Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Spirit of August Fifteenth

  19 August 2019, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  From N.C.’s Writings
  August Fifteenth, the day when the Tricolour of independent India was hoisted on the ramparts of the Red Fort thirty seven years ago, not only brings back the imperishable memories of the nation’s freedom struggle in which millions upon millions participated but also reminds us of the pledges unredeemed and the commitments unfulfilled.
  In the four decades since independence, the nation has been unified as the mosaic of petty princedoms disappeared; the economy has (…)

• A Betrayal of People

  19 August 2019

  by Rahul Pandey and Sandeep Pandey
  In a single stroke of decisions, the Indian Government has revoked Articles 370 and 35A, bifurcated J&K into J&K and Ladakh, and reduced their status to Union Territories. While there are questions about the legal soundness of these decisions, their moral illegitimacy lies in the fact that none of the stakeholders in J&K have been consulted—the native people of J&K (both current residents and those who have migrated out in the past (…)

• Kashmir and the Future of Indian Federalism

  19 August 2019

  by Partha S. Ghosh
  One thing is virtually missing in the entire discourse on Narendra Modi’s latest Kashmir blitzkrieg. Commentators are discussing its legal, historical and international aspects but not many are paying enough attention to its implications for India’s federalism. Ever since Modi has assumed power there is a clear trend towards centralisation of the Indian polity which furthers the RSS’ Hindutva strategy without appearing to be so.
  What does the RSS want to see India as? (…)

• Overthrowing British Rule in India with Nazi Help: A Tale with a Twist

  19 August 2019, by Nirode K. Barooah

  On April 3, 1941 Subhas Chandra Bose, all of a sudden, arrived in Berlin from Afghanistan via the Soviet Union disguised as Signor Orlando Mazzotta, an Italian diplomat. His purpose of visit was the same as in his three earlier trips to Germany from Austria between 1933-36.1 Bose then had wanted to be an ally of Germany in her possible war against Britain with the aim of freeing India from British rule. He experienced nothing but disappointment and frustration on those earlier visits. At the (…)

• The Peace that Passeth Understanding

  19 August 2019, by Badri Raina

  What lovely streets, clean As a whistle. And shopfronts safe with padlocks, Unhassled by hangers-on. Schools and colleges grand In their uninhabited architecture. And hospitals never as sparse Of patient and infection, and Medical Stores with no need replenishments In view of such preponderant good health. After centuries of noise, the town Experiences a peace that passeth Understanding. Never had dogs and security guards Such free run, safe from human intervention.
  For years we sought to (…)

• Sliding Towards a Fascist State

  19 August 2019, by Barun Das Gupta

  This article was written before August 5, 2019 when the Government of India changed the political complexion of J&K through a highly controversial operation.
  So the UAPA has been amended. The Union Government has armed itself with the power to designate any person—which means any Indian citizen—as a ‘terrorist’ without following what is called “the due process of law”. Earlier, the RTI Act was amended so that the citizenry’s right to get information embarrassing and damaging to the (…)

• Reclaiming Secular Democracy in Today’s India

  19 August 2019, by Gargi Chakravartty

  Secularism is under serious threat today, as the ruling dispensation’s narrative of the concept is totally different from what our national leaders of the freedom struggle had professed and taught us. The Hindutvavadis proclaim that secularism means appeasement of minorities, mainly Muslims, and denial of their much-hyped Hindu identity and Hindu Rashtra. They with all their affiliates spread their own narrative of a Hindu society mounted on an anti-Hindu state and try to convince ordinary (…)

• The Malaise of Starvation Deaths

  19 August 2019

  by Suranjita Ray
  Though starvation deaths in 2019 seem incongruous in a country which claims to have conquered hunger, we come across reported experiences of such tragedies. This compels us to not only contest the claims of the State, but also to be concerned about the persisting paradoxes of hunger and starvation despite stuffed granaries and several social security measures. On July 8, Goutam Behera, a 17-year physically challenged youth, died after starving for five days in Nuapada (…)

• Kashmir: The Stark Reality

  19 August 2019, by Humra Quraishi

  The following are excerpts from Delhi-based writer, columinist and journalist Humra Quraishi’s latest book, Kashmir: The Unending Tragedy—Report from the Frontlines, published by Amaryllis (An imprint of Manjul Publising House Private Limited), this year. It is xviii + 309 pages and is priced at Rs 499.
  February 14, 2019 saw one of the deadliest terror attacks in J&K when 40 CRPF troopers were killed by a suicide bomber in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. It was shocking and upsetting (…)

• Tensions Heighten in Japan-South Korea Relations

  19 August 2019

  by Rajaram Panda
  After winning the elections in the Upper House held on July 21, 2019, though he missed the two-thirds majority or super-majority as it is called in Japan, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo acquired some additional political clout to extricate Japan from the trade war he had launched against his country’s neighbour, South Korea. But how did this sudden trade war start and what could be the deeper reasons behind this unpleasant situation? The confrontation was started in early July (…)