Death of a mother
A rogue truck, unloading its gold,
Has dashed against a leaning wall,
And under its debris the mother
Has got a clean burial.
Freevoice
I write because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, said George Orwell. As a writer, I never kowtow to the whims and dictates of the sacred godmen or godwomen, the political bigots and hypocrites, dealers of laymen, the dishonest and self-serving intellectuals, traders of religions, the betrayers of ‘other’ Indians who eke out a living by their sweat, who are living in fear for being lynched for this and that.
Emigration: The hidden catalyst behind the rise of the radical right in Europe’s depopulating regions
In fact, looking at elections over two decades, we found that it was in municipalities that lost population that the radical right was able to score big gains.
Waiting for work
It attests to the condition of the labourers who wait at city's corners to seek a hand that may hire them for the day.
Today’s meal
A cuckoo is calling from a nearby neem tree,a dozen naked children are catchingdragonflies in the sun, unaware of the everyday wartheir beaters fight On the mud floor resta packet of potato,a packet of cheap rice,a tiny bottle of mustard…
What a second Trump presidency might mean for the rest of the world
Another Trump presidency threatens to deepen US isolationism and backslide on US commitments to international bodies
Rethinking Lenin
According to Lenin, imperialism is not the result of nationalist values, ideas or policies but of concrete economic imperatives. His understanding is the way of understanding international politics today.
The Boys of My Town at Ram Navami Day
RSS and its affiliated outfits have found a welcome entrance into liberal Hindu homes, where photos of Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose are still hanging on the walls.
What we miss at Basanta Utsav
Basanta Utsav is held each year in March on the Full moon day of Falgun. Spring is welcomed through music and dances. It literally means the ‘celebration of spring’.
The Myth of Damaging Identity Politics
There are two definitions of identity politics. The first is the effort to secure the rights denied to some on the basis of their identity—defensive identity politics. The second is that which seeks domination on the basis of identity—aggressive identity politics. Aggressive identity politics espoused by the majority is thought to be ‘natural and benign’. And identity politics, as practised by the blacks, the Asians, the minorities and the disadvantaged, is thought to be ‘dangerous, indulgent and damaging’.
Labourers beating the heat
It depicts the helplessness of the workers and farmers to beat the heat of the burning days of the Indian summer.