Beena Sarwar Prominent Islamic scholar Shahab Ahmed, originally from Pakistan, was laid to rest on Saturday morning at the historic Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his adopted home. Born in Singapore on Dec 11, 1966, he passed away on Sept 17, 2015 in Boston. Dr. Ahmed’s former student Suheil Laher, currently a lecturer on… Read More Shahab Ahmed, prominent Islamic scholar (1966-2015)
Santhosh Mathew “History often rewards those who speak for the voiceless,even when their words are unwelcome.”On his 200th birth anniversary, Dadabhai Naoroji stands tall not merely as a nationalist icon,but as a polymath, thinker, parliamentarian, social reformer, and above all, the conscience-keeper of colonial India. If today Shashi Tharoor reminds the world that India once… Read More Dadabhai Naoroji at 200: The Grand Old Man Who Exposed an Empire’s Loot
Dilip passed away at the age of 79, in Pune, after an eventful life. We first met in Kolkata in the mid 1970’s; and were comrades for over fifty years. He was a teacher of physics in Kolkata, always supportive of students; an active fighter for Adivasi rights and the Jharkhand movement; for contract labourers… Read More Dilip Hota. Jan 11, 1946 – Aug 12, 2025. Friend, comrade; companion of the underprivileged.
Goodbye Professor Naim By Vidya Rao Re-reading, now, his essay on ‘The Art of the Urdu Marsiya’, I realise once more what a wonderful teacher CM Naim must have been. I, sadly, never had the privilege of being his student. But, then to have known him briefly, even if only as an editor—that was privilege… Read More Remembering C.M. Naim, A Scholar Extraordinary. Vidya Rao and Shefalli Jha
They’re really sweet, they don’t look Palestinian.’ First posted January 22, 2013 When Barbara sings “Dis” to an absent lover, she is not just asking when he’ll return. She is showing she can get by without him. Alone is not that bad. There are other consolations. There is always music, that deathless hope. Barbara was… Read More “But children are the same, In Paris or in Goettingen.” The song that made history. Will someone sing for us?
Visionary filmmaker of eight Hindi movies, Guru Dutt (1925 – 1964) whose socially conscious work explored various human experiences left a cultural impact that continues to inspire generations. Jinhen Naaz Hai Hind Par – Guru Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Pyaasa Song By C. Uday Bhasker / Sapan News As film aficionados around Southasia and the diaspora remember… Read More Remembering Guru Dutt in his birth centenary year: A resurrected genius
After a life shaped by grief and resilience, Singh began running at 89 and became an icon of endurance and joy: “an icon of humanity and a powerhouse of positivity”. He died on July 14, at the age of 114 after being hit by a car in Beas Pind. Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru Esther Addley The… Read More When you get old, you become young again: Fauja Singh, the marathon man (1911-2025)
First posted July 07, 2015 Anil Nauriya NB: This is an important contribution to the historiography of Indian nationalism, and of socialist theorising in India. The paper is available online here: Non-violent Action and Socialist Radicalism: Narendra Deva in India’s freedom movement IntroductionThe dynamic that linked non-violent movements for Indian freedom in the first half… Read More Non-violent Action and Socialist Radicalism: Narendra Deva in India’s freedom movement
The major intellectual and moral preoccupations of philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, who died this week at the age of 96, speak to key issues of modernity and morality that leftists will be grappling with for a long time. Nick French: Alasdair MacIntyre Leaves a Legacy to Wrestle With lasdair MacIntyre, the preeminent moral philosopher known for… Read More Alasdair MacIntyre Leaves a Legacy to Wrestle With / Alasdair MacIntyre obituary
Irina Vyacheslavovna Rakobolskaya, physicist and second world war veteran, born 22 December 1919; died 22 September 2016 First posted October 17, 2016 Major Irina Rakobolskaya in the early 1940s During the second world war, Irina Rakobolskaya, who has died aged 96, was a member of the all-female Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Red Army that… Read More Irina Rakobolskaya Member of the all-female Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Red Army, dies at 96. RIP comrade
After the truth-shower 