I have been thinking since many days how to put this piece together. There is so much that I can say about the future India that I would want to see. Howsoever I try to organize it, so much would still be left out. So in the end I thought to just put out my heart on paper – the[Read More…]
What is it that you are staring at me for? With those eyes of yours that are like blank gaping holes Any sign of life, I have sucked out from those eyes long ago By naming you, shaming you, calling you a parasite, till my voice turned hoarse I was rejoicing in the cover of protectiveness that your ‘parasitic’[Read More…]
There once existed a city by the name of ‘Multicoloured city’. It had various houses built in it. People were encouraged to build houses as they deemed fit, to colour them with whatever colours they liked. So the houses in that city were all different…vibrant….with various shades of so many different colours. The residents of the city used to look[Read More…]
With those thousands and millions of pieces you have been broken into How long can you keep on fixing them to get through one more day? And with a cracked heart and crushed soul How long till u count yourself among the living fray? With this unthinking unfeeling existence of yours How long till u tire and call it a[Read More…]
Article 368 of the Constitution of India is titled ‘Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and procedure thereof’. Clauses 1 and 2 of the same state: “Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, Parliament may in exercise of its constituent power amend by way of addition, variation or repeal any provision of this Constitution in accordance with the procedure laid down[Read More…]
As we make an attempt to discuss the India of the future, a severe water crisis is threatening the nation. One of the metro cities – Chennai – has been reeling under this crisis for months now and the situation there has reached alarming proportions. According to the ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI) report, released by NITI Aayog on June[Read More…]
Journalists doing their job (practicing independent and real journalism, although perceived as anti-establishment) constantly and openly abused and issued rape and death threats via social media (https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ntdvs-ravish-kumar-says-death-threats-have-increased/article23989047.ece) A second-year medical student forced to commit suicide for having taken admissions in SC/ST category, (in simpler terms, for being born in a ‘wrong’ caste) (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/payal-tadvi-suicide-mumbai-arrested-5753636/) A Muslim man assaulted for being born[Read More…]
With empty stomachs and tattered clothes With lifeless eyes devoid of all hopes With dreams not daring to knock at your hearts Is hatred the lifeline you are really looking for? When the ‘accident of your birth’ decides your fate And even for that the fault is laid down at your gate When people look at you but do-not acknowledge[Read More…]
When hate becomes institutionalized And love is forced to look for places to hide If such a scenario you encounter, is neutrality still desirable? With cries for war all around And the feeblest voice for peace also drowned If such a scenario you encounter, is neutrality still desirable? When lies are awarded generously And truth just looks on[Read More…]
I am a citizen of India. I consider it my duty to abide by the 11 Fundamental Duties that are laid down in Part IV-A, Article 51-A of the Constitution of India, because India is a constitutional democracy, where the Constitution of our nation is the supreme authority and we, the people of India, have given to ourselves this[Read More…]
I knew the alphabet from A to Z I could also recite it in reverse right from Z to A But I didn’t know so many combinations of the alphabet were possible When joined together they could form such big meaningful words ICDS and ICPS – the difference of but a letter yet two big independent things they say One[Read More…]
Suchitra Dey, formerly known as Hiranmey Dey, underwent a sex-reassignment surgery last year. She has an MA degree in Geography as well as in English and has also done her B.Ed. She teaches in a private school in Kolkata. In a recent interview, she talked to The Indian Express about her job interview experiences with some schools around Kolkata. Recounting[Read More…]
As reported by The Times of India, according to a study published in the ‘Future Development’ blog of Brookings, Nigeria has overtaken India in terms of the highest number of extremely poor people (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-no-longer-home-to-the-largest-no-of-poor-study/articleshow/64754988.cms). The study estimates that at the end of May, 2018, Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty compared to India’s 73 million. The[Read More…]
