Image Courtesy: PTI What should we do when dystopia is here? I pick up the copies of We, Brave New World, and 1984, which just appear to be simplified versions of the reality we live in. Since they are premised on ‘conditions of possibility’,dystopias as a literary category and their construction within a discourse have … Continue reading Covid-19: The Next-Door Dystopia—Sujato Datta
Category: Indian Politics
Biopolitics of Pandemic and the Cult of Stupidity in India—Suchintan Das
Image Courtesy: GCN The stranglehold of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world doesn’t seem to be losing strength. With over a million people infected and about sixty thousand of them dead already, the future appears rather bleak. Even if a possible end to this pandemic can be imagined, the costs—both humanitarian and economic—that it will … Continue reading Biopolitics of Pandemic and the Cult of Stupidity in India—Suchintan Das
How Muslim is Muslim Enough?—Nabila Ansari
The Women of Seelampur (Picture Courtesy - Author) On 29th December 2019, Shashi Tharoor, in a tweet, identified the chanting of ‘la ilaha illallah’ at an anti-CAA protest at Jamia Milia Islamia with “Islamist extremism”. The statement is also known as the Shahada and is a basic tenet of Islam – its literal translation being … Continue reading How Muslim is Muslim Enough?—Nabila Ansari
Nabarun Bhattacharya’s ‘This Valley of Death is No Country of Mine’—Translated by Suchintan Das
Picture Courtesy: Reuters The father who fears identifying the corpse of his dead child, I despise him. The brother who is still unperturbed—without shame, I despise him. The teacher, intellectual, poet, or professional Who does not ask for avenging these deaths in public, I despise him. Eight lifeless bodies Lie across my consciousness, I am … Continue reading Nabarun Bhattacharya’s ‘This Valley of Death is No Country of Mine’—Translated by Suchintan Das
Kashmir: A Case of Imposed Utopia—Monjima Kar
Courtesy: Kashmirkry A typical scene in Kashmir invokes in our mind lush green forests, snow clad mountains, a calm Dal lake. The notion of a picturesque Kashmir, that is romanticised, dominates our understanding of the place. Any kind of violence that occasionally springs up in media reports is represented as a kind of break in … Continue reading Kashmir: A Case of Imposed Utopia—Monjima Kar
The Curious Case of Anti-Intellectualism in MODIfied India—Ananyo Chakraborty
Since May 2014, India has seen a rule which can be safely termed as authoritarian. Just like any other authoritarian regime, the Narendra Modi government has strengthened a cult of Anti-intellectualism through various propaganda methods. Anti-intellectualism is the complete disdain towards rational thinking and nuanced critical analysis. It propagates shallow knowledge and understanding of issues … Continue reading The Curious Case of Anti-Intellectualism in MODIfied India—Ananyo Chakraborty
The Making of the Anti-Nation—Suchintan Das
Image Courtesy: The Economic Times The University of Delhi, which is no stranger to controversies, has recently found itself at the centre of another. The issue in question pertains to the revision of the syllabi of several undergraduate honours’ courses in general and that of History in particular. The specificity of the objection raised by … Continue reading The Making of the Anti-Nation—Suchintan Das
Changing Admissions Policies and the Destruction of Higher Education in India—Vighnesh Tekriwal
Image Courtesy: The Economic Times The past several years have seen a massive assault on higher education in India, which has taken various forms, including funds for research being cut, teachers and academics being denied permanent positions, gross violations of the reservation policy, the appointment of the ruling party’s loyalists as heads of institutions despite … Continue reading Changing Admissions Policies and the Destruction of Higher Education in India—Vighnesh Tekriwal
Politics of Sloganeering: The Case of ‘Jai Shri Ram’—Suchintan Das
Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times On the 11th of May, I was leaving for the nearest metro station through the college gate when I met a fruit seller who greeted me with ‘Ram Ram’. My instantaneous response was to greet him back by reiterating his greeting. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we parted our ways, … Continue reading Politics of Sloganeering: The Case of ‘Jai Shri Ram’—Suchintan Das
Amidst the Squealers: The Media in the Democratic Circus—Riya Lohia
Courtesy: Alfredo Garzon, Cartoon Movement. The mass media, considered the fourth pillar of democracy, exists today amidst total frenzy. It has been hollowed by noise, insignificant debates, emotional appeals, and distorted facts and has abandoned its responsibilities as watchdog, social critic, navigator of information, and, most importantly, shaper of discernible public opinion. The media’s reliance … Continue reading Amidst the Squealers: The Media in the Democratic Circus—Riya Lohia
Lokayata 