Articles by: Dr Aurobindo Ghose

Spare the JPC road and spoil the Adani child- Need for regulating conglomerates and monopoly control

Spare the JPC road and spoil the Adani child- Need for regulating conglomerates and monopoly control

  Two recent exposures of the Gautam Adani conglomerate, have inflicted sufficient market punishment on it. One by the Hindenburgh short seller’s accusation of “brazen stock market manipulation and accounting fraud”, triggered an huge sell-off of its shares, wiping out about $118 billion of its market valuation. While the Bangalore – based Ken report’s exposure of non-repayment of debt worth[Read More…]

by — 10/04/2023 — Comments are Disabled — India
Remembering Shanti Bhushan

Remembering Shanti Bhushan

Tributes to respected Shanti Bhushan-ji, a tall lawyer, great teacher and humble leader ! Instrumental in dethroning Indira Gandhi, gathering of forces for the post-Emergency Janata Party and bringing AAP and Kejriwal to the political forefront. I remember his surprise appearance for me in the Operation Bluestar Report – bail matter in the district Court of Tis Hazari, when I[Read More…]

by — 02/02/2023 — Comments are Disabled — Life/Philosophy
Image Credits- Ye_Jinghan, Unsplash

Question of Release of All Political Prisoners – Urgent need for another 1977-like PUCLDR National Convention on Political Prisoners

PART  I A Poem symptomatic of the Theme of Political Prisoners Let me invert the structure of this article a bit. I have referred to some of the poems in the anthalogy of poems “Dissenting Voices” (1977) which accompanied the 1977 – PUCLDR National Convention of Political Prisoners, at the end of this piece. However, let me begin with one[Read More…]

by — 01/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — Human Rights
Remembering Soli Sorabjee

Remembering Soli Sorabjee

Eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee passed away yesterday of covid. My respect and tributes to the great man. I always like to narrate an anecdote about him. He defended me and my colleagues Ms. Amiya Rao and Tejender Singh Ahuja in the Supreme Court. Our anticipatory bail applications in the matter of sedition for writing the joint CFD Report on Operation[Read More…]

by — 01/05/2021 — Comments are Disabled — India
Appropriating Tagore as a Hindu Nationalist: Chancellor Modi’s Pre-Election Address to Visva-Bharati

Appropriating Tagore as a Hindu Nationalist: Chancellor Modi’s Pre-Election Address to Visva-Bharati

Visva – Bharati University founded in 1921 just completed a hundred years. Located at the Abode of Peace, Shantiniketan, it has however seen much disturbance and violence between the civil society and the Varsity authorities over the past centenary year. With the West Bengal elections slated four months hence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the University Chancellor had quite a[Read More…]

by — 01/01/2021 — Comments are Disabled — India
Rabindranath Tagore’s “Viswa Bharati” university exposed to the saffron peril

Rabindranath Tagore’s “Viswa Bharati” university exposed to the saffron peril

In 1940, a year before he died, Rabindranath Tagore placed a letter in Mahatma Gandhi’s hand. The letter said: “Visva-Bharati is like a vessel which is carrying the cargo of my life’s best treasure, and I hope it may claim special care from my countrymen for its preservation”. A century after being founded in 1921, Tagore’s life’s treasure – the[Read More…]

by — 07/10/2020 — Comments are Disabled — India
Revive Basanta Utsab And Poush Mela At Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan

Revive Basanta Utsab And Poush Mela At Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan

This is a scene from Basanta Utsab ( spring festival) song- and-dance programme at Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan, a couple of years back. The VC of the University, Bidyut Chakrabarty, called it “Basanta Tandav” and banned it along with the Poush Mela. How can you expect a person found guilty of sexual harassment and punished, to understand, leave alone to appreciate, such[Read More…]

by — 15/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — India
Remembering Swami Agnivesh

Remembering Swami Agnivesh

Very sad to have lost Swami Agnivesh. My respectful salute and Shraddhanjali to my human rights co-fighter and colleague. Deepest condolences to his friends and associates.Remember the innumerable occasions when we worked together or few where we differed. Remember my presence in the discussion and meeting on the hillocks bordering Haryana with Swami Agnivesh and Kailash Satyarthi the day when[Read More…]

by — 13/09/2020 — Comments are Disabled — Life/Philosophy
“At Ayodhya, On Unity in Diversity of 300 Ramayanas, PM Modi Bows before Scholar A. K. Ramanujan” 

“At Ayodhya, On Unity in Diversity of 300 Ramayanas, PM Modi Bows before Scholar A. K. Ramanujan” 

