Release imprisoned human rights defenders amid COVID-19 outbreak
Mr Amit Shah Union Home Minister of India Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India Dear Home Minister, I am William Nicholas Gomes, a British Human rights activist and…
May 2020
Feasibility of conducting university exams in the middle of the pandemic
Public Statement by concerned faculty members of colleges and universities in West Bengal Schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions in West Bengal were closed from 15th March 2020, more…
The Future of Forever War, American-Style
Covid-19, an ongoing global human tragedy, may have at least one silver lining. It has led millions of people to question America’s most malignant policies at home and abroad.…
India-Nepal Embittered Relations : Much beyond a Border Dispute
(This is Part-2 of a two-part Report; this one deals with various dimensions of the issue. Part-1 was published on May24, with the title, India-Nepal Border Issue Raked Up, Relations…
In between Gender and nationalism: A controversy over “Nepali women” in Amazon web series Pataal Lok
Among many crises unfolding in the form of Corona Pandemic, Amphan cyclone, Indo-Nepal border disputes, etc, a Nepali speaking community in India is grappling with the question of nationality and…
Hirak Rajar Deshe, a fable forty years ahead of its time
Satyajit Ray’s film is a heady cocktail of dystopia and comic fantasy Eleven years after Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (‘The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha’) came its sequel,…
Investigating the Visual Spectre of Covid-19 in India
In days to come, social scientists will write varied accounts on the responses of the Indian state to the ongoing pandemic called Covid-19. Academicians will deploy the visible categories of…
Political Economy of COVID-19
Manish Azad is a political activist. That is why he has been a victim to State repression. On February 29, he returned from prison after 8 months. Even before this,…
Riding for Freedom
I have had the honor and the privilege to know two Freedom Riders. One was killed for Freedom Riding and had been a friend of mine. Irwin Wadler was my…
How State Subject Laws of erstwhile State of JK came into being: Have Kashmiri Hindus forgotten it ?
The State Subject Law of erstwhile State of JK had travelled a checkered path before it was adopted in the Constitution of India in the shape of Article 35-A in…
Messengers From The Wild
Lockdown tryst with Biodiversity - Episode 1 Serious and sincere, little Aadi walked the hot and burning slope of the hill opposite his suburban home with his parents – he…
Pandemic Paxicide
Globally, three million children a year die of hunger or malnourishment according to theworldcounts.com. The site also notes the number is dropping steadily. In a May 2019 editorial ,Voice of America reports, “Today,…
Condemn the arrests of Pinjra Tod members Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal!
On the evening of 23rd May 2020, the Delhi Police arrested Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, activists of Pinjra Tod and students of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Charged under FIR 48/2020,…
Public Health–A forgotten Concept
The COVID 19 has proved us how much public health system is important. They are emerging as the life-saver in most of the states. Shamelessly, the private health institutions…
They are Citizens, so please stop calling them Migrants
I was born and bred in Dehra Dun. Then, in search of job and a future, for some years of my life I worked and lived in Delhi and Ahmedabad.…
Retrieving the True meaning of word Jihad
Words Jihad and Jihadi have been in abundant use for the negative purposes from last two decades in particular. They have been closleyl linked to the word terrorism and violence,…
Clean up after you give birth – and don’t forget your mask
One They named him Corona, it is not uncommon for babies to be named after special events, or characters in history. But that is not the point. Two One assumes…
When the War Was Close to Home
Memories are like those fireflies that sparkle your vision on a deep hot summer night. They entice you with their sudden appearance and just as sudden departure. So it is…
Why Does Israel Celebrate Its Terrorists: Ben Uliel and the Murder of the Dawabsheh Family
Israeli media and Zionist apologists everywhere are busy whitewashing Israel’s globally-tattered image using the rare indictment of an Israeli terrorist, Amiram Ben Uliel, who was recently convicted for murdering the…
Lend ears to China’s voice, please
The pandemic is helping to understand a few facts of the current state of geo-politics. One of these facts is China’s voice – voice with all its meanings. China has…
Cancer Care during COVID 19 Pandemic: Untold Challenges
Co-Written by Akhter Hussain Bhat & Dr. Mohammad Akram The novel COVID-19 has caused widespread concern, fear, anxiety and stress among millions of people worldwide. The virus has affected more…
The way forward for rural and agricultural development in India during and after COVID-19
The spread of COVID-19 infused crisis has huge impact on all aspects of life and economy across India. It is particularly posing a serious challenge to the social and economic…
Cyclone Amphan & Lockdown
Forecasts and news did not prepare us for the actuality of it all till it actually happened. We had taken all necessary precautions but what happened on the evening of…
A Group of Christians Stoned and Beaten up in Chhattisgarh
On the 5th of May, a group of Christians namely *Ramu, *Manu and 7 others, including women, were mercilessly beaten up by a group of religious fanatics at a village…
Stop Incarceration of Feminist Activists and Anti-CAA Protesters
We have been in a state of lockdown for two months. It has been a very harsh time for lakhs of our citizens, who have lost work, possessions, and…
Mourn On Memorial Day & Indict Our Ruling Criminally Insane Murderous Investors in Wars on Wall St.
