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Why does the Left in Kerala fear Rehana Fathima and not COVID- 19?

Before I start, a request:    Friends who are reading this, if you are close to Noam Chomsky, Amartya Sen, or Soumya Swaminathan, or the other left-liberals who appear in the Kerala government-sponsored talk series from outside Kerala, please do forward this to them? I hope to reach them.   The Left government in Kerala … Continue reading Why does the Left in Kerala fear Rehana Fathima and not COVID- 19? →

Lockdown 4.0 – A Tribute to Labourers by Navchintan Kala Manch

नवचिंतन कला मंच द्वारा – बीते दिनों में अपनी ही धरती पे बेगानेपन का अहसास कर हज़ारों किलोमीटर दूर अपने घरों की उम्मीद के निकले लोगों के साथ हुए हादसों की दास्तान ज़रूर देखें।

Paean – A Song for Triumphs, For Usha Ganguly and Irrfan Khan: The Mocking Birds

Guest Post by the group THE MOCKING BIRDS आज की रात न फ़ुट-पाथ पे नींद आएगी सब उठो, मैं भी उठूँ तुम भी उठो, तुम भी उठो कोई खिड़की इसी दीवार में खुल जाएगी ये ज़मीं तब भी निगल लेने पे आमादा थी पाँव जब टूटती शाख़ों से उतारे हम ने उन मकानों को ख़बर … Continue reading Paean – A Song for Triumphs, For Usha Ganguly and Irrfan Khan: The Mocking Birds →

The Many Debts We Owe to Lenin

‘The workers’ and peasants’ government… calls upon all the belligerent peoples and their government to start immediate negotiations for a just, democratic peace. By a just or democratic peace, for which the overwhelming majority of the working class and other working people of all the belligerent countries, exhausted, tormented and racked by the war are … Continue reading The Many Debts We Owe to Lenin →

Understanding the Rise of the BJP

Guest Post by PARVIN SULTANA (Review of HINDUTVA: EXPLORING THE IDEA OF HINDU; NATIONALISM, Jyotirmaya Sharma ( Context 2019); M.S. GOLWALKAR, THE RSS AND INDIA, Jyotirmaya Sharma (Context, 2019) ; DECODING THE RSS: ITS TRADITIONS AND POLITICS Raosaheb Kasbe (Leftword Books, 2019) , RAJIV GANDHI TO NARENDRA MODI: BROKEN POLITY, FLICKERING REFORMS Parsa Venkateshwar Rao … Continue reading Understanding the Rise of the BJP →

Thoughts on the AAP’s Hindu Gestures from Kerala’s History

I have been reading with interest the exchange between Aditya Nigam and Satish Deshpande on the AAP’s strategy of avoiding ‘politics’ – or rather, distancing itself mostly from the polarised ideological debates while making small moves to shape for itself a space, arguably fuzzy, in the hegemonic discourse of Hindu. I am also witness to … Continue reading Thoughts on the AAP’s Hindu Gestures from Kerala’s History →

Against Aachaaram : Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai on the veneration of Parasurama

This is the fourth in a series titled Against Aachaaram: A Dossier from Malayalam on Kafila. The note below is by J Devika. The excerpt from the essay by Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai is translated by UTHARA GEETHA. The formation of the linguistic state of Kerala was the culmination of a long process of negotiation around Malayalam as a … Continue reading Against Aachaaram : Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai on the veneration of Parasurama →

Against Aachaaram: Srinarayana Guru

The excerpt below is translated by DARSHAN SUBRAMANIAM. The note that follows is by J Devika. Followers and disciples of Sree Narayana Guru make a pilgrimage to Sivagiri every year on the first of January. The first pilgrimage took place on January 1, 1933. Only five people took part then. Inception On January 19, 1928, … Continue reading Against Aachaaram: Srinarayana Guru →

Modi’s Meditation ‘Tour’

The art of legitimising religiosity in a secular country and live happily ever after. Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by wise people as false and by the rulers as useful. — Seneca (4 BC-AD65) A picture is worth a thousand words. An outgoing Prime Minister of the ‘world’s biggest democracy’ seen … Continue reading Modi’s Meditation ‘Tour’ →

Celebrating Dalit Achievements: C. K. Raju

Guest post by C.K. RAJU It was B. R. Ambedkar who first publicised the 22 Mahar names inscribed on the pillar commemorating the battle of Bhima-Koregaon.  Ambedkar, a Mahar himself, had experienced great indignities, and everyone appreciates his quest for a symbol of dalit achievement. Much has been written since on Bhima-Koregaon, but one question … Continue reading Celebrating Dalit Achievements: C. K. Raju →