Tag: History

The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: Inquiry Commission Report (1969)

There are still people who admire Nathuram Godse for shooting an unarmed old man at point blank range in a prayer meeting.. After all, modern society is awash with extremist beliefs, including support for suicide bombers and vigilante violence. Extremism has taken centre-stage in the guise of communal ideology and prejudices. People in high office believe… Read More The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi: Inquiry Commission Report (1969)

Dilip

Andha Yug by Dharamvir Bharati (1953): Theatre of Roots

The story of the Kurukshetra war echoes the horrors of Partition in the play. In Dharamvir Bharati’s pathbreaking Hindi play, Andha Yug (1953), the story of the Kurukshetra war echoes the horrors of Partition, both encapsulated in the cry, “What is this peace you have given us, god”. Andha Yug achieved iconic status: Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru watched a production… Read More Andha Yug by Dharamvir Bharati (1953): Theatre of Roots

Dilip

It is time for Punjabis to atone for the sins of 1947

no one speaks, really, of their own crimes. Seventy-five years on, the ruling political elites of all communities – Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims – and the governments of both nations show a complete unwillingness to acknowledge their own misdeeds.. NB: I salute Amarjit Chandan for fearlessly upholding truth and humanity. Thank you Amarjit sb. Dilip AMARJIT… Read More It is time for Punjabis to atone for the sins of 1947

Dilip

On the anniversary of partition, let’s consign the pitiless logic of Hindu v Muslim to the past

Pankaj Mishra and Ali Sethi In a remarkable document from the 13th century, a Sufi writer records his epiphany about the prophet Muhammad granting permission to music in India. Quoting an enigmatic utterance of the prophet (“I sense the breath of the Merciful coming from Yemen”), he speculates that the “Yemen” in question is not just the… Read More On the anniversary of partition, let’s consign the pitiless logic of Hindu v Muslim to the past

Dilip

The Cultural Revolution in Tibet: A Photographic Record. By LUO SILING

In 1999, the Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser came across Wang Lixiong’s book “Sky Burial: The Fate of Tibet.” On finishing it, she sent Mr. Wang photographs taken by her father, who was with the People’s Liberation Army when it entered Tibet in the 1950s and documented the early years of the Cultural Revolution in Lhasa in the 1960s.… Read More The Cultural Revolution in Tibet: A Photographic Record. By LUO SILING

Dilip

Conversation with Lawrence Lifschultz (2014): The reporter who investigated the assassination of Mujibur Rahman

there are indications that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia may have had prior knowledge that the coup d’etat would take place. Both countries recognised the “Islamic Republic of Bangladesh” very soon after Mujib’s death. Clearly, this represented some level of coordination between Islamabad and Riyadh. The coincidence is simply too coincidental… Lawrence Lifschultz has been writing… Read More Conversation with Lawrence Lifschultz (2014): The reporter who investigated the assassination of Mujibur Rahman

Dilip

Ramachandra Guha: Reading about Mussolini’s Italy in Modi’s India

I read a lot of biographies, these often set in other countries than my own. A book I have just finished is Benedetto Croce and Italian Fascism, by the Canadian scholar, Fabio Fernando Rizi. It uses the life of a great philosopher to tell a larger story of the times he passed through. Reading Rizi’s book,… Read More Ramachandra Guha: Reading about Mussolini’s Italy in Modi’s India

Dilip