Celebrating Satyajit Ray in Times of Rising Intolerance in Bengal
Irrespective of the election results, Bengal, which once prided itself on its intellectual heritage and broadmindedness, has got mired in a vortex of narrow identity politics.
Sankha Ghosh – Obituary, and Three Poems
The death of the litterateur ends the generation of post-Independence Bengali poets; also – three of his poems, translated from Bengali.
In ‘Jalsaghar’, a Stubborn Landlord, a Chandelier with its Own Story, and Haunting Musical Soirees
Ahead of Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary, a reminder of the master director’s period drama, starring Chhabi Biswas in an unsurpassed performance.
Snapshots from Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s Life, Through the Eyes of His Close Aide
The translation of an essay by Govind Ganapat Kale from the 1981 Marathi book ‘Amhi Pahilele Phule’. The book is a compilation of recollections narrated by Jotirao Phule’s associates and contemporaries, compiled by Pandharinath Patil and edited by Sitaram Raikar.
Do Not Let Hindutva Rulers Destroy Heritage of Communal Unity of Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs
Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs fought and died together for India’s independence.
The Accidental Gallerist and the Making of Indian Modern Art
Kekoo Gandhy was with the early Bombay progressives and helped them by showcasing their works.
Nawal El Saadawi’s Intellectual Life Reflected Eight Decades of Arab Society and Culture
The Egyptian feminist writer and activist (who was also a physician and psychiatrist) died on March 21 at the age of 89.
Centenaries of Nazrul’s Bidrohi and Eliot’s The Waste Land: Colonized “I” versus Impersonal Autonomy
Eliot`s avant-garde leitmotif and “impersonality” theory structured the Waste Land; Nazrul`s Bidrohi is evidently more effusive and boisterous, suffused with the overabundant “I” that sustains the emotive poignance and rebellious self-assertion of the poem.
Syud Hossain: A Fascinating Footnote from India’s Freedom Struggle
N.S. Vinodh’s ‘A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo: The Life and Times of Syud Hossain’ is about a man who played an important – if supporting – role in the independence struggle.
No Bharat Ratna for Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Please!
Every year, on the birth anniversary of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (23 March), demands are made to the government for posthumous conferment of Bharat Ratna on Dr. Lohia. However, it would be an injustice to Lohia’s legacy if the government/ ruling class indeed conferred Bharat Ratna on Lohia.