The Oceanic Circle: Talk on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birthday

NB: This is the text of the talk I delivered on October 2 at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. DS The bane of our life is our exclusive provincialism, whereas my province must be co-extensive with the Indian boundary so that ultimately it extends to the boundary of the earth. Else it perishes – Mahatma Gandhi,… Read More The Oceanic Circle: Talk on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birthday

Historical Origins of the War in Palestine: Lecture by Madhavan K. Palat

Historical Origins of the War in Palestine GAZA casualties, live statistics United Nations Documentation on the Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide The war in Palestine has three players: Israel; the USA, with its European satellites fully backing Israel; and Palestinians, isolated, a people… Read More Historical Origins of the War in Palestine: Lecture by Madhavan K. Palat

Daniel Berrigan, Defiant Priest Who Preached Pacifism Dies at 94 (2016) / Catonsville 9 Statement written by Dan Berrigan, S.J.

First posted May 01, 2016 NB: The Berrigan brothers represent the best in the tradition of non-violent resistance to war and bellicose nationalism. Here is what they said in a public statement issued at the height of the Vietnam war, in 1968:  “We confront the Catholic Church, other Christian bodies and the synagogues of America with their… Read More Daniel Berrigan, Defiant Priest Who Preached Pacifism Dies at 94 (2016) / Catonsville 9 Statement written by Dan Berrigan, S.J.

‘Education of hatred’: Killing of Japanese boy sparks soul searching in China over rising nationalism

A rare statement issued last week by dozens of Chinese people living in Japan condemned the assault and called for reflections on the “underlying causes.” “The extreme nationalist hate education against Japan has been prevalent in China for a long time. It has obscured some Chinese people’s understanding of Japan, and even indulged ignorance and evil,” the statement… Read More ‘Education of hatred’: Killing of Japanese boy sparks soul searching in China over rising nationalism

‘Revolutionaries on Trial’ by Aparna Vaidik: Insightful new look at revolutionary past

Revolutionaries on Trial Reviewed by Harish Jain Aparna Vaidik, a professor of history at Ashoka University, is among the few scholars genuinely and keenly interested in the stories of revolutionaries who, through their extraordinary deeds, captured the imagination of a disheartened nation but were subsequently marginalised. Over more than a decade of fieldwork, she has… Read More ‘Revolutionaries on Trial’ by Aparna Vaidik: Insightful new look at revolutionary past

Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Portuguese diplomat saved thousands from Holocaust and was punished by his government (2020)

Eighty years ago, a middle-aged, mid-ranking diplomat sank into deep depression and watched his hair turn grey in days, as he saw the streets of Bordeaux filling with Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis… Among those who escaped occupied France thanks to his visas were Salvador Dalí, filmmaker King Vidor, members of the Rothschild family and… Read More Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Portuguese diplomat saved thousands from Holocaust and was punished by his government (2020)