On Memorial Day, after mourning our loved ones, taken away from us by our ruling criminally insane murderous investors in Weapons of Mass Destruction on Wall Street, let us at…
Stop Enforced Disappearances
A Joint Statement by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Asian Human Rights Commission, International Federation for Human Rights and Odhikar on the occasion of International Week of the Disappeared…
Abdication of Judicial Responsibility
In April 1976, when the Emergency was in place in India, the New York Times in a glorifying article titled ‘Fading Hope in India’ eulogised the dissenting…
Covid-19 : There are no heroes in this war
Co- Written by Kamala Tamirisa, Ritu Thamman and Martha Gulati Health care professionals need more support. Based on a survey of 553 health care professionals in mid-April, 2020. The death…
India Surpasses Iran In COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 Pandemic: Surpassing Islamic Republic Of Iran, India Now 10th – Out Of 188 Countries – Worst-Affected Globally! The number of n-Coronavirus cases in India has raced past the cases…
Girasole: Sunflower (How Language Is Learned)
1. "Girasole," Italians say, accent on soul, "g" as in gyro, the last syllable, lay--a medieval song. In my uncle's garden there were many (heads taller than I, taller even…
India’s Deadly Cytokine Storm
Two months after imposition of the most stringent and large-scale lockdown in the world, with the pandemic still undefeated, it is the Indian Republic that is looking more and more…
Jacindaism: the new doctrine of political leadership during crisis
Leadership is tested during times of crisis. The present pandemic is seeing it happen across the world. Many unexpected parts of the world have shown better corona control than those…
Venezuela Can Be Protected by Quoting Martin Luther King and Other Famous Condemners of US Crimes
King cried out “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world is my own government.” Obama’s pastor, “God Bless America? No! God damn America for her crimes against humanity!” Michael…
On your feet
Feet of God is revered flowers offered at feet. Elders’ feet touched for paying respect. Saintly person’s feet are cleansed. Entered home with feet washed. Gurus’ feet smeared with herbal…
Online examinations: towards educational genocide of students of School of Open Learning
It is circa 2020 and we are in the middle of a declared pandemic and a nation-wide lockdown. In the current extraordinary circumstances, university students have been simply asked to…
The Illusions of Bourgeois Democracy
Democracy is a product of struggles and sacrifices of the working classes. The October revolution, French revolution in Europe and anti-colonial struggles in Africa, Asia and Americas shaped democracy. The…
India-Nepal Border Issue Raked Up, Relations Strained Once Again
(This is Part-1 of a two-part article) “ We remain committed to resolving the border issue,” said Anurag Srivastava, India’s Official Spokesperson. "If the coronavirus was an obstacle for negotiations…
Modiji, Do Not Let The Migrant Workers Die In Summer Heat
Letter to the Prime Minister To Shri Narendra Modiji Prime Minister Dear Shri Modiji, I forward here a copy of my last letter dated 15-5-2020 and copies of the previous…
Ants at a Pandemic Picnic
Remember when you were a kid, locked within that monster called a grade school, at dismissal time? You must recall how the seas just opened and the throng descended on…
Education in the time of Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is seen as a ‘useful crisis’ in which to transform the economy. Yet the university system has not received any such ‘stimulus’ of fresh ways of thinking…
Can Humanism Survive the Onslaught of Hate? | Ram Puniyani
Lately when India is undergoing the massive crisis of the Corona epidemic and the offshoots of its mishandling, we have also seen the pandemic being used to demonise a particular…
How long will it take Kashmir to celebrate and not mourn deaths & devastation on EID?
