Raghu Karnad According to the Mahabharata, the legendary city of Indraprastha was founded by the five Pandava brothers for their queen, Draupadi. Its wide streets and orchards surrounded a palatial hall, built by the demon-architect Maya, which appeared ‘like a mass of new clouds conspicuous in the sky’. The hall was ‘so rich and well built’… Read More Looking for Indraprastha
NB: This most perceptive essay on concepts of imperium was delivered at the Indian History Congress in 1991, and published by the Indian History Congress proceedings Vol. 52 (1991), pp. 831-887) The Soviet Union has just expired, and it seems only natural to know why. It appears as a failure; and to most it illustrates… Read More Madhavan Palat: Forms of Union – Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (1991)
January 22 has been projected as Victory Day. It is, of course, a victory, but not of the vibrant Hindu religious tradition, but of a majoritarian, exclusionist project that is deadly opposed to an inclusive, modern, and dynamic idea of India. The hurried consecration signifies not any vindication of Hinduism, but its appropriation by a… Read More The idea of Ram and the idea of India
NB: The only book by Greil Marcus that I’ve come across is The Dustbin of History; a set of incisive literary essays, mostly book reviews and cultural cum historical meditation. Well worth reading. As is this essay. DS whatever language is the language of your work, if I can move anyone else as that work… Read More Greil Marcus: Why I Write
GAZA casualties live statistics NB: The only thing I disagree with in this otherwise courageous statement is this: “Our governments’ current policies weaken their moral standing and undermine their ability to stand up for freedom, justice, and human rights globally.” I’ve commented on these issues many times but readers could see this and this. The… Read More Bifurcation point: More than 800 Western officials sign scathing criticism of Gaza policy
Letter to the Readers, Mainstream, Feb 3, 2024 Nitish Kumar’s Political hoppings and the INDIA bloc | P S Jayaramu Hindutva Fascism and the Future of Indian Politics | Kobad Ghandy Democratic fascism | Sukumaran C. V. The inauguration of the Ram Mandir by the Prime Minister of the country has fateful implications for constitutional democracy | Vijay Kumar… Read More Mainstream, February 3, 2023
मध्यमार्ग का अवसान : दिलीप सिमियन (Translated by Suman Keshari)The Broken Middle 1984 की हिंसात्मक घटनाओं को मुख्य रूप से सहमति की राजनीति और साझा भारतीय राष्ट्रवाद के आदर्श के विघटन के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए। जब साम्प्रदायिक शत्रुताएँ समाज में व्यापक रूप से फैलती हैं, तो वे (प्रत्यक्षतः अथवा अवचेतन ढंग से) सामाजिक चेतना को छिजाते… Read More मध्यमार्ग का अवसान: दिलीप सिमियन (EPW, November 2014)
न्याय व्यवस्था की स्वतंत्रता, जवाबदेही और सुधार” I प्रशांत भूषण I 1,657 views Premiered on 28 Jan 2024 पुण्यातील २२व्या लोकशाही उत्सवात तिसऱ्या दिवशी “न्याय व्यवस्था की स्वतंत्रता, जवाबदेही और सुधार” या विषयावर अॅड्. प्रशांत भूषण यांनी उपस्थितांशी संवाद साधला. #Prashantbhushan I #Demecracy Festival I Democracy Festival 2024 I LokshahiUtsav I #Nyay#Justice#chiefjusticeofindia#Lokshahi_Utsav_Pune#adani#CJI#RanjanGogoi Transcript Follow along… Read More न्याय व्यवस्था की स्वतंत्रता, जवाबदेही और सुधार I प्रशांत भूषण I
GAZA casualties live statistics See on YouTube: Gaza – where and how the horror of Palestine began United Nations Documentation on the Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem With the International Court of Justice having made is provisional finding on the issue of Gaza it seems even more imperative than ever that we understand… Read More Terry Bell, veteran South African journalist on the origins of the Palestine conflict
A short overview of Kojin Karatani’s Marxist influenced focus on modes of exchange as revealing the Borromean ring of Capital-Nation-State, and the import of this ring for religion. By Martin Shuster Kojin Karatani is one of the most interesting Marxist theorists of the last century. I put his work, as a form of “non-traditional” Marxism, in the… Read More Kojin Karatani’s theorising on modes of exchange and the ring of Capital-Nation-State
