Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

Mukul Kesavan – Kumbh vs Corona The logic of Hindu nationalism / Milind Murugkar: The political project of Hindutva is up against many contradictions

The government’s willingness to hold the Kumbh Mela in the middle of the worst health emergency in a hundred years and its unwillingness to curtail it despite a tsunami of second wave Covid infections raise an interesting question. Is Narendra Modi a rational actor on his own terms? Rational, here, doesn’t mean ‘secular’ or ‘progressive’.… Read More Mukul Kesavan – Kumbh vs Corona The logic of Hindu nationalism / Milind Murugkar: The political project of Hindutva is up against many contradictions

Dilip

Nine Things BJP Leaders Said Recently About the Pandemic / Sakshi Joshi: Oxygen tanker ड्राइवर ने खोल दी पोल, किसानों के ख़िलाफ़ दुष्प्रचार

Nine Things BJP Leaders Said Recently About the Pandemic – But Shouldn’t Have #COVID19​ #CovidIndia​ #COVIDEmergency2021​It has been 414 days since the World Health Organisation (WHO) first declared COVID-19 infections to be a pandemic and 389 days since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the country that “21 days” of lockdown was all that was needed… Read More Nine Things BJP Leaders Said Recently About the Pandemic / Sakshi Joshi: Oxygen tanker ड्राइवर ने खोल दी पोल, किसानों के ख़िलाफ़ दुष्प्रचार

Dilip

Melissa Godin: The rise of the border and surveillance industry

Companies that profit from selling surveillance technologies and border services to governments are actively lobbying countries to adopt more militaristic approaches to migration. In fact, the border and surveillance industry is now so profitable that it has become a key commodity for major investment companies such as the Vanguard Group, BlackRock, or Capital Research Management, who invest… Read More Melissa Godin: The rise of the border and surveillance industry

Dilip

Val Munduruku: How I took the fight to save the Amazon to the world stage

We see how our forests are turning into large mud pools. We see how the sources of our rivers are silting up and how their courses are diverting. We see how the tree shadows begin to disappear, how the harvested fruits are diminishing, and how the crystalline water of the Tapajós River, of the igarapés – the… Read More Val Munduruku: How I took the fight to save the Amazon to the world stage

Dilip

China calls these Uyghur parents 'terrorists' without evidence. But they say they just want to be with their children again

Three Uyghur parents who publicly appealed to Beijing to let their children leave China have been accused, without evidence, of child abandonment and terrorism by the Chinese government. In separate statements, all three denied the allegations and called on Chinese authorities to allow their families to reunite. In March, CNN revealed the stories of two Uyghur families torn apart… Read More China calls these Uyghur parents 'terrorists' without evidence. But they say they just want to be with their children again

Dilip

Apoorvanand: Government attempts to equate a belligerent state with a desperate citizenry / Ramachandra Guha: 'Modi's Leadership Main Reason for COVID Mishandling, He's a Megalomaniac'

Why did the government not call an all-party meeting or convene Parliament to seek advice and cooperation from the entire political class when the pandemic was knocking on our doors? How is the Opposition expected to contribute in this battle? All the resources are concentrated in the hands of the Centre in the name of disaster management.… Read More Apoorvanand: Government attempts to equate a belligerent state with a desperate citizenry / Ramachandra Guha: 'Modi's Leadership Main Reason for COVID Mishandling, He's a Megalomaniac'

Dilip

Sally Bayley: The Shakespeare tragedy that truly speaks to us now

In 2021, as we approach Shakespeare’s putative birthday tomorrow, there are more profound reasons why his character is pertinent. During this difficult year of lockdowns and isolation, Falstaff has emerged in my mind as a potent symbol of dispossession and social misfortune    There may be Shakespeare characters who are more celebrated, or whose tragedies… Read More Sally Bayley: The Shakespeare tragedy that truly speaks to us now

Dilip