A Pathetic Apologist

NB: The pathos here is twofold, a transparent attempt to deceive; and an equally transparent ambition. The Pahalgam terrorist attack was a horrible and inhuman crime; and its perpetrators have not yet been arrested. However, the resultant outrage included expressions of communal hatred. These were referred to by none other than a bereaved person, the… Read More A Pathetic Apologist

Saving Tapor Pullom

The men disappearing along Arunachal Pradesh’s Chinese border Why would the PLA enter there? Why would they abduct Tapor? Did they chance upon him or were they waiting to ambush him? Was there something about Tapor that they did not know? Omkar Khandekar IN SEPTEMBER 2015, Tapor Pullom went hunting and never came back. A photo… Read More Saving Tapor Pullom

Punarchith (Re-Think). Reflections on a decade-long journey

Punarchith (‘Re-Think’) is a collective that focuses on evolving alternative perspectives and activities related to education, environment, democracy, and society. It seeks pathways and perspectives that would lead to ideas and learning for an equitable and just society. Its foundational premise is to evolve and engage with ideas that are suitable for everyday life in… Read More Punarchith (Re-Think). Reflections on a decade-long journey

Criminalising thought?

Ashoka University academic’s arrest shows how rapidly universities, once spaces for debate and discussion, are pushed towards restraint and silences. Deepanshu Mohan Wilhelm von Humboldt, a great liberal reformer and a humanist, once defined the university as “nothing other than the spiritual life of those human beings who are moved by external leisure or internal pressures… Read More Criminalising thought?

The Sole Reason Behind Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s Arrest Is That He Is a Muslim

The signal sought to be sent to Muslim intellectuals is clear: their right to free expression disappears if they criticise the government. If you are a Muslim, you may have the right to breathe – but even that is not guaranteed. What is certain is that you do not have the right to express your… Read More The Sole Reason Behind Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s Arrest Is That He Is a Muslim

Professor Ali Khan’s Arrest Raises Critical Questions on Free Speech, Liberty and the state of Indian Law & Justice

“It is preposterous that we have come to such a pass in India that even praising the army, albeit while criticizing those who clamour for war, can now invite such targeted harassment and attempted censorship,” read the letter signed by 1,200 academics. Mekhala Saran It should not matter that Ali Khan Mahmudabad is an empath, a friend… Read More Professor Ali Khan’s Arrest Raises Critical Questions on Free Speech, Liberty and the state of Indian Law & Justice

Our soldiers won the war for us – but politics and the media have undone their good work

Avay Shukla Going beyond the nit picking about the number of “assets” lost by India and Pakistan, it is now clear that we have inflicted significant losses on the latter. In doing so our defence forces have also demonstrated the technological and air power to enforce the Prime Minister’s stated resolve to extract a heavy… Read More Our soldiers won the war for us – but politics and the media have undone their good work

Spinning the Yogi

Vanguard and fringe Mukul Kesavan The zombification of right-wing publicists in contemporary India is a small but significant part of our intellectual history. When the Bharatiya Janata Party’s turn at the top comes to an end and the bruised republic shuffles back to the centre, historians of this political moment will explain why Right-leaning commentators… Read More Spinning the Yogi