This is to announce a new series of postings I will be doing, relating to aachaaram in Kerala. Aachaaram is loosely translated as ‘customary practices’ or ‘customary rituals’, but in 19th century Malayali society, it referred to a massive, inter-connected, all-pervading web of practices, rituals, and ideas which bolstered the domination of the upper-castes — … Continue reading Against Aachaaram: A Dossier from Malayalam – Announcement →
The German acceptance for stolpersteine plaques helps them honour victims of Nazism. One wonders if it will ever be possible to take up similar projects in this part of South Asia. Hier Wohnte Bernhard Marx JB 1897 Deportiert 20.07.1942 Minsk Ermordet 24.07.1942 ‘Here lived Bernhard Marx Year of Birth 1897 Deported 20.07.1942 Minsk Assassinated 24.07.1942’ … Continue reading Will India Remember Dadri’s Akhlaq, as Germany Recalls Victims of Nazi Barbarism? →
The most remarkable development during his time in Brussels was the penning down of the Communist Manifesto, which firmly established Marx as well as Engels as the intellectual leaders of the working class movement. Karl Marx Lived in Brussels from February 1845 to March 1848 He celebrated New Year’s Eve 1947/48 together with the “Deutscher … Continue reading Marx in Brussels →
In May 2019, the party of the Hindu Right, Bharatiya Janata Party, under Narendra Modi, won a spectacular electoral victory. The victory seemed to defy common sense – why did conversations of life and livelihood not dominate the election? Why did the thuggery of the Hindutva vigilantes seem inconsequential to vast numbers of ordinary, decent … Continue reading Modinama : Issues That Did Not Matter →
The recent spate of attacks on dalits in the state is an indicator of the fact that the unfolding project of RSS’s Hindu Rashtra has entered a new phase where the community is being construed as the ‘new other’. When I was born, I was not a child I was a dream, a dream of … Continue reading Gujarat Today Could be What ‘Hindu Rashtra’ Will Look Like for Dalits →
Recommendations on Draft New Education Policy (DNEP) by a collective of women’s groups, queer groups, NGOs, students, and academics working in the field of gender, sexuality and education. We, a collective of women’s groups, queer groups, NGOs, students, and academics working in the field of gender, sexuality and education, across India strongly recommend and reiterate … Continue reading Draft New Education Policy 2019 through a Gender and Sexuality Lens →
In support of the campaign launched by BETTER UNIVERSITIES. The Government of India has finally unveiled the much-awaited draft of the National Educational Policy (NEP) 2019, and with that, has come a host of new issues to address and engage with. To access a copy of the draft, please click here. Here is the full … Continue reading Draft New Education Policy 2019 – Mass Feedback Campaign: Better Universities →
Guest post by JAYA SHARMA In the post election bewilderment that continues to grip us, might it be that we are asking the wrong questions? The questions are by now familiar. How can it be that a Pragya Thakur wins and an Atishi loses? How can it be that demonetization doesn’t translate into loss of … Continue reading The politics of Hindutva and its erotic charge: Jaya Sharma →
Can Dalits rightfully claim that they have a ‘homeland’? ( Review of The Doctor and the Saint: The Ambedkar-Gandhi Debate — Caste, Race, and Annihilation of Caste; By Arundhati Roy, Penguin, Rs 299) “Gandhiji, I have no homeland.” The first meeting between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, who later became chairman of the drafting committee of … Continue reading Caste and other demons →
It is important to note that the very idea of Islamic banking and promoting it as a parallel to conventional banking – which is being portrayed as un-Islamic – and which has caught the imagination of a section of god-fearing Muslims, is a clear manifestation of shifts in Muslim politics over the world. Image for … Continue reading How Many More ‘Halal’ Ponzi Schemes? →