While listening to PM Modi at Ayodhya, over TV the other day, dilating confidently on the theme of “unity in diversity” ( including a BIG LIE) with regard to the existence of many Ramayanas, I was thinking where has this non-scholar ( mildly put ) plagiarised his material from? Later , I was reminded of the great scholar, poet, folklorist,[Read More…]

by — 10/08/2020 — 2 comments — India
When Two Elderly Women Met At Shaheen Bagh

When Two Elderly Women Met At Shaheen Bagh

Co-Written by AurobindoGhose and Gurjeet Kaur Picture of two Elderly Women at ShaheenBagh, is worth thousand words: Divided by Class and privilege but United by Compassion and Patriotism The moment we saw on Facebook on 25 January, 2020 the happy photograph of two elederly women together at the iconic site of women protest against the new Citizenship law, Shaheen Bagh,in[Read More…]

by — 06/02/2020 — Comments are Disabled — India
CAA: Tit for Tat

CAA: Tit for Tat

The niggardly standard of Indian diplomacy with respect to three of its neighbouring countries : Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is getting exposed. First, the CAB wrongly accused these countries of having persecuted its non-Muslim minorities and assumed that they were thus forced to illegally migrate to India. Second, the NRC imperfectly identified the ‘foreigner’ mainly on account of lack of[Read More…]

by — 29/12/2019 — Comments are Disabled — India
 Time For A Unified Protest

 Time For A Unified Protest

Martin Neimoller’s confessional poem of how he, a Protestant pastor, did not care or ignored the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany , and how they arrested or persecuted the Communists, the Socialists, the trade unionists, the Jews and so on, one group after another till “Then they came for me – and there was no one left to[Read More…]

by — 15/12/2019 — 1 comment — India
India is not quite yet a Hindu Rashtra: 70th Constitution Day

India is not quite yet a Hindu Rashtra: 70th Constitution Day

In January 2018, four top Supreme Court Judges in a surprise move, held a press conference declaring that ” Democracy is at stake, and we have a debt to the nation.” Justice Ranjan Gogoi, as he then was, had also remarked that, “independent judges and noisy journalists are democracy’s first line of defence”. Three of these judges have retired  as[Read More…]

by — 27/11/2019 — Comments are Disabled — India
Say No To Bharat Ratna For Savarkar

Say No To Bharat Ratna For Savarkar

Savarkar petitioned the British Govt from Andaman Cellular Jail seeking pardon and promising loyalty to the Govt if released, says Justice Markendaya Katju. The Congress has thrown further light that Sawarkar had agreed with Jinnah on the two-nation theory. Documents further show that the Hindu Mahasabha of which Savarkar was a leader, joined hands with Muslim League and formed coalition[Read More…]

by — 19/10/2019 — 1 comment — India
“Where is Najeeb?”: Spirited Protest At Jantar Mantar

“Where is Najeeb?”: Spirited Protest At Jantar Mantar

It was a very spirited anti-Fascist protest meeting on “Where is Najeeb?” at Jantar Mantar yesterday afternoon, organised by the peaceful resistance movement of United against Hate. The main speakers slated for the meeting were the brave, inspiratonal victims of hate : Najib’s mother, Nafisa-ji, and Tabrez Ansari’s wife, Gauri Lankesh’s sister and Subodh Singh’s wife. Besides, those who spoke[Read More…]

by — 16/10/2019 — Comments are Disabled — Human Rights
Pellet gun victim

Shocking! Press Club of India Refuses To Show Film And Photographs On Kashmir

I was present at this amazing, historical Press Conference at Press Club of India today afternoon, by a team just back from its Kashmir visit from August 9 to 13 with its Report on Kashmir after abrogation of Art. 370. Team consisted of Jean Dreze, economist, Maimoona Mollah, AIWDA, Kavita Krishnan, CPI- ML (Maale) and Vimal Bhai, NAPM. What was[Read More…]

by — 14/08/2019 — 2 comments — India
Remember Emergency but do not forget to identify and resist the present Undeclared Emergency

Remember Emergency but do not forget to identify and resist the present Undeclared Emergency

Emergency was declared by PM Indira Gandhi this day 44 years back when the citizen’s fundamental rights of life, liberty and expression were abrogated. Thousands were jailed, Press freedom was scuttled, hundreds were killed by the State in fake encounters and people, particularly the poor minorities, were forcibly sterilised. It lasted 19 months and when elections were held, Mrs. Gandhi’s[Read More…]

by — 25/06/2019 — Comments are Disabled — India
Thoughts on 6th December BLACK DAY, When the Babri Masjid was Demolished

