Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• History Repeats Itself with a Difference | J P Gadkari

  29 March 2024, by J P Gadkari

  One can recall the political situation in the country in early 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suddenly decided to call for General Elections on the advice of her coterie ending the 21 month old Emergency and then what followed. The severe political storm that blew then swept away the rule of the Congress Party in the entire country except the two southern strongholds, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It was a landslide victory for Congress in both these States which were not affected (…)

• Farmers’ Protests and the MSP Dilemma | S N Tripathy

  29 March 2024, by S N Tripathy

  Farmers’ protests have again taken centre stage in national headlines, marked by peaceful demonstrations and unfortunate incidents. At the heart of these protests lies a crucial demand from the farming community- a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops.
  The concept of MSP stems from the Green Revolution era. Its primary objectives are to ensure food security and provide price support to farmers. MSP was designed as a policy instrument to incentivize farmers to (…)

• Debating Modernity, Colonialism, and Categorisation of ’Tribes’ in India | Chhotelal Kumar

  29 March 2024, by Chhotelal Kumar

  Abstract
  The article engages in a discourse surrounding ’Modernity, Colonialism, and the Categorisation of Tribals in India.’ Within this context, I aim to elucidate the intricate intertwining of these themes and their impact on Indigenous communities. The article delves into the trajectory and dynamics of the interaction between Indigenous populations and Colonial Masters, shedding light on the manner in which these diverse groups were systematically classified within the dichotomy of (…)

• Hounding of the Opposition / Election Process / Hunger Strike in Ladakh | Humra Quraishi

  29 March 2024, by Humra Quraishi

  28 March 2024
  Delhi Chief Minister and APP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest could mean a disastrous turning point for the ruling Right-Wing government. Citizens are left more than baffled seeing the timing of the arrest. Also, the manner in which it was conducted. Compounded by the fact that prominent AAP men are already sitting jailed. Shut and cut off and away from the public domain. Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest has also brought to the fore a very significant factor which the masses are (…)

• Whither Higher Education of Scheduled Castes in Kerala | Shaju V. Joseph

  29 March 2024

  Introduction
  This paper examines certain very recent developments going to become detrimental to the educational advancement of the Scheduled Caste communities in Kerala and in India as well. The reference here is to the operations of e-grant system and the adverse conditions laid down in the “Guidelines for Post-matric Scholarships to the Students Belonging to Scheduled Castes for Studies in India (2020 – 21 to 2025-26) or the Scheme of Post-Matric Scholarship for the Scheduled Castes for (…)

• Our Dear Moses from Hind | Murzban Jal

  29 March 2024

  Did you know? Yes, did you know That our Moses was from Hind? Yes, from Hind Our dear Moses?
  He walked out One night Leaving his dinner behind Yes, all of a sudden Walked out Without reason Leaving us all behind Left us for a distant and alien land.
  And then They came marching With fire in their eyes Yes, yes Fire in their eyes Dresses in black With the crooked cross stuck on their sleeves Shouting Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil!
  They shouted out Looking out for Moses Our dear Moses from Hind (…)

• Unweave That Shroud | Sajla Chawla

  29 March 2024

  They sit in the wilderness of a land
  That once was a civilization great
  And together weave a black shroud
  For a people uncovered by hate
  And they smile and tell stories
  Of an era not so long ago
  When he walked miles in long summers
  That man in a white lion cloth
  Millions perished and suffered
  To attain that freedom at midnight
  Which now flounders ailing, wailing
  Amidst people too callous to fight
  Now men in suits of arrogant lakhs
  Walk the amoral power corridors (…)

• Rohingya conundrum: Stateless, helpless and unwanted | Bharat Bhushan

  29 March 2024, by Bharat Bhushan

  March 24, 2024
  The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar persecuted and run out of their homeland, face a perilous future.
  Last week, dozens of Rohingya refugees drowned after a wooden boat they were travelling in capsized off Indonesia’s Aceh province. About 69 refugees were saved by local fishermen and Indonesian rescue services.
  Survivors reported that the boat carried 150 refugees and at least 50 were feared dead. However, those who were rescued faced the wrath of the local (…)

• On Passion | T Vijayendra

  29 March 2024, by T. Vijayendra

  I have been fascinated by the word and concept of Passion for more than 50 years. I first came across the word in early sixties in a biographical novel of the German musician Mendelssohn (1809-1847), in ‘Beyond Desire’ (1956) by Pierre La Mure. The central theme of the novel is the discovery of the scores of ‘St. Matthew Passion’ (1727), a very important piece of music written by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), in a butcher’s shop in Berlin in 1829, and the subsequent struggle of (…)

• Nepal’s federal journey | Anindya Jena

  29 March 2024

  In a historic move, Nepal adopted a new constitution, beckoning for a transformative chapter in its political trajectory. The constitution was a landmark decision, which sought to recast itself as a secular, democratic and federal state subsequent to the end of the Maoist insurgency six years ago. “It was proclaimed on September 20th, 2015 by President Ram Baran Yadav, attended by the members of Parliament, members of the cabinet, members of the legislative bodies, high ranking officers from (…)