Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh: Put fire back into firewood / The Ultimate expression: Muktibodh’s poem, “Andhere Mein”

Apoorvanand “ Why did Muktibodh  became uniquely significant in the summer of 1964? Why did …almost all the weeklies, monthlies and dailies started introducing him to their readers?” Fifty years ago, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, asked this question in the preface to Chand Ka Munh Tedha hai, the first anthology of poems of Muktibodh being compiled. Muktibodh then,… Read More Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh: Put fire back into firewood / The Ultimate expression: Muktibodh’s poem, “Andhere Mein”

Dilip

Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry / Leading Israeli citizens call for an end to state-sponsored ‘Jewish terrorism’

A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel’s deliberate targeting of children is part of the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Leading Israeli citizens call for an end to state-sponsored ‘Jewish terrorism’ A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel continues to deliberately target and kill Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, war crimes and… Read More Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry / Leading Israeli citizens call for an end to state-sponsored ‘Jewish terrorism’

Dilip

Carlo Ginzburg: a historian who taught us to think about outsiders

The work of one of Italy’s greatest scholars focused on ordinary lives oppressed by power and prejudice. That approach resonates today Guardian Editorial Reflecting on the genesis of his most famous work, Carlo Ginzburg wrote that by immersing himself in the trial of a 16th-century miller burned by the Roman Inquisition, he turned a possible… Read More Carlo Ginzburg: a historian who taught us to think about outsiders

Dilip

22 June 1941: the 85th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union

Adam Tooze Chartbook 453 Today marks the 85th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa – the opening of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Twenty years ago I published the following passage on the first months of that unprecedentedly bloody campaign, in Wages of Destruction: On 22 June 1941, the Third Reich launched not only the most… Read More 22 June 1941: the 85th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union

Dilip

The Belfast riots, Palestine Action protests. What is terrorism now – and why the hypocrisy?

George Monbiot “If you are targeting people on the basis of the colour of their skin,” the Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, asked last week, “how else can you describe them? That is racist thuggery.” It is. But there is another way of describing the actions of the rioters burning people out of their homes in… Read More The Belfast riots, Palestine Action protests. What is terrorism now – and why the hypocrisy?

Dilip

Recollection 2026 

A course on history and philosophy in Delhi This is the second offering in the Recollection Series. The first Recollection lectures were offered in August 2025. Prof. Dilip Simeon is a historian and a teacher with five decades of teaching experience. He has taught at Ramjas College (University of Delhi); at Ashoka University; and campuses abroad. His doctoral… Read More Recollection 2026 

Dilip

Wake up

Wake up: Song by Arcade Fire – 2004 Somethin’ filled upMy heart with nothin’Someone told me not to cry Now that I’m olderMy heart’s colderAnd I can see that it’s a lie Children, wake upHold your mistake upBefore they turn the summer into dust If the children don’t grow upOur bodies get bigger but our… Read More Wake up

Dilip

Trump in Defeat

The president went to war triumphant and will likely leave greatly weakened. By Jonathan Lemire President Trump lost. The war he waged against Iran promises to conclude in a humbling whimper with the signing of a cease-fire agreement later this week. The United States is left weaker—diminished militarily, strategically, economically, and perhaps morally. The war, which… Read More Trump in Defeat

Dilip

Ayodhya’s Ram Temple And Six Past Charges of Alleged Corruption / यही है राम की मर्यादा? 200 करोड़ के चंदे की डकैती होती रही, और किसी को ख़बर नहीं?

New Delhi: Over the years, the construction and management of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya under the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust – at the site of the demolished Babri Mosque – has been the subject of several intense financial controversies, including allegations of corruption in handling of funds and allocation of land. The latest… Read More Ayodhya’s Ram Temple And Six Past Charges of Alleged Corruption / यही है राम की मर्यादा? 200 करोड़ के चंदे की डकैती होती रही, और किसी को ख़बर नहीं?

Dilip