debates

Marxism’s Long March in the Global South

It is interesting that though Marxism was born in Europe, it has found its most enduring habitat in the Global South, but this has meant very little in terms of its overall theoretical formation and structure. Thinking about this encounter of ‘Marxism’ and the ‘Global South’ – the continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America … Continue reading Marxism’s Long March in the Global South →

नरेंद्र मोदी स्टेडियम: आज़ादी के नायकों की जगह लेते ‘नए इंडिया’ के नेता

मोटेरा स्टेडियम का नाम बदलना दुनिया के इतिहास में- ख़ासकर उपनिवेशवाद के ख़िलाफ़ संघर्ष कर आज़ाद हुए मुल्कों में, ऐसा पहला उदाहरण है, जहां किसी स्वाधीनता सेनानी का नाम मिटाकर एक ऐसे सियासतदां का नाम लगाया गया हो, जिसका उसमें कोई भी योगदान नहीं रहा हो. Courtesy – नरेंद्र मोदी स्टेडियम.

Communist Manifesto, Late Marx and the Farmers’ Struggle

    Spot the difference between the two quotations below. “The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns. It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural, and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life. Just … Continue reading Communist Manifesto, Late Marx and the Farmers’ Struggle →

If Comment is Free, Why are Dissenters Being Locked Up?

THE STATE LOOKS THE OTHER WAY ONLY WHEN RIGHT-WING FOOTSOLDIERS TARGET INNOCENT PEOPLE AND PROVOKE VIOLENCE. A foreigner, returning from a trip to the Third Reich, When asked who ruled there, answered: Fear… The Regime, Bertolt Brecht. Those occasions on which judicial verdicts bring cheer are getting rarer. As everyone who supports gender justice rejoices … Continue reading If Comment is Free, Why are Dissenters Being Locked Up? →

Mass Psychology of Neofascism – The rationale underlying political ‘irrationality’ : Dr Abhay Shukla

Dr Abhay Shukla, public health physician and health activist will be delivering  the 8 th lecture in the ‘Democracy Dialogues Lecture Series’  on ‘Mass Psychology of Neofascism : The rationale underlying political ‘irrationality’  organised by New Socialist Initiative on Sunday, 21 st February, 2021 at 6 PM (IST)               … Continue reading Mass Psychology of Neofascism – The rationale underlying political ‘irrationality’ : Dr Abhay Shukla →

Molehills from mountains and other stories from kerala

Recently, on fieldwork in a peri-urban panchayat in Kerala devastated by illegal large-scale granite quarrying, a local resident pointed us to what looked like a hillock. It was covered with vegetation — and flowers of a pleasant lilac — which made a very pretty sight — and to the naked eye, looked as solid as … Continue reading Molehills from mountains and other stories from kerala →

Hinduism, Hindu Way of Life and RSS Hindutva

    [In this column this time, I am reproducing a piece that I recently wrote at the request of some friends – as a popular pamphlet, meant primarily for election purposes. Therefore, while it draws on the work of experts in the field, it does not really address the academic reader.] “Hinduize all politics … Continue reading Hinduism, Hindu Way of Life and RSS Hindutva →

A people’s planning adequate to twenty-first century kerala

It is now about twenty-five years since the CPM in Kerala took the calculated risk of meeting neoliberalism half-way through an experiment in localising development. The People’s Planning Campaign drew eclectically on a range of ideologies, from Gandhian self-reliance to neoliberal self-help, not always in ways that were sufficiently self-conscious, but there can be little … Continue reading A people’s planning adequate to twenty-first century kerala →

हमको डिक्टेटर मांगता!

(अक्सर लोग बातचीत में यह कहते पाये जाते हैं कि इस देश में सैनिक शासन लागू कर देना चाहिए. ऐसा कहते समय वे यह भूल जाते हैं कि उनके पड़ोसी देशों में यह सब होता रहा है और इसने उन देशों का जहाँ पीछे किया है वहीं लोगों के जीवन को भी संकट में जब-तब … Continue reading हमको डिक्टेटर मांगता! →