In this land of the dead You are the only one who is alive my child Don’t look askance at these faces with those horror stricken eyes For how will they answer you, they are nothing but corpses themselves They died the day they traded your pain with their own false insecurities They died the day they killed the God[Read More…]
With the instrumental value of education acquiring center-stage in today’s world, it is being increasingly and more and more vociferously argued that forging and fostering strong education-industry linkages is the need of the hour. Two reports that I read in the Indian Express (http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/digitisation-partnership-of-ideas-4951582/) and (http://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/bharti-airtel-foundation-artificial-intelligence-4952074/), encouraged me to articulate my thoughts on this growing trend, which is generally portrayed[Read More…]
Before writing anything about Shanta Gandhi, I want to honestly admit something. Up until about a couple of years back, I was completely unaware of the existence of anyone by this name. As luck would have it, I enrolled into an MA course in Education and as a part of my field research therein, I came across what is known[Read More…]
6th December 1956: B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India, leaves this world, albeit, physically. 6th December, 1992: B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India, leaves this world, this time, in spirit. 36 years separate the two incidents, both of which can be said to be among the landmark moments in the history of India. 6th[Read More…]
“Rukhsaar! Rukhsaar!”…..Rashida was running as fast as her 12 year old legs could carry her. She was out of breath by the time she reached her home. “What happened? Why are you looking so distraught?” Rukhsaar enquired urgently. Not waiting to calm her breath, Rashida blurted out…..They are coming…They are coming…. These words were enough to numb Rashida’s 16 year[Read More…]
I recently came across a novel by the name “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, by Milan Kundera. I haven’t as yet read it but its title immediately reminded me of my own ‘unbearable heaviness of being’. The immediate context was an incident I happened to hear from a friend. It might just be a very commonplace incident, would have and[Read More…]
(In context to the changes brought out by the Maharshtra State Board in the History curriculum for Standards VII and IX) Imagine that you are a detective. You will probably relate the nature of your work to solving jigsaw puzzles. As a detective, you will be required to put together the missing pieces and arrive at a plausible explanation of[Read More…]
But I am someone you just cannot curb
I am a voice that refuses to die
You may bleed my heart but it refuses to cry
I am the eyes that refuse to blink
After Tuesday’s deluge and many people staying indoors on Wednesday, due to state government advisories advising to do so, most of the people in Mumbai were back to work today. I too had to stay overnight in my office and reached back home on Wednesday morning. After staying at home yesterday, I came back to work today by the local[Read More…]
I have stopped watching the 24-hour TV news drama channels long back. However, yesterday, I switched on the TV and put on the news channels in the morning itself. I was anxious about the verdict in the Gurmeet Ram Rahim case. This additional interest in the case stemmed from the fact that all the action was centred in and around[Read More…]
Wish you a very happy independence day! On a new journey…towards a ‘New India’, we are being ably led, being guided all the way This ‘New India’ will be something like we have never seen before Or is it that we have been seeing it so often that our eyes have now dulled and turned sour? They say that truth[Read More…]
They had neither coveted for the stars nor for the moon, At most, they would have just wished to regain their health soon. So that they could get back to the ‘normal’; be that normal be exciting or mundane, At least it was better than lying sick in a room, experiencing all this pain. They didn’t think what they were[Read More…]
As Medha Patkar and other Narmada Bachao Andolan activists continue their peaceful and non-violent protest by going on an indefinite fast, for just rehabilitation (as mandated by the Supreme Court of India), to be provided to the 40,000 families affected by the closing of sluice gates of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) dam, the state administration has replied by[Read More…]
This article is part of a series called “Heroes And Sheroes Of Plural India” under #AnHourForCommunalHramony campaign to celebrate the Heroes and Sheroes who struggled to shape modern India in all its plurality. Today we celebrate Akshay Brahmachari who worked for communal harmony in Ayodhya. All are welcome to contribute an hour of your day, in celebrating these Heroes and[Read More…]
I am dedicating this piece to all the common people who, in their small but significant ways have stood up for peace and communal harmony that unequivocally underlines the cultural heritage of this nation. I would first like to share a news report that I came across while reading a newspaper back in 2014. The link to the news report,[Read More…]
