Remembering Guru Dutt in his birth centenary year: A resurrected genius

Visionary filmmaker of eight Hindi movies, Guru Dutt (1925 – 1964) whose socially conscious work explored various human experiences left a cultural impact that continues to inspire generations. Jinhen Naaz Hai Hind Par – Guru Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Pyaasa Song By C. Uday Bhasker / Sapan News As film aficionados around Southasia and the diaspora remember… Read More Remembering Guru Dutt in his birth centenary year: A resurrected genius

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Sadegh Hedayat on Religion, Power, and Manufactured Ignorance

Siyavash Shahabi The struggle against religious superstition and the effort to sever the bond between religion and power have deep roots in Iran. Contrary to the widespread belief that secularism is purely a Western or modern phenomenon, Iranian history is rich with Enlightenment-driven efforts that have criticized religion not as a matter of faith, but… Read More Sadegh Hedayat on Religion, Power, and Manufactured Ignorance

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When you get old, you become young again: Fauja Singh, the marathon man (1911-2025)

After a life shaped by grief and resilience, Singh began running at 89 and became an icon of endurance and joy: “an icon of humanity and a powerhouse of positivity”. He died on July 14, at the age of 114 after being hit by a car in Beas Pind. Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru Esther Addley The… Read More When you get old, you become young again: Fauja Singh, the marathon man (1911-2025)

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Communiqué issued by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in Gaza

NB: The last lines of this Communiqué read: The Latin Patriarchate remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned. This the first time in nineteen months of genocidal mania unleashed by Israel that any religious institution has issued… Read More Communiqué issued by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in Gaza

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GSI’s Handbook on Northeast India Masks Extraction Behind Technicalities

NB: Congratulations to Bonojit, a former Ramjas College student; for his groundbreaking research and activism. DS The handbook casts the Northeast as a mineral-rich periphery, that is “underexplored” and ideal for private investment. Since March this year, around 55,000 bighas of land across Assam have either been cleared or marked for eviction. Of this, only… Read More GSI’s Handbook on Northeast India Masks Extraction Behind Technicalities

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India’s leadership aspiration of Global South suffers a credibility gap

The Global South is also well aware of the burgeoning India-Israel ties — India is the largest purchaser of Israeli arms, and its current rulers want to emulate Israel in more ways than one. While India walked a tightrope, China asserted its leadership. If India continues to avoid taking a stand on contentious issues by sidestepping them, its opportunistic… Read More India’s leadership aspiration of Global South suffers a credibility gap

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Global inequality is the World Bank’s elephant in the room

The World Bank says it can fight poverty through technical solutions. But poverty is inherently political Alf Gunvald Nilsen The future of work and the future of poverty are closely bound up with each other. Global value chains, those webs of firms criss-crossing the world that collectively bring products to market, have driven economic growth… Read More Global inequality is the World Bank’s elephant in the room

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Ideas of India Archive

First posted November 29, 2019 NB: This is a magnificient contribution to Indian historiography. Rahul Sagar and his collaborators deserve the thanks of the Indian public and indeed of all those interested in an honest exploration of the past. DS Starting in the early nineteenth century, ambitious Indians began flocking to newly-founded schools and colleges offering instruction… Read More Ideas of India Archive

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No Cheese Please

Anthony Grafton The Study: The Inner Life of Renaissance Libraries by Andrew Hui The Librarian’s Atlas: The Shape of Knowledge in Early Modern Spain by Seth Kimmel Libraries​ were all the rage in Renaissance Europe, and no wonder. Theatres of knowledge, grandly decorated and proudly displayed, they hosted dramas of many kinds. Learned men used them for lively conversation on such… Read More No Cheese Please

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Pratap Bhanu Mehta: Once upon a time there was another public, another India

First posted November 29, 2019 The single best thing ever written on the idea of the university in India is Ashutosh Mukherjee’s Convocation Address to Mysore University in 1916, and published in the now inaccessible Dacca Review (October 1918). It literally anticipates every single debate we have on the idea of the university – from… Read More Pratap Bhanu Mehta: Once upon a time there was another public, another India

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