Thoughts on 6th December BLACK DAY, When the Babri Masjid was Demolished

My tentative thoughts on the likely political scenario unravelling itself. Today is the BLACK DAY when the saffron forces consisting of RSS/BJP/Shiv Sena/ VHP /Bajrang Dal etc. demolished the Babri Masjid in December 1992 with the complicity of the State. It is clear as daylight what the saffron forces are conspiring to accomplish now and in future. They are hysterically[Read More…]

by — 06/12/2018 — Comments are Disabled — India
Sushma Vs Trolls Points to Rift Within BJP Before 2019 Polls

Sushma Vs Trolls Points to Rift Within BJP Before 2019 Polls

There is more to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s apparently graceful response to the Twitter trolling she has faced over her ministry’s issuance of a passport to an inter-faith couple than meets the eye. Swaraj has been the target of offensive tweets for helping Tanvi Seth, wife of Mohammad Anas Siddiqui, get her passport after an officer allegedly harassed her for not changing her name to a Muslim[Read More…]

by — 17/07/2018 — 1 comment — India
Protest Against Mob Lynchings And The Role Of Civil Society In Breaking The Silence

Protest Against Mob Lynchings And The Role Of Civil Society In Breaking The Silence

A fifteen-year old boy was lynched to death in a train by a mob, when he was returning home with his relatives, on the evening of Thursday, 22nd June after doing his Eid shopping in Delhi. The mob threw his body at Asaoti railway station near Faridabad. The boy’s name was Junaid Khan. There have been more than a dozen[Read More…]

by — 12/07/2017 — 1 comment — Communal Harmony
There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye: India’s Boycott of The Recently Concluded OBOR Summit

There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye: India’s Boycott of The Recently Concluded OBOR Summit

It is ten days since the One Belt One Road (OBOR) Summit called and hosted by China at Beijing from May 14 to 15, 2017, concluded. Significantly, India did not participate in OBOR. But the subject is so important for peace, development and stability or otherwise in the region and beyond , that it has continued relevance and requires a[Read More…]

by — 26/05/2017 — 1 comment — World
Retrenchment In The Telegraph

Retrenchment In The Telegraph

On 7th February,2017 with only 2 hours notice, of about 740 workers, journalists and reporters of Ananda Bazar Patrika group of newspapers of Kolkata were retrenched. This was first reported in December, 2016, but the news was systematically suppressed. It is learnt that The Telegraph and its associated newspapers are being taken over by a powerful business group. It is[Read More…]

by — 19/02/2017 — 1 comment — India
A Unique Ramlila

A Unique Ramlila

We need to remind ourselves that a unique Ramlila, is being staged since 1972, at Bakshi Ka Talab, about 20 km from Lucknow, where lead characters like Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman are played by Muslim youths, a clear departure in a region known for communal flare-ups. This four-day Ram Lila starts on the day of Dusshera day, and has also been adapted into a Radio play, ‘Us Gaon ki Ram Lila’, by Lucknow All India Radio, which won the Communal Harmony Award in 2000

by — 10/10/2016 — 1 comment — Communal Harmony
Remembering B.P Mandal & V.P Singh

Remembering B.P Mandal & V.P Singh

Today is 25th August, the day a champion of the rights of the oppressed , Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal was born 98 years back. Today, he will be remembered for his many contributions to the cause of upliftment of the downtrodden, but particularly for his role as Chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission, which released in 1980 what later became[Read More…]

by — 25/08/2016 — Comments are Disabled — Annihilate Caste
Jignesh Mevani: A Leader Is Born

Jignesh Mevani: A Leader Is Born

Very successful press conference at the Press Club of India, New Delhi by Jignesh Mevani, lawyer and Dalit activist from Gujarat. Very good attendance. Lot of questioning by journos’ almost amounting to interrogation, which Jignesh tackled very well. Jignesh Mevani was at the same time fire and brimstone lashing away at Mr. Modi and the BJP, and also Captain Cool[Read More…]

by — 21/08/2016 — 5 comments — Annihilate Caste
Fable For Our Times: The Lion Of Gujarat Is Silent

Fable For Our Times: The Lion Of Gujarat Is Silent

According to the Gujarat CID, a lion killed Najabhai Ahir’s cow in Bediya village. Najabhai informed Balu Sarvaiya of Mota village on the morning of July 11, 2016 to come and dispose the dead cow. Whereupon, the sons of Balu Sarvaiya, a SC by caste who traditionally skin and dispose off dead cows, brought the dead cow to their village[Read More…]

by — 28/07/2016 — 2 comments — Annihilate Caste
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