as India is fast moving towards some sort of electoral autocracy, we are witnessing a new kind of crisis emanating from the virus of ‘anti-intellectualism’. Don’t think critically. Don’t question the establishment. Accept the dominant discourse of development, nationalism and religion. Is it, therefore, surprising that even the slightest trace of dissent is criminalised? Avijit… Read More The spirit of the university under threat
NB: Congratulations, Bhimraj, for standing up to oppression and injustice. Human dignity can never be destroyed. Regradless of your admission to Oxford, you deserved just and fair treatment. Our university authorities need to understand that education is the awakening of the human spirit. Unfortunately they often behave as if they are aiming at the very… Read More From South Asian University Expulsion To Oxford Finally, I Can Tell My Story
Bharat Bhushan With an eye on the general elections, the government’s communication policy has diversified from TV and print media to include social media influencers. Individuals with large followings on social media will get government funding to promote the government’s leadership and programmes either directly or through advertisements. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology… Read More Govt employing influencers: Death knell for professional news media?
Apoorvanand What happened to Professor Tejaswini Desai of Kolhapur can happen to anyone in the teaching community. It tells you of the perils of being a teacher in India of our times. Teachers can no longer assume that the class is over after the stipulated period of 55 or 60 minutes. Whatever transpired in the… Read More Witch-hunt against Tejaswini Desai highlights dangers of being a teacher in India today
The eminent journalist’s fearless reporting on India under Narendra Modi cost him his job and freedom. Now broadcasting to millions on YouTube, he is the subject of a new documentary Tim Adams Ravish Kumar was born near the same Indian city – Motihari in Bihar – as George Orwell. In his early years as a TV journalist… Read More ‘Resistance is possible’: Ravish Kumar, the broadcaster risking his life to tell the truth about India today
More than 500 scientists, academicians and students have written to the Bengaluru-based IISc expressing dismay over the cancellation of a discussion on anti-terror law UAPA that was to be led by student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita. Student activists Asif Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal outside Tihar jail after a court ordered… Read More Indian Institute of Science cancels talk on UAPA, over 100 academics, students protest
Last week, the Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui faced trolling after she asked Narendra Modi about discrimination against minorities in India. The White House on Monday said the online harassment of journalist Sabrina Siddiqui, who asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi a question at a press conference last week, was completely unacceptable. On June 23, Modi had taken… Read More White House condemns harassment of journalist who questioned PM Modi
Hamid Mir I am not a big fan of Imran Khan. I have long criticised Pakistan’s former prime minister, but now it is becoming difficult to do so. There is a de facto ban on referring to him in the media, meaning we are no longer allowed to mention his name or show his picture. Pakistani… Read More I literally cannot say Imran Khan’s name on Pakistani TV – this madness has to end
Xu Zhiyong’s dream is for China to become a democratic country that is “beautiful, free, fair and happy.” It is a simple wish, yet in the eyes of the authorities, his vision is dangerous and subversive. The 50-year-old human rights lawyer and champion of social equality was sentenced to 14 years in jail earlier this month, along with fellow… Read More How one man went from China’s Communist party golden child to enemy of the state
Michael Harriot When Tennessee lawmakers expelled two Black legislators from the state’s Republican-dominated house of representatives, pundits described the decision as “stunning” and “historic”. Joe Biden called it “shocking, undemocratic and without precedent”. The New York Times characterized it as “an extraordinary act of political retribution”. Sorry, have you met America? This tragic comedy always has the… Read More Removing Black lawmakers is voter suppression – and the US has done it for centuries
After the truth-shower 