Official Language Vs Social Justice
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Official Language Vs Social Justice

(This paper was first presented at a five-day conference on ‘Indian Constitution and Social Justice’ held in Mysore in 1995, under the joint auspices of Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and Dhwanyalok Center for Indian Studies, Mysore. It generated considerable controversy then, as the author had written and presented it in Hindi, even though…

Atomic Veterans Were Silenced for 50 Years. Now, They’re Talking

Atomic Veterans Were Silenced for 50 Years. Now, They’re Talking

Nearly everyone who’s seen it and lived to tell the tale describes it the same way: a horrifying, otherworldly thing of ghastly beauty that has haunted their life ever since. “The colors were beautiful,” remembers a man in Morgan Knibbe’s short documentary The Atomic Soldiers. “I hate to say that.” “It was completely daylight at midnight—brighter…

Trump: Emulating Hitler
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Trump: Emulating Hitler

The events of recent days in Venezuela corroborate, for the umpteenth time but now with total brazenness, Washington’s intention to seize that country by establishing a neocolonial protectorate there at any price. John Bolton’s press conference on April 30 attests to what we have said. A serial liar, he acted and spoke with absolute contempt…

Hemant Karkare Does Not Need a Certificate From Sadhvi

Hemant Karkare Does Not Need a Certificate From Sadhvi

Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, the BJP’s candidate from the Bhopal parliamentary seat, made an irresponsible and controversial statement on April 18. While addressing a meeting of party workers, she targeted the late Hemant Karkare, who had arrested her for her alleged role in the Malegaon blast case in 2008. She claimed that it was her curse…

No, Mr Modi, Ram Manohar Lohia Would Not have been Proud of BJP Government – He was an Anti-Fascist

No, Mr Modi, Ram Manohar Lohia Would Not have been Proud of BJP Government – He was an Anti-Fascist

On March 26, Narendra Modi claimed in a blog post that Gandhian socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia would have been proud of the BJP government. Perhaps the prime minister is not aware that Lohia was ferociously anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-hierarchy. He also rejected authoritarianism in all its forms.   Lohia was a PhD student in…

Archbishop’s Letter: Storm in a Tea Cup
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Archbishop’s Letter: Storm in a Tea Cup

The gross over reaction of the Sangh Parivar to the letter of Archbishop of Delhi, Anil Couto, dated 8 May 2018 and addressed to all parish priests and religious institutions in the Archdiocese of Delhi asking them to pray for ‘our nation’ seems to be well calculated. The letter begins with the observation: “We are…

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Hamid Ansari, Jinnah’s Portrait and Turmoil in AMU

Recently (May 2018) Hamid Ansari, the ex-Vice President of India, was invited to Aligarh Muslim University to be honoured with life membership of AMU Students Union (AMUSU). He had due security with him, yet Hindu Yuva Vahini–ABVP activists managed to come close to his place of stay. The armed protesters alleged that a portrait of…