Madhu Sudan Chatterjee The word ’Sir’ in some areas of West Bengal represents officers of microfinance institutions (MFIs) who come to collect money from low-income families. If these families cannot pay, they are allegedly met with continued threats. In some ways, this was depicted in a 2017 movie by Nila Madhab Panda called ’Kadvi Hawa’.… Read More Microfinance Institutions in West Bengal: A Death Trap?
Alan Morinis In February, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, had expressed his great joy at the revival of the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in the locality of Tribeni in Hooghly district, West Bengal. At the time, Modi said, “[D]o you know why it is so special? It is special, since this practice has been revived after… Read More Toxic agenda
Debayan Roy The Supreme Court Wednesday came down upon the Manipur High Court for its recent judgment which had called for inclusion of the Meetei/ Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list. The judgment had triggered violent clashes between tribal and non-tribal communities. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said… Read More Manipur Violence: SC pulls up Manipur High Court for judgment to include Meitei community in ST list
Head of the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan said he had moved a petition before Allahabad High Court alleging the government action violated an earlier high court order. Piyush Srivastava Uttar Pradesh government officials and police allegedly barged into a non-government institution that propagates Gandhian values in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, and said they were… Read More UP govt officials ‘takeover’ non-government institution that propagates Gandhian values
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, state president of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan), has said that Dr. Navsharan, writer, democratic rights activist, a staunch supporter of people’s struggles and the daughter of renowned playwright Late Gursharan Singh, is being targeted by the Modi government for speaking out the truth. In continuation with series of attack on intellectuals… Read More Modi government should keep its hands off Dr. Navsharan – J. S. Ugrahan
Bharat Bhushan Union minister of state for law and justice, Satyapal Singh Baghel, made a statement that there were very few tolerant Muslims, and even those who appear to be tolerant use it as “a mask” to stay in public life; to become governors, vice presidents and vice-chancellors. Nobody reacted; not the Opposition parties, not… Read More Indian Union Minister’s hate speech about Muslims liable for prosecution
Mukul Kesavan To watch an election show as an anti-majoritarian spectator in the time of Narendra Modi is a traumatic business for two reasons. One, you mostly lose and two, sometimes even the ones you win, you lose. There was a moment during the Karnataka results show when the Congress’s leads dropped to a bare… Read More BJP-bin Dakshin
The BJP has grown and thrived by evoking the worst in this country’s citizens. It cannot be the presumption that what has been evoked, and what is on display, will disappear on its own by not facing up to it. This is just wishful thinking. What is the point of an opposition that is afraid… Read More The call for banning the Bajrang Dal shows rare electoral courage
This May, The Caravan’s work has been recognised by two institutes. Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center has awarded us the Shorenstein Journalism Award for 2023 for our steadfast coverage that champions accountability and media independence. “Despite intimidation and harassment from the government, The Caravan continues to document the erosion of democracy and… Read More The Caravan awarded Stanford University’s Shorenstein Journalism Award for 2023
NB: This is the result of the relentlessly divisive politics of India’s ruling establishment. They have no principle other than ‘divide and rule.’ When sections of officialdom go along with this policy, they are doing nothing less than defile the Indian Constitution. The irreparable consequences of this policy will be felt for a long time.… Read More ‘Everything is gone’: entire Indian villages burned in ethnic violence
After the truth-shower 