Mainstream Weekly

Film Review: Sutlej —scattered notes | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2026-08-15T09:15:14Z

Satluj is a 2026 film in Punjabi directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh
It is a story based on events in in Punjab in 1995; that was its first title also! Strangely, I was living close to the events while teaching in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and staying with my journalist friend, the late Harbir Singh Bhanwar. Every evening on return from the University, we would talk days events. The GNDU library has on its staff literary friend, the late Punjabi poet Sheharyaar, (…)

- 2026

Chandrashekhar Azad - latest biography of an iconic revolutionary | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2024-07-26T21:56:23Z

To mark 23rd July birth anniversary of Azad
Two names are most evocative names among Indian revolutionaries of freedom struggle. Both were comrade in arms. Chandershekhar Azad was the Commander-in-chief of Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA), who was named as Balraj in Bhagat Singh handwritten posters on the assassination of Lahore ASP, J P Saunders. Another significant document-Philosophy of the Bomb. Authored mainly by Bhagwati Charan Vohra but improvised with Azad (…)

- 2024 / Book Review

Commemorating Che Guevara's historic visit to India-65 years ago! | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2024-07-12T20:24:42Z

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I admire Cuban revolution of 1st January 1959, led by Fidel Castro as one of the most unique revolutions of world history, where just 82 determined revolutionaries, sailing from Mexico on the ship Granma, made the historic revolution with the support of Cuban peasants and workers, against very powerful army of dictator Batista. Out of 82, only about 15 had survived after the brutal attack of Batista forces, but these fifteen in the course of just two and half years organised army of (…)

- 2024

If the Z.A. Bhutto trial could be declared unjust, why not Bhagat Singh? | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2024-03-23T02:12:00Z

The Pakistan Supreme Court recently ruled that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was unjustly tried and executed, A similar case to be made to re-open the trial of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, hanged in Lahore on 23 March 1931 - a story that continues to capture the attention of rights activists and researchers in India, Pakistan and the Southasian diaspora.

- 2024

Review of Che Guevara's Bolivian Diaries | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2022-09-16T16:40:00Z

BOOK REVIEW
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The Bolivian Diaries - Authorised edition by Ernesto Che Guevara Introduction by Fidel Castro, Preface by Camilo Guevara Ocean Press, Melbourne-New York 1st ed. 2006, Pages 303, Indian price, Rs. 450/ __0__
This is one of most important book of world revolutionary movements. This is Che Guevara' diary notes in his Bolivia mission. Beginning 7th November 1966, (…)

- 2022

On Punjab elections and farmers participation | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2022-01-14T11:04:40Z

I have not been very active on Facebook or other social media since few weeks, except sharing links of some good articles/news or sharing some old memories or wishing some friends on their birthday. As I am tied up in submitting a manuscript, whose schedule time has long crossed, so trying to discipline myself. But with all the constraints of time, I do wish to share my views with large number of friends and likeminded people on an issue, which is very crucial in coming days and times. This (…)

- 2022

Jalianwala Bagh: Centenary commemoration by Renovation or Destruction of Monumental History | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2021-10-15T14:24:41Z

Chaman Lal*
Jallianwala Bagh the most iconic symbol of Indian freedom struggle is in news on its reopening in a renovated form, which started a few years ago. There are few internationally known iconic symbols of colonial and imperialist repression on the people during their colonial regime in Asian, African and some other victim countries of the world. The horror saga of repression on people is not a new phenomenon, it is there since the beginning of the human society turned into (…)

- 2021

Movements Strengthen and liberate women and women strengthen Movements | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2021-03-12T15:52:25Z

One defining feature of ongoing farmers movement may not miss any eye. A sea of yellow chunnies worn by Punjabi women. How come that predominantly male farmers movement has attracted such wider participation of women? Interestingly two young girl singers have reframed the popular song-Mera rang de basanti chola to ---Merian rang de Basanti chunnian maye rang de Basanti chunnian….
Participation of Indian women in socio-cultural movements in not new. In ancient times Gargi and Maitreyi (…)

- 2021

Understanding South Asian Revolutionary Bhagat Singh | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2020-10-02T18:30:34Z

Review Article
by Chaman Lal*
Chris Moffat, India's Revolutionary Inheritance: Politics and The Promise of Bhagat Singh, 2019, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, Pages 282 Online ISBN: 9781108655194 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108655194
Chris Moffat has been a British researcher doing research on Bhagat Singh since years and spent quite a lot of time in Delhi and Punjab on both sides of the Indo-Pak border. This book is result of his rigorously academic, scholarly (…)

- 2020

100 years Later Remembering Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy Through a Novel | Chaman Lal

Chaman Lal — 2020-09-11T19:15:20Z

Dhawan Rajneesh, Amritsar 1919 (Hindi Novel), 2019, Delhi, Rajpal & Sons, 192 pages
As per the flap introduction, the writer of this novel Rajneesh Dhawan is teaching English at the University of Simon Fraser Valley in Canada. He is originally from Amritsar and few of his plays have been staged in Canada. He also wrote scripts and dialogues of few door darshan serials.
The novel is narrated in first person as the novelist creates a character Kuru for this purpose. In the very (…)

- 2020