Tipu Sultan: Fallacies and Facts around the Historical Figure in India
Tipu Sultan, also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was a renowned ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India from 1782 to 1799. He was known for his…
Life/Philosophy
A Call for Safe and Ethical AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) urges caution while employing extensive language model tools (LLMs) produced by artificial intelligence (AI) to protect and enhance human well-being, human safety, and human autonomy,…
On Doing the Most Important Thing
It may be considered a matter of the most ordinary wisdom, indeed of common sense, that given a choice between performing various tasks, we will choose to take up the…
Tribute to Mrinal Sen on Birth Centenary
On 14th May we commemorated the birth centenary of film maker Mrinal Sen. Mrinal Sen was the last surviving member of the famed trio of Bengali directors, Ray-Sen-Ghatak (Ritwik Ghatak),…
Demented Policing: Tasering the Elderly
Australia is a country addictively hostile to the elderly. Despite being a continent that speaks to immemorial origins, respect for those who age is uncommon. In The Lucky Country, that…
Sheetla Singh—Editor Who Became A Legend in his Lifetime
Sheetla Singh, the great Hindi editor from Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, breathed his last on May 16. He was 93, and was on duty till the last day in his editorial…
In memory of 50th anniversary of Killing of Monika Ertl
Monika Ertl was renowned for avenging the murder of Che Guevera. She was given the tag “the avenger of Che Guevara” for her efforts, a name that would create a…
Sentience: Does AI Have Artificial Consciousness?
There is a recent article, Why Conscious AI Is a Bad, Bad Idea, where the author stated that, "While some researchers suggest that conscious AI is close at hand, others, including…
The Coca-Cola-ization of ‘God Bless America’
“Whoever controls the information, controls the imagination.” --George Orwell “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” --Albert Einstein “Imagine there’s no countries… It isn’t…
Must Sentience Include Subjective Experience? Maybe Not
Consciousness is often defined by what it is like to be or what it means to have an experience, like seeing a color or hearing a sound. There are also…
Empowering Locals: The Vital Role of Local Businesses in Ecotourism Development
This paper considers the involvement of locals in various ecotourism businesses, which are an essential component of successful ecotourism initiatives in different areas. Ecotourism has the potential to contribute to…
Bhagat Singh, ‘the common hero of the subcontinent’
Bhagat Singh with a pseudo name of Balwanth Singh wrote an article titled ‘Viswa Premi’ in a Calcutta based Hindi weekly ‘Math Wala’. In that article he praised the Italian…
Bhagat Singh is an important symbol of resistance against injustice and oppression: Interview of Professor Chaman Lal
Chaman Lal, author of Life & Legend of Bhagat Singh (A Pictorial Volume), talked about his life’s work on the inspirational freedom fighter. The interview was taken by Rohan Datta.…
Towards an Alternative Education Path
An alternative education path (ATP) which is well integrated with the creation of a better and safer world is presented here. One part of ATP can be called Core 1…
Mental Health, Clinical Examination and Social Examination
If despite impressive increase in mental health facilities, mental health problems rise to almost an unprecedented extent in several advanced societies, it may be time to re-examine the entire perspective…
Dr. Ghulam Mohi ud Din first qualified medical doctor of Kashmir
Mufti Saud ud Din of famous Mufti Family of Wazpora had two sons, namely, Mufti Ghulam Mohi ud Din & Mufti Rafi ud Din. Mufti Saud ud Din was a…
125th birth anniversary of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was one of the most original and creative dramatists, poets, and thinkers of the twentieth century. An unorthodox Marxist who pioneered forms to integrate art and politics, during…
Yes, Millions of Lives Can Be Saved From Accidents Related Deaths
Accidents at world level result in millions of fatalities and serious injuries and constitute one of the most widespread causes of human distress. Of course fatal accidents cause the most…
Dr S Faizi: An untiring environmental champion of the global South
They used to call him ‘the young knight f the Third World’, but he was not pleased as he believed that was meant to weaken the credibility of his scientific…
Tribute to Harry Belafonte
The outstanding Jamaica-born artist, Civil Rights activist and internationalist, Harry Belafonte, died from congestive heart failure at age 96, a week ago, on April 25, 2023.A mascot of people’s emancipation…
