Kent Nishimura/Reuters In late February 2025, as the disruptive policy orders of US President Donald Trump were generating their cascading effects globally, India's first three clinics directed towards transgender people faced an unforeseen closure. Located in Hyderabad, Pune and Kalyan, these clinics faced the tightening of funding caused by the halting of USAID, the word … Continue reading USAID and the Fall of the Global Aid Order — Ritabrata Chakraborty
Category: International
Finding Meaning in the Mythical: A Note on Collingwood’s Musings on Myths and Folktales—Arkaprava Sengupta
Everything men have made can be used as evidence for their history; but in order to do so, we must find out how to interpret it. R. G. Collingwood Are folktales and myths important tools of writing history? Given the current socio-political situation in India, answering affirmatively to this question carries significant risks. There is … Continue reading Finding Meaning in the Mythical: A Note on Collingwood’s Musings on Myths and Folktales—Arkaprava Sengupta
The Dam and The Deluge: Decoding the Tripura-Bangladesh Floods—Ananyo Chakraborty
Artwork by Tanun In the third week of August 2024, disturbing visuals of people — poor and helpless — relocating to relief camps from their houses submerged under water were seen on social media. With no regard for national boundaries, an unprecedented deluge had affected North Unkoti, Dhalai, Khowai, Gumti and South Tripura districts of … Continue reading The Dam and The Deluge: Decoding the Tripura-Bangladesh Floods—Ananyo Chakraborty
Other Futures are Always Possible: Tegart’s Long Shadow over Palestine—Suchintan Das
A Tegart Fort in Palestine (Image courtesy: http://quaderns.coac.net/en/2015/03/tegart-forts/) Imagine for a moment that you are not able to use future tense in speech. You will not be able to plan a vacation, consider your children’s education, or for that matter, think actively about retirement. Your life will be restricted to an immediate and unending present, where … Continue reading Other Futures are Always Possible: Tegart’s Long Shadow over Palestine—Suchintan Das
Misdiagnosing Climate Change: Exploring the Interplay of Overpopulation and Overconsumption—Shashi Singh
A popular poster depicting a stark contrast between big and small families. A big family is mired in poverty and strife; a small family, on the other hand, is happy and content. It depicts the (natural and material) plentitude that comes with a small family. [Source: Pinterest] Last year, in the month of July, the … Continue reading Misdiagnosing Climate Change: Exploring the Interplay of Overpopulation and Overconsumption—Shashi Singh
The Shikari and the Empire: Jim Corbett’s Silence and the Ghosts of Tree Tops—Suchintan Das
“Over wide areas of the United Provinces [Jim Corbett’s] name is familiar to the village folk as that of the man who has brought them relief from the great fear inspired by a cruel and malignant presence in their midst”, wrote Victor Hope, the 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow and the 22nd Viceroy of India. The … Continue reading The Shikari and the Empire: Jim Corbett’s Silence and the Ghosts of Tree Tops—Suchintan Das
Documenting Dissent Through Art—Rayan Chakrabarti
“Painting is not made to decorate apartments; it is an offensive and defensive instrument of war against the enemy.” ---Pablo Picasso Art plays a pivotal role in shaping the nature of protests during any social upheaval. It allows the people to give a new direction to their political imagination and make powerful statements challenging authorities. … Continue reading Documenting Dissent Through Art—Rayan Chakrabarti
The Curious Case of Gambhīrā: Evolution of a Folk Performance from the Indo-Bangladesh Borderland—Asmita Sarkar
Picture Courtesy: Malda Malancha “Deshta kore bhagabhagi, abar cholchey jhogra jhati, Bharot holo shoshan, hey panchanan, purey hinshar oi aguney.” (The country was divided up, now people continue to bicker, India has become a crematorium, O Panchanan (Shiva), engulfed by violent flickers.) “Sommilito jatipunjer niom bhengey Dhonsompoder ohankarey korchish Baghdad akromon Besh to khush, ohey … Continue reading The Curious Case of Gambhīrā: Evolution of a Folk Performance from the Indo-Bangladesh Borderland—Asmita Sarkar
Covid-19: The Next-Door Dystopia—Sujato Datta
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
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
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