Irom Sharmila Chanu is not someone who is yet a part of only history books. She is very much a contemporary personality, living and breathing right now, as I am dedicating this piece to her. However, she is very much a super-shero of plural India. Her life story is also not hidden from anyone, so there is nothing new that[Read More…]
This article is part of a series called “Heroes And Sheroes Of Plural India” under #AnHourForCommunalHramony campaign to celebrate the Heroes and Sheroes who struggled to shape modern India in all its plurality. Today we celebrate Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain a pioneering woman literary person who also pioneered girls education . All are welcome to contribute an hour of your day, in[Read More…]
I was recently reading Rabindranath Tagore’s essay on Nationalism and that was when the enormity, farsightedness and the sheer genius of his thoughts stuck me….and stuck me hard. While we are busy today, coming to terms with a whole new dimension that is being provided to the term ‘nationalism’, while we are busy defining and redefining the ways in which[Read More…]
Zafar Hussein The Madhya Pradesh police has very magnanimously withdrawn the sedition charges against 15 men for allegedly celebrating the victory of the Pakistan cricket team over Team India in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy. The men have now instead been booked under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, for disturbing communal harmony. As profoundly unbelievable as[Read More…]
In a recent article in The Wire, Partha Chaterjee had referred to the use of human shield in Kashmir, and its justification by the military and political establishment as Kashmir’s General Dyer moment. Vivek Katju has launched a spirited counter-attack to this claim of Partha Chaterjee. Katju states that, “It is one matter for an army to handle the breakdown[Read More…]
With the path-breaking commercial success of the Bahubali series, it has become imperative to highlight certain other noteworthy achievements of the movie. While focusing on grossing billions and establishing landmarks in the world of commercial cinema, the makers of the movie did-not even attempt to window-dress the glaring prejudices and biases that the movie series conveys. The most blatantly and[Read More…]
The society and humankind has been painstakingly trained, through centuries, to be fascinated by black and white. This is irrespective of the fact that if human soul was to be assigned a color, it most definitely would have to be grey, neither black nor white. So deeply have we been prejudiced that black is associated with darkness, negativity and all[Read More…]
There was once a city called ‘The City of Ideas’. It was known far and wide for its culture of questioning, debating, discussing, disagreeing, arguing and naturally, generating more and more ideas in the process. It was a city filled with numerous schools, colleges, Universities and Institutions of learning. People from all over the world vied to earn themselves the[Read More…]
I am told it was the best moment of their lives When my parents saw my pretty little face, they say they forgot all strife They loved me, adored me I felt I was the most blessed child They made me feel special, beautiful, strong, dignified, let me have fun, allowed me to get wild In the world I grew[Read More…]
“Hindutva rashtra ki sanchetna hai. Is par prahaar mahapralay ko aamantran hai”. This is a statement that figures on the front page of the official website of the new Chief Minister of UP, Yogi Adityanath. I will attempt to unravel and decipher this statement in order to understand its meaning and import better. The first thing that is clear from[Read More…]
Yogi Adityanath is the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. As unbelievable as this might sound, this is a fact that cannot be wished away. Yogi Adityanath has been quite in the news owing to the multitude of statements he has made time and again, clearly announcing his religious preferences and his attitude towards other religious communities and the people[Read More…]
I don’t want you to celebrate my existence on a particular day I want you to understand that before being a woman I am a human, just as you I don’t want you to offer me to stand ahead of you in a queue I want you to let me stand on my own, just as you I don’t want[Read More…]
Much has been commented on the Gurmehar Kaur issue. The young girl has been trolled and abused by many. Others have stood by her and appreciated her courage. The issue has occupied center stage in media (print and visual), on facebook, whatsapp groups, among politicians, celebrities and the entire nation. The crux of the views expressed by Gurmehar was that[Read More…]