Letter to Ranajit Guha
An advance 100th birthday greetings sent to Ranajit Guha by Sumanta Banerjee. Ranajit Guha breathed his last on 28th April 2023 at Vienna Woods in Austria just before his 100th…
AI’s Moral Mistress
The recent developments on artificial intelligence (AI) seem to move way too fast for way too many people. As a consequence, an AI moratorium – including a petition – has…
Ranajit Guha: A Tribute
Ranajit Guha breathed his last on 28th April 2023 at Vienna Woods in Austria. Indisputably, he was the greatest historian of the past century, and his passing away is an…
In memory of late Dipankar Chakraborty on 10th death anniversary
This year, on January 27th, democratic forces commemorated the 10th anniversary of late Professor Dipankar Chakraborty, the founding editor of the independent left Bangla journal Aneek and a stalwart of…
Chris Matlhako Obituary
Chris Matlhako left us on Thursday morning, 20 April 2023. He served as mascot to the entire liberation movement till he breathed his last, as well as the working-class across the…
Enigmatic Tarek Fatah (1949-2023): An Appraisal
Tarek Fatah was born in Pakistan and recently passed away in Toronto, Canada. I knew him since my arrival in Canada as an immigrant in 2002. He was the mentor,…
CPP Leaders Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria mercilessly executed
All democrats should unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the brutal torture and cowardly killing of CPP leaders Benito Tiamzon (and Wilma…
In defence of decolonial and disruptive curriculum
Universities are no longer producing critical mass to question power for social, political and economic transformation of society for greater common goods. Universities are no longer producing independent knowledge traditions…
Earthly Birthday Greetings to Stan Swamy in Heaven
Dear Stan, It is your birthday today here on earth! You would have completed eighty-six years, if you were around. Well, that was not to be; on 5 July 2021…
Kshama Sawant: Walking in the footsteps of Bhakna and Ambedkar
Kshama Sawant, who was declared as Radical Desi Person of the Year 2023 for being instrumental behind the historic ordinance to outlaw caste-based discrimination in Seattle, making it the first…
Let’s give Bhagat Singh his due on World Book Day
Often portrayed as a trigger happy radical, the towering Indian revolutionary should be remembered as a book lover, who continues to inspire many to read even today. Bhagat Singh was…
Teaching English to the sheep
In the context of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments introducing English medium in all Government schools to give confidence to the village children and teachers, Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd gave these…
Voluntary Simplicity—Least Heeded in Times When it is Most Needed
The concept of voluntary simplicity has been integral to some of the greatest human beings in all history and the inspirational value of their life and message influenced a very…
Harish Chandola— Endearing Writer Who Roamed the World in Search of Solutions to Complex Conflicts
Harish Chandola breathed his last on March 26. His life of 94 years, including over six decades of active work as a journalist as author, was full of highly energetic,…
Contributions of Charles Bettelheim
Charles Bettleheim was one of the most creative, analytical and illustrious intellectuals and economists of the last century, who made a path breaking contribution. Life Sketch Charles Bettelheim was born…
Alienation in Marxist Tradition
Since they were first published in the mid-nineteenth century, Karl Marx’s early writings on alienation have served as a radical touchstone in the fields of social and philosophical thought, generating…
Memory of Balraj Sahni on 50th Death anniversary
Today on April 13th we commemorate the 50th death anniversary of Balraj Sahni. Rarely has any actor let alone Indian actor as skilfully or as deeply immersed into the character…
Paresh Chattopadhyay (1927–2023): Singleness of Purpose
The eminent Marxian socialist scholar and critic of Lenin's Marxism, Paresh Chattopadhyay (PC) passed away on January 14, 2023, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was emeritus professor of political economy…
Ousmane Sembene: Senegalese Voice, Universal Vision
This essay is a brief exploration of the life, times and legacy of one of the most distinguished cultural figures of modern Africa – the Senegalese trade unionist, writer and…
We Are Living Through a Paradigm Shift in Our Understanding of Human Evolution
An interview with Professor Chris Stringer, one of the leading experts on human evolution. There’s a paradigm shift underway in our understanding of the past 4 million years of human…
One David, Three Goliaths
