After Amit Shah reiterating his position on the need for simultaneous elections, it was Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat’s turn to voice his opinion on the same. He said at most eight states can vote with Lok Sabha, given our logistical issues and emphasised as to how it is possible if all the parties agree to it. It is[Read More…]
Carl Schmitt, renowned for his wide ranging critique of liberalism, once famously said,” All true politics is based on the distinction between a friend and an enemy.” Explicating his concept of the ‘political’, Schmitt further argues that it is not possible to analyse a thing from a non-political or a post-political prism. He uses the friend-enemy binary to underline this[Read More…]
As the BJP dipped below hundred seats in the recently concluded election in Gujarat, it was nervousness and not a sense of triumph that absorbed the party supporters at large. The word ‘vikas’ was wilfully abandoned during the campaigns and ‘Gujarat model’ was convincingly voted out in rural Gujarat. A lot has been rightly said about the glaring limitations of[Read More…]
“We condemn the killing of Gauri Lankesh.” “Culprits will be taken under arrest.” ” They will not be spared.” “Justice will be served”. Welcome to the world of Indian platitudes. A place where public life merrily wallows in a framework of banal statements. There is no element of this public life left wherein the forces of subterfuge couched in a[Read More…]
Hate speech, lynching, mob violence, ransacking public property etcetera have become a part and parcel of our daily lives. The right wing cultural brigade of the Sangh Parivar increasingly finds itself at the very centre of all such episodes. At the same time, there is little clarity among people about who exactly does the “dirty work” for a particular party[Read More…]
One month after the demonetization decision, things have become more complicated and messy. The Aam Aadmi who was suppose to benefit from it still finds herself bemused in all walks of life. Whether the move has any long term benefits is something that is fiercely getting debated. At the same time, the average Indian news consumer has also been infantilized[Read More…]
” Success ke piche mat bhago…excellence…excellence ka picha karo…success jhak maarke tumhare pass ayegi..” – Amir Khan, 3 Idiots. At a time when catastrophic events are happening around us, be it the jaw-dropping victory of Donald Trump or the ongoing chaos in India after the demonetization episode, why did I stumble upon this ‘success-excellence’ thought now? With the refugee[Read More…]
We all constantly hear the lament of how our education system is in a mess. Education today is no more about exploring new ideas, seeking multiple forms of knowledge and an eagerness to get introduced to hitherto unknown terrains of intellectual wealth. Job security precludes the possibility of[Read More…]
October 2, like all public holidays, is cherished as a token appreciation for the reason behind the holiday. Can we try and make a modest effort to move beyond this ennui of arrogance for understanding Gandhi, the phenomenon? What does Gandhi mean for us in the 21st[Read More…]
The Kashmir unrest refuses to show any signs of decline. Innocent Kashmiris are getting caught unawares to the incessant sprinkling of pellets toward them. The hyper patriot news channels look all but certain to mobilize people to attack the numero uno rogue State of South Asia. And in response, the equally genuflecting audience for this baying-for-the-others-blood journalism is gearing up[Read More…]
One more uprising in the Kashmir valley, one more scenario where people suddenly realize the gravity of the issue is here. The political ferment is ubiquitous, the ham handed approach of the State is self evident and the multiple local stakeholders have found themselves in a state of profound chaos and bewilderment. The[Read More…]
” I go about the world, hand out-stretched, and in the stadium I plead : ‘ A pretty move, for the love of God.’ And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.” – Eduardo Galeano. Watching as a neutral spectator, this is exactly what I[Read More…]
Knowledge is empowering. It is enriching. It keeps you aware, makes one conversant with issues and broadens your horizon in a rapidly changing world. Seen through a traditional framework, it is normally seen as something that gets imparted through the written words. Oral communication has had its vital share in broadening the horizons of knowledge as seen in[Read More…]
The recent “lone wolf” attack at a gay night club in Orlando which saw 50 people being brutally killed has sent shock waves across the globe. The incident has rightly been condemned from politicians to ordinary people in no uncertain terms. However, the outpouring of condolence has seen a parallel political development that was quick to point fingers on how[Read More…]
The advent of the Arab Spring marked a cataclysmic shift in the way Middle East was perceived across the globe. The Arabs living in the complex countries of this region suddenly saw their hitherto dormant lives brimming with new hopes and aspirations. Chaos, mayhem and bloodshed on an unimaginable scale had seen four dictators being ruthlessly toppled from their seat[Read More…]
G20 Biofuel Alliance threatens Food security 
Thousands Of Auto Workers Strike In Three U.S. Plants, Face Financial Hardship 
Submission To Australian National Anti-Corruption Commission, NACC: Mainstream Media Lying 
In The Name of Decolonization 
Is This the End of French Neo-Colonialism in Africa? 
Tel Aviv’s Losing Brands: Israeli ‘Coup’ and the Death of False Democracy 
Tackling Global Emergencies – UN International Day of Peace 
The Futility of Feudalistic Democracy 
Bayer over-riding Bhartiya Krishi 
Pulwama Bombing 14th February 2019: Unanswered Questions 
Himalayan Apple Growers Worried Over Increasing Threat from Imports 
After protests in flood-hit Derna, Libyan officials order journalists to leave 
International Day of Peace: Fostering Harmony and Unity in a World of Diversity 
More Butterflies, Fewer Billionaires — Unrigging the Global Economy 
Veganic Farming: How My Tiny Plot Produced 5,000 Pounds of Food Without Using Manure 
Fighting the Diaspora: India’s Campaign Against Khalistan 
CAIR Files Lawsuit to End Islamophobic No Fly List 
N.D.Mahanor, The Poet Who Taught Us to See Culture in Agriculture 
Dark and light streaks in India-China relations 
Why the Central Government Should Rush Special Aid Package for Himachal Pradesh 
Special Session: Another Image-Boosting Move? 
Eddelu ( Wake up) Karnataka: The Great Citizen’s Wall Against BJP 
Urgency of Improving Dam Safety Re-Emphasized in Libya and Ukraine 
Climate Crisis Threatens Largest U.S. Cities 
Little Amal Entertains and Informs on Refugee Children’s Strife 
Google Trial Must Fuel the Global Movement Against Digital Capitalism 
Linking Aadhaar With NPR Records: Is it Based on Informed Consent? 
In the debates before 2024 Elections in India, Agenda for Justice, Peace, Democracy and Environment Most Needed 
US imperialist hypocrisy and the Libyan flood 
Some Remarks on Russia in Global Politics Today 
A climate of Insanity 
Brief for Murder: Pinochet’s Apologists Five Decades On ‘Epidemic’ or Revolution: The Other Side of the West Africa Upheaval 
White Nationalism and Donald Trump 
How Arab Leaders Betrayed Islam and Defied the Logic of Political Change, Peace and Security? 
Providing Schools for the Most Marginalized Children in Remote Villages 
Three Former French Sahel Colonies Form Military Alliance 
Resisting Genetically Mutilated Food and the Eco-Modern Nightmare: Together, ‘Just You and Me’ 
Ramasamy Naicker Periyar’s Uttar Pradesh connection 
The Bicycle-Selected Writings on Bicycle 
My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
