UP Urban Bodies’ Elections: BJP Faltering in Small Towns
59% of Nagar Palika Parishad members and 67% of Nagar Panchayat members are independents.
‘It’d be Madness to Think it was All Sword and Fire’: Vivekananda on the Long Muslim Rule in India
A perusal of Vivekananda’s writings and speeches and of the accounts of people who knew him, shows that his views on Islamic rule in India were the exact opposite of those held by the Sangh and its ideological gurus.
What the Debate on the Ban on ‘Kerala Story’ Needs to Acknowledge
In the pursuit of free speech absolutism, one can’t let hate narrative strengthen.
Effects of Bigotry on Schoolchildren
“Parenting in an Age of Narratives Over Facts”: As hate and toxicity swirl in our midst, one realises how careful, really careful, we need to be with our own kids. Also: “Can WHO’s ‘Life Skills’ Counter the Effects of Bigotry on Schoolchildren?”
Fallacy of the Hindutva Project
The linking of Aurangzeb or other ‘Muslim’ rulers’ crimes to his/her religion will have serious consequences even for the ‘Hindu’ version of history as narrated by the RSS. With Sangh Parivar rulers pitting one section of Indians against the other, there is no need of any foreign enemy to undo a democratic-secular India.
The Passing of Bhaskar Save: What the ‘Green Revolution’ did for India
Bhaskar Save died on 24 October 2015 at age 93. Emphasising self-reliance at the farm/village level, Save was regarded as the ‘Gandhi of natural farming’. In 2006 he published an open letter on the disastrous effects of green revolution for India – socially, economically and ecologically. We reproduce this letter here.
The Obscene Transformation of the Mohenjodaro Dancing Girl into a Pink Museum Mascot
No naked human body can ever match the obscenity of the costume with which the minions of the Ministry of Culture have draped the Mohenjodaro Dancing Girl. How dare they shame the bodies of real women in this way?
The Mission Creep Problem in Panchayat Finances
The 14th FC had recommended transfer of significant quantum of untied funds to local bodies, that would have strengthened fiscal decentralisation. The Union Government accepted this recommendation, but has imposed several conditionalities in the release of these funds, effectively leading to fiscal centralisation.
Karnataka Election: Majoritarianism Loses to Strong Political Resistance
The BJP’s defeat has proved that Modi can be beaten if influential regional leaders espouse fundamental issues of people.
‘This Will Become a Movement’: Solidarity for Protesting Wrestlers Is Growing Across Social Divides
‘I hate the idea of men taking women for granted and thinking they can get away with anything. It is time we all got together and put an end to this,’ says a supporter at Jantar Mantar.