that he contributed most to the drafting of the Indian Constitution and piloting it through the Constituent Assembly. There is, therefore, a touch of irony in Ambedkar being awarded the Bharat Ratna 30 years after he eminently deserved it when the Constitution came into force in 1950.
Not only that. All (…)

Every “respectable” person has a doormat at his/her doorstep. Doormats serve a useful purpose, namely, that of cleaning the soles of footwear before entering the home. Visitors are expected to use the doormat to leave the dust and grime of the street at the doorstep, so that the home remains clean. Family and friends appreciate doormats and, being from the same social class, they too have doormats. Doormats may be used in any manner whatever, even kicking it when the user is in a foul mood (…)

We belong to the Ram Sene of Karnataka, and Shiva Sena of Maharashtra, and Bajrang Dal that rules the roost among Hindus in the north. Whatever the names, we have a vision of the Hindu Rashtra that is not far different from the image of the Islamic nation treasured by the Taliban and various other outfits of similar descriptions, hell-bent to bring the world to its knees in order to transform it into a world of their dreams. It may appear a little odd to many and incredibly foolish to some (…)

In recent years it has become increasingly difficult for a large number of handloom weavers and other craftspersons to sustain their livelihoods. While earlier also there were problems relating to the grip of middlemen and the actual artisans being denied a fair share of the earnings, the livelihood situation deteriorated rapidly in recent years for many silk handloom weavers due to increased imports of cheap silk cloth from China. At the same time many craftspersons employed in zardozi (…)

[It is for the first time in his nearly five-year-old tenure as the PM that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a stinging attack on L.K. Advani—the PM-in-waiting as far as the Sangh Parivar is concerned. The Prime Minister was candid enough to remind about the “prominent role” played by Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition, or how he presided over the Gujarat riots and failed to prevent terror attacks on Parliament and Red Fort as the Union Home Minister.]
I
L.K. Advani, the (…)

(The following article was written sometime back but could not be used earlier due to unavoidable reasons.)
The recent Delhi Assembly election results have proved as to who rules Delhi. Truly after the third successive victory Shiela Dikshit has proved that she is the unchallenged empress of Delhi no matter how serious the challenges are from her political foes. Shiela Dikshit has proved it once again that the coveted throne of Delhi will remain with her again for at least for five years (…)

Book Review
Zealous Reformers, Deadly Laws: Battling Stereotypes by Madhu Purnima Kishwar; Sage Publications, New Delhi; pp. 420; Price: Rs 495.
Madhu Kishwar is someone who has been zealously campaigning for decades, championing a range of causes with remarkable energy and determination. Most of us, who have been or are in some way associated with the women‘s movement, have had the opportunity to interact with her, listen to her, and read her. This volume captures her arguments, (…)

Media
The world of journalism is regularly split into various categories by external purveyors. English and vernacular, mainstream and regional, to name a few. In these classifications there is one constant: the employee or wage-earner, the sub-editor, reporter, news editor, special correspondent, assistant editor, or even editor. Given today’s emphasis on the product rather than the person who contributes to its creation, as ephemeral an item as a newspaper or magazine does not (…)

Nothing sums up Smitu’s involvement with civil society organisations and social movements—that is to say, the core of his life-activity—as eloqu-ently as the brilliant calendar his organisation, Intercultural Resources, produced three months ago.
The calendar is right in front of me as I write this. It is called “Social Movements in India”. Each month is devoted to a specific theme, such as agitations against land acquisition and displace-ment, movements for women’s rights, (…)