Dreams of a Maoist India

NB: Over the past two decades I have written many commementaries on Indian Maoism, of which this one carries an inverted resonance with the article below. ‘Inverted’ because had the Naxalite movement organised a non-violent mass campaign in defence of the labouring poor, it would have achieved historic successes. It is a tragedy that the… Read More Dreams of a Maoist India

Who will be held accountable for exam paper leaks? Records show most get away / Impunity for exam leaks undermines trust

Number of exam leaks from 2002 to 2025 with candidate count above 1 lakh in each: 45 Number of cases that led to convictions: 2 Shyamlal Yadav, Jay Mazoomdaar For the 22 lakh medical college candidates forced to put their dreams on hold until the NEET UG retest on June 21, for the 4 lakh CBSE students… Read More Who will be held accountable for exam paper leaks? Records show most get away / Impunity for exam leaks undermines trust

Political parties must find common cause with youth, worker protests

NB: There have already been six student suicide cases like this one, in Nagpur. Lakhs of young Indians have seen their labours go to waste. It’s not just corruption and cynicism that affects our ruling establishment, but criminal irresponsibility. What a shame and tragedy. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased students. Students… Read More Political parties must find common cause with youth, worker protests

How Boeing and Air India’s role in India’s deadliest aviation disaster is being covered up

NB: The investigative report below is self-explanatory; and we owe the reporter a debt of gratitude. As for the government and industry executives, all I can say is this: what you are doing is beyond corruption, beyond criminality – it is evil disregard of human life. Please stop. So many lives have been destroyed, so… Read More How Boeing and Air India’s role in India’s deadliest aviation disaster is being covered up

How social media turned Indian film star Vijay into a political force / Podcast: Making sense of TVK’s victory: Why and how did Vijay win?

Anbarasan Ethirajan When pictures of Madhar Badhurudeen, campaigning in the recent assembly elections in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, emerged on social media, few thought he would stand a chance. Badhurudeen belongs to the political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), headed by film star-turned-politician Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay, popularly called Thalapathy (Commander) Vijay. He contested from the… Read More How social media turned Indian film star Vijay into a political force / Podcast: Making sense of TVK’s victory: Why and how did Vijay win?

3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics

Globally, over 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water infrastructure, increasing reliance on stored water that may contain microplastics. Microplastics may be the most significant environmental and health contaminant on Earth. Particles ranging in size from the 1/1 to 1/1,000th the width of human hair have been found virtually everywhere, including on the summit… Read More 3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics

Unveiling the RSS

Felix Pal December, 2025 For decades, two parallel understandings of the Sangh have been allowed to proliferate. The first sees the different constituents of the Sangh as inchoately and fuzzily connected, strung together only by a shared ideological goal… The second, on the other hand, understands the Sangh as, in fact, less shaped by conformity… Read More Unveiling the RSS

Linguistic cruelty and beyond

How unemployment, addiction, and frustration are turning youth into society’s unwanted category. by Ashraf Zainabi Every modern society has two lists. The first list contains creatures it wants to protect, dogs, butterflies, pandas, dolphins, snow leopards, motivational speakers, billionaires pretending to be simple, and occasionally trees, but mostly on environment day. The second list contains creatures… Read More Linguistic cruelty and beyond