After so many years, I have forgotten his first name, but can readily recall in my mind’s eye the pint-sized lawyer with a clean, shaven face and a shining bald…
Dr. Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal honoured with Human Rights Journalism Award
Radical Desi has given its very first human rights journalism award to a senior Punjabi journalist. On Friday, March 31, at the commemorative event held for Bhai Balwant Singh Khurdpur…
Contribution of William Hinton as a Marxist Revolutionary
William Hinton was the most renowned American scholar on post-1949 China. With unflinching resilience he defended the positive or even path breaking achievements of China and the manner the Socialist…
Class, Caste And Communism: An Interview With J. Reghu
J Reghu is one of the most prominent and controversial public intellectuals in Kerala. Even in recent years, publications by Reghu have been either withdrawn due to pressure from the…
Commemorating 40th death anniversary and 120th birthday of Joan Robinson
2023 commemorates the fortieth year since the passing of Joan Robinson and her one-hundred-and-twentieth birth anniversary. Without doubt she was one of the most illustrative, logical and creative Marxist economists…
Sociological perspectives on mental health
There is more to mental health besides the absence of mental diseases. The WHO's definition of health, which is stated in its constitution, emphasizes the positive aspect of mental health:…
A Gandhian Solution To ‘Nuclearisation’
In a world defined by competition over cooperation, and the acquisition of arms prioritised over the pursuit of diplomacy, the threat of a nuclear weapon being used is higher than…
In memory of centenary of George Lukacs’s ‘History and Class Consciousness’
George Lukacs's “History and Class Consciousness” is a truly landmark work, and its English translation, after almost fifty years of neglect by English and American publishers, was a major development.…
History archives in Bikaner and Mumbai
A visit to the Maharashtra government archives in the historic Elphinstone college building Mumbai on March 29 was depressing. The archives are fine with their valuable records dating back to…
In memory of 35th death anniversary of Jaimal Singh Padda
On March 17th we commemorated the 35th martyrdom anniversary of Jaimal Singh Padda, who laid his life down in combating Sikh religious fundamentalism, and fell to bullets of Khalistani terrorists,…
In memory of Hugo Chavez on 10th death Anniversary
A few weeks s ago on March 5th, we commemorated the 10th death anniversary of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Without doubt one of the most progressive or impactful leaders in…
The Contemporary Relevance of Rosa Luxemburg
In August 1893, when the chair called on her to speak at a session of the Zurich Congress of the Second International, Rosa Luxemburg made her way without hesitation through…
Politics of Bhagat Singh’s trial
Biographical details of Bhagat Singh’s life have been the main concern of the very valuable work of many scholars and activists who want to portray him as a fearless revolutionary…
Altruism exists in nature, Reciprocal altruism in humans
For some obscure and hard-to-understand reason, man feels superior to everything else on Earth. The irony of it all is that we humans forget that we have evolved…
In memory of Anton Semyonovich Makarenko who championed democratic education
135 years ago, on March 13th 1888, world famous Soviet teacher and writer, Anton Semyonovich Makarenko (1888 - 1939) was born in the family of a painter, who studied…
Paulo Freire: Education, Schooling and Social Change
by Jyoti Raina and Mansi The work of Brazilian philosopher-educator Paulo Freire continues to have great relevance in the world today. Born to a middle-class family in Recife, in the…
In memory of Writer Han Suyin
Last November we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the death of Han Suyin who left us on November 2nd, in 2012. Apart from the gratuitous obituaries in official newspapers her…
In memory of Brazilian leader Sandra Lima
On March 6th, we commemorated the 67 th birthday of Sandra Lima. Sandra Lima‘s life was a manifestation of the spirit or creative energy of women to emancipate themselves from…
Adieu Paresh Chattopadhyay
The evergreen Marxian socialist scholar and critic of Marxism, Paresh Chattopadhyay (PC) left us on January 14, 2023, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, at age of 96.He was emeritus professor of…
Things to Learn from Daniel Ellsberg
I don’t want any new monuments to individuals to replace any ripped down for racism or other offenses. Individuals are deeply flawed — every single one of them, and morality…
Annual Subscription
Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us
