Imaginary homelands
Allahabad was the name of an aspiration to independent, secular, cosmopolitan modernity — a hope, a sensibility. Prayagraj is a pernicious, hurtful fiction
BY: Alok Rai I have never had much sympathy for Allahabad nostalgia — you see, I live here, in the midst of its tawdry mediocrity. This nostalgia is an affliction that strikes mainly non-resident Allahabadis who, blessed with the advantage of distance, mourn their lost youth, invoking something that is not so much a memory […]
Integration vs The Ummah
Both UK and Pakistan are dealing with effects of a radicalised Muslim population
By: Khaled Ahmed You can’t help admiring Sayeeda Warsi, born in Yorkshire, on March 28, 1971, to Pakistani immigrants, who became chairperson of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party as Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in the cabinet from 2004 to 2014. She resigned from ministership after her party’s “morally indefensible” stance on […]
The will to counter extremism
State appeasement only provides oxygen to extremist groups, increasing their bargaining power.
By: Muhammad Amir Rana COUNTERING extremism is not an easy job, but the state’s lack of resolve makes it even more complex and challenging. The resolve to stand up to extremism should draw its strength from the Constitution and the socio-ideological constructs of state and society. Mere rhetoric or a statement — such as the […]
‘Patna Blues’ — a bold statement on plight of minorities in India
Set in the most troubled decade of the 90s, fraught with events like Babri Masjid demolition, Gujarat riots, and Bombay riots, Abdullah Khan's debut novel is the story of a young Muslim boy (Arif) dreams and aspirations; his failures and fears; his guilt and contriteness; and finally his meek acquiescence to fate
BY: Narinder Jitkaur Abdullah Khan’s debut novel, Patna Blues (Juggernaut, 2018, India) – that covers the life of a Muslim young boy Arif, set in the most troubled decade of the nineties, fraught with events like Babri Masjid demolition, Gujarat riots, and Bombay riots; a time when this minority class was struggling to hold onto, […]
A darkening horizon
As the liberal order declines, a polarised world full of majoritarian, intellectually insecure angst looms.
By: Pratap Bhanu Mehta As the recently much derided “liberal order” ebbs away, what is the ideological constellation that will replace it? The liberal order was often more an idea than a reality and in international politics, often not very liberal at all. But it operated within a series of normative horizons — economic centrism, […]
India’s Media Houses Are Failing the Very Journalists That Serve Them
In the absence of a countrywide legislation to protect journalists, the ones that are not on the pay-roll are often made to suffer.
By: Ruben Banerjee Note: This article first appeared on April 4, 2018 and is being republished in the light of United Nations declaring November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. In the last 12 years, 1000 journalists have died in different parts of the world, killed while doing their […]
#MeToo in Kashmir
By: Dr. Inamul Bashir The #MeToo movement, a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault, was founded in 2006 by an activist Tarana Burke to support victims of sexual assault and empower young and vulnerable women through empathy. It has encouraged discussion about sexual harassment and abuse in various fields which include Hollywood, Medical field, Politics, Music Industry, Academia, […]
Activists’ Arrests: The Exceptional Has Been Made the New Normal
The deployment of UAPA, and other exceptional laws is meant to signal the reach of the Indian state and meant to teach those who use their democratic rights to speak out, just how fragile the edifice of their entitlements is.
By: Rajshree Chandra Since June 2018, ten human rights activists and lawyers have been arrested and charged under several sections of the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law. The first arrests were made on June 6 when a Dalit rights lawyer, a professor of English, a Marathi poet, a political prisoners’ activist […]
We did not boycott the polls, we stayed away: Omar Abdullah
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on the National Conference’s political strategy and the issues before the State
BY:Peerzada Ashiq Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a low voter turnout in the recent urban local body (ULB) elections, which the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stayed away from. Former J&K Chief Minister and NC vice president Omar Abdullah discusses his party’s decision to stay away from the polls, the BJP’s performance […]
The rise of right-wing populism
BY: Miftah Ismail The anti-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002 claimed the lives of about 2000 Muslims. They have been called “organised political massacres” of Muslims, and many independent observers have placed the blame on then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, for instigating the riots or at least for his active […]