Every year before we think of celebrating EID in Kashmir, anything devastating happens that dashes out the hopes of everybody and all are put to mourn the deaths & destruction…
To Be A Dissident
What does it mean to be a dissident? At its simplest, it means to critically engage with and seek to change the material and the ideological structures of the society…
The ‘Vayye-Vayya’ society: Morbidity and medicalization in Kerala
A lot had already been written about the high morbidity conscious Kerala society and especially what was being called in the early eighties as the ‘Kerala Paradox’. This essentially is…
A Left Perspective on Emerging Post-Pandemic Global Relations
Introduction COVID-19 pandemic, its emergence, global spread and the crisis therefrom are inseparably linked up with the character of neoliberal accumulation today. As is widely recognised, its origins are rooted…
Gruesome Face Of Indian Patriotism
As a student of political science we have been familiar with Samuel Johnson's amazing words on patriotism, an essential ingredient of nationalism. He wrote: 'Patriotism is last refuge of scoundrel.'…
Tribute to Dr Vijayam, renowned humanist
Dr Goparaju Vijayam or popularly known as Dr Vijayam, passed away, in the morning today at his home at the Atheist Center in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The loss is tremendous…
Social Inequality in a Political Democracy
In spite of India’s perceptible economic and social development, the caste system still obstructs and isolates the section of its population, the Scheduled Caste (SC) also called as Dalits and…
In search of the ultimate justice: Dismantling rape culture in India
20th March 2020, the Nirbhaya accused were hanged in the wee hours, at 5 o' clock, and we all woke up inhaling the sense of closure. Deep down it wasn’t…
10C Above Baseline !
Earth at 10°C above pre-industrial is unimaginable. It’s a deadly horrifying thought, but as shall be explained herein, it should not be dismissed out of hand. The following story might…
Coronavirus pandemic will contract India’s economy in 2020-21, warns central bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has slashed its growth forecast for this financial year and warned of inflation uncertainties as India’s economy suffers due to the Covid-19, pandemic. While…
Indian contributions to British Music
“In the dark times Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.” -Bertolt Brecht These historic lines are prophetically relevant today as we…
Remembrances of Meeting Cult Novelist Andrzej Kusniewicz in Warsaw
HERE I AM The Polish word, jestem—‘I am’, ‘here I am’, ‘present’—seems to define the life of the writer and cult figure for a generation, Andrzej Kusniewicz. On an overcast, pollution-infested…
The Impact of Unplanned Lockdown on Migrant Workers
Co-Written by Abass Rather & Aqib Yousuf Covid-19 Pandemic has brought the world under a precarious situation as the millions of people have been rendered jobless. Over 122 million people…
Children Fundraisers Of Kashmir
Stories about the thirties, in our childhood, were not that old. Every elder in the family had a story to tell about one or the other martyr of July 31,…
The Half Mother as a Narrative of Pain and Trauma of Kashmiri Women
A daughter still waits for her father to wed her off. A wife searches for her husband. And a mother still pines for her son and waits for him to…
How many –
How many people cried? How many people died? Sunderbans submerged Nearly five thousand starved Will they die of Corona Hunger or Amphan? And the animals? Biodiversity Day — what happened…
A Weaver of Borderless Dreams: Mutiu Olawuyi
Mutiu Olawuyi in conversation with Mitali Chakravarty He is a maker of dreams for writers – a man who believes in dreams that are woven in words and multimedia across the…
‘70% of India’s coal-fired power stations may not meet environmental norms by 2022’
The sector must meet the environmental norms to ensure ‘our right to breathe in clean air,’ says CSE report New Delhi: With barely two years to go before the deadline…
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