Black British history: A study in erasure
Black people are a part of the fabric of Britain, yet pupils are not taught the full story of Black history in schools.
By: Paula Akpan Growing up in the UK as a black person means that you’re living an existence that is constantly erased, particularly in school. Many will recall the history topics that were covered by the National Curriculum: a look at the infamous timeline of Nazi Germany, explorations of the Vietnam war and an in-depth […]
Sabarimala Temple: The BJP Ploy and the Congress Folly
BY: S.RAMACHANDRAN PILLAI THE RSS and the BJP have been desperately trying to capture a space for themselves in the political sphere of Kerala for the past many decades. The RSS has been working in Kerala for more than seven or eight decades and has been trying to revive all sorts of obscurantist and superstitious […]
Two debatable draft laws
BY: I.A. Rehman PARLIAMENT is currently seized of two significant bills, one for punishing the crime of causing enforced disappearance and the other for the trial of blasphemy and other offences under the cybercrime law. Both demand thorough deliberation. The first draft law, the Protection against Enforced Disappearances Act, 2014, is meant to replace the […]
Government needs a shared understanding and an effective and credible spokesperson on economic policy
Economy, media, message
BY: Sanjaya Baru An important instrument of economic policy-making in a market economy is credible, consistent and timely communication. The role of the media in economic management is not often recognised even by professional economists. Politicians, however, ignore this at their own peril. Crises are inherent to market economies but managing them is the key […]
Slow burn to rage
BY: Vaishna Roy The degree and extent of the revelations over the last fortnight have revealed an ugly, festering side to our society. The long, arduous and often invisible history of women’s struggle needed this spectacular release valve. And it’s historically appropriate that social media became the multiplier and aggregator of voices. For too long, […]
The past in modern idiom
LOOKING at the challenges women face at their place of work or even at home in India or Pakistan, among other venues, I wondered how Prof Kailas NathKaul would have analysed the phenomenon. The late raconteur believed that our languages harboured our ugly past, samples of which may still be lodged in our DNA waiting […]
China is trying to erase the Uighurs and their culture
Uighurs are neither extremists nor separatists as Beijing claims. They just want their rights.
By: Rukiye Turdush Just imagine what it would be like if armed security forces stormed into your home, arrested your loved ones, put them in a concentration camp, and took away your children. This is what happened to the family of 44-year-old Turghunjan, who I met while on a visit to Turkey to interview Uighur […]
Europe In Convulsions Even As Corbyn Rises In Britain
From Rome to London the contrast was sharp – from political despair to hope.
A comprehensive conference on Afghanistan, superbly organized the NATO Foundation was the only redeeming feature in Rome. Meetings with journalists and think-tanks on the margins were depressing. The Far Right leader of the ruling coalition, Matteo Salvini of the League, whose early act as Deputy Prime Minister was to order a boat full of North […]
In J&K, the road to disaster
J&K is polarised as never before. Jammu is at odds with the Kashmir Valley, Leh leans towards Jammu and Kargil leans towards the Valley, but both Leh and Kargil also assert their identities.
We have a new governor of Jammu and Kashmir, a new chief secretary, a new director general of police and a new adviser on security. The best outreach to the people of J&K (especially the Kashmir Valley) that they could come up with was to hold elections to the local bodies (panchayats and municipalities) in […]
Reading between the rankings
A university’s culture is its most valuable resource. Feeding a repressive culture bodes ill for India
BY: Pulapre Balakrishnan Two recent developments draw our attention to the state of India’s universities. The first is the release of the annual ranking of the world’s universities by the Times Higher Education (THE). The other is an announcement by the Prime Minister, as reported in the press, which has an even closer bearing on […]