This year’s budget has once again been lackluster in terms of allocations made to the Education sector. The Kothari Commission recommendation of an allocation of 6% of GDP has remained far from realization, with the allocation hovering in the range of 3-4% every year. Within the education sector also, elementary education is the most fund-deprived and neglected sector. The priorities[Read More…]
IGP Kalluri, the man alleged to have committed untold atrocities on clueless tribal people in Bastar, and the scores of human rights activists who have tried to intervene time and again in order to demand at least a semblance of justice for these innocent people, (who have been mercilessly mass-murdered, raped, beaten ruthlessly, maimed etc.) has been very graciously asked[Read More…]
It is unnerving to even think about the culture of impunity that is taking deep roots all around us. It has not happened overnight but has slowly strengthened itself, step by step, one incident after the next, and has gained enough in size to threaten the very essence of a nation priding itself on its distinct cultural identity. What are[Read More…]
In his recent speech in a rally at Faizabad, PM Modi stated, “…When people asked Mahatma Gandhi how good governance should be, he would reply in one word, a welfare state should be like Ram Rajya…”. This fascination with equating ‘good governance’ with ‘Ram Rajya’ is not new, so much so that the two are almost used interchangeably. It would[Read More…]
What follows is not meant to be an academic analysis of caste and its operation in India. Such an analysis has been done time again by experts who have studied the operation of caste in India in great depth and are thus qualified to engage in a worthwhile discussion in the matter. What follows is, thus, my personal understanding of[Read More…]
With the meaning of the word “respect” having been defined for us by the Honorable Supreme Court of India, it is pertinent to also look at the ‘’lawfulness’’ of the said judgment. The only reason I feel this is pertinent is because we are talking about a “Court of Law” here. In commonsensical understanding, a Court of Law would be[Read More…]
The entire demonetisation story has been parsed, discussed, analyzed and commented upon in detail, by its supporters and non-supporters alike. There is not pretty much left that can be contributed to the debate, however, I wish to attempt a Gandhian analysis of the move in the following paragraphs. Why did I feel the need to take up such an analysis?[Read More…]
Men, masculinities, and gender equality 
EU Warns After Russia Plans To Place Tactical Nuclear Weapon In Belarus 
A Hazardous Decision: Supplying Ukraine with Depleted Uranium Shells 
Media and the March to War 
The Basic Issue is not of Taking Sides in Superpower Rivalry, it is of Durable Peace to Save Earth’s Life 
The Pentagon’s Budget from Hell 
“…I want poetry to be detonated like a bomb!” -Nathalie Quintane 
Bundelkhand Must Choose its Priorities Carefully 
Citizenship: Beyond the Forked Vision 
Caste-wise census is necessary for balanced development 
Tribal woman murdered after rape in Rohtas and strong protest demanding punishment of culprits 
Why Avoiding Catastrophic War is the Biggest Priority Today 
Labor in market, and the mainstream economics 
Serbia Shall Never Forget NATO Aggression, Vows Serb President 
Kerala’s New Public Health Bill 2023: Subservient to Market Forces rather than Deliberative Democracy 
The Piracy of Development – The 3-Ds: Dispossession, Displacement, Destitution 
The Contemporary Relevance of Rosa Luxemburg 
Does Court Judgement on Rahul Gandhi Breach Human Rights (Freedom of Expression) 
From Oslo to Sharm el-Sheik 
Is Washington now Khan’s Buddy? 
Nord Stream sabotage was to undercut Germany, says Seymour Hersh It Will Be Hard And Cost A Lot Of Blood For Ukraine To Kick Out Russians, Says Top U.S. General 
Saudi – Iran rapprochement: A chance for peace 
Day 30 of the NREGA Protest: Students and Activists Detained by the Delhi Police An Irrational Verdict? 
Trump Rot at the EPA 
AUKUS, the Australian Labor Party, and Growing Dissent 
Palestinians Don’t Exist? 
The Long Arm of Washington Extends Into Africa’s Sahel 
Radio Fatherland!! 
Bellies of the Rich Swell Further on the Back of Hunger 
The Big Picture And The Small – Part II 
2500 people urge Chief Minister of Karnataka to protect farmers, pastoralists and Dalits from Supreme injustice 
Our Global Water Crisis 
3.5 Million March Across France Opposing Macron’s Pension Reform 
Election Commission of India must question the presence political nominees on BEL’s and ECIL’s Boards 
Ihan Omar Introduces Legislation to Combat Islamophobia 
Narendra Modi’s Cricket Coup 
The Big Picture And The Small 
Prophesies, Then and Now – My Life at World’s End 
Our beloved K.P.Sasi is no more. Filmmaker, cartoonist, writer, mentor, friend and above all tireless activist championing the cause of every underdog, Sasi breathed his last, mid-afternoon this Christmas day – after battling a medical condition for months. I remember the last time I met him, almost exactly a month before he passed away, at the ayurvedic healing center in[Read More…]
