One can imagine that if the plan to provoke riots before Eid in Ayodhya would have been successful, how it could have easily spilled over to the other parts of the country. It was the early 1970s when Bhisham Sahni, the legendary Hindi writer had penned the novel Tamas. It looks at the Hindu-Muslim riots in India … Continue reading No End to ‘Tamas’ ( Darkness) Around ? →
We, the undersigned academics and activists, express our deep concern regarding the public heckling, intimidation and abuse directed at Dr. Ravi Kant, Associate Professor of Hindi and well known Dalit intellectual, on the premises of Lucknow University by a mob allegedly comprising students of the university as well as outsiders. Highly divisive and incendiary slogans, … Continue reading Academics and activists in solidarity with Dr Ravi Kant, Lucknow University →
Leading Writer and Critic Virendra Yadav will be delivering the fifth lecture in the ‘Sandhan Vyakhyanmala Series’ ( in Hindi) on Saturday,14 th May, 2022, at 6 PM (IST).
Letter of Deep Distress and Concern to THE LG OF DELHI, CM OF DELHI, COMMISSIONER, MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF DELHI Stop Unlawful Demolitions in Delhi; Compensate, Rehabilitate, Restore Livelihoods of the Affected Immediately We, the undersigned, wish to express our deep concern at the bulldozer-led demolitions carried out by various municipal corporations in Delhi.
Why the Corporate Czars are Silent over increasing attacks on Social Fabric and rising Communalism Celebrity actors and players share an interesting commonality in this part of South Asia. Their moral compass normally veers towards the ‘righteousness’ of the rich, powerful and the influential. Lynching of innocent people on the streets for their faith, social … Continue reading Silence of the Powerful →
The 15 th lecture in the Democracy Dialogues Series will be delivered by Prof Achin Vanaik on Sunday, 27 th February at 6 PM (IST) He will be speaking on ‘Secularism, Communalism and Indian Politics Today‘ Speaker Writer and Social Activist, Former Professor of Political Science at Delhi University Prof Achin Vanaik is a fellow … Continue reading Secularism, Communalism and Indian Politics Today : Professor Achin Vanaik →
Guest Post by JAYA SHARMA How is it that even as Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls, even as desperate youth go on a rampage to demand employment, their Chief Minister remains focused on evoking violent fantasies around the ‘M’ of the Mafia. How is it that the facts of Kairana matter so little when … Continue reading The psyche and the temptations of Hindu Rashtra: Jaya Sharma →
The 14 th Lecture in the Democracy Dialogues Series organised by New Socialist Initiative was delivered by Prof Irfan Habib, Famous Historian, Public Intellectual and Marxist Thinker, on Sunday 30 th January 2022 at 6 PM (IST).Prof Habib spoke on ‘Doctored History : From Ancient Times till Today’ About the Speaker : Prof Irfan Habib ( Professor of … Continue reading Doctored History : From Ancient Times till Today – Prof Irfan Habib →
Ashokan lions adorn Indian currency and the Dharmachakra features in the tricolour. Neither symbol has any sanctity for the ideologues of the ruling dispensation. Thousands of kings and emperors shone for a brief moment in history, then quickly disappeared. But in ‘The Outline of History: The Whole Story of Man’, H.G. Wells writes, “Ashoka shines … Continue reading Why Hindutva Loves to hate Ashoka the Great →
The literary award must generate wider discussion in society on what plagues us. After all, the writer has always been outspoken against extremism. This year’s Jnanpith Award for best literature has gone to Damodar Mauzo, the famous Konkani novelist and short story writer. The great Assamese poetic talent, Nilmani Phookan Jr, has also been awarded the Jnanpith … Continue reading Jnanpith Award to Damodar Mauzo and Right-Wing Extremism →
