The Exhibition Venue: Kamala Palace in Shyambazar (Image: Suchintan Das) On 30th July this year, my friend Suchintan and I made an impromptu plan to visit an exhibition which claimed to showcase the “Sensory Heritage of Kolkata Streets”, having chanced upon its poster among many others pasted along the archaic staircase of the Indian Coffee House … Continue reading Walking Through the Blind Alleys of Culture: A Glance into the Politics of ‘Sensory Heritage’—Ananyo Chakraborty
Mask, Maker, and the Market: Dispatches on Chhau from Charida—Debayan Das
A Chhau mask depicting Goddess Durga Introduction Chhau is a unique tribal martial dance performed in the month of Chaitra across villages in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, by mostly all-men troupes. Its practice in these three states gave rise to three different schools or styles of Chhau: Seraikela, Purulia and Mayurbhanj. … Continue reading Mask, Maker, and the Market: Dispatches on Chhau from Charida—Debayan Das
Revisiting Lokayata—Rajarshi Adhikary
Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya As a student of history, I have been fascinated by various heterodox sects from our past. The re-reading of such traditions in the light of contemporary times interests me even more. These traditions had been marginalized, ridiculed and slandered throughout the course of history because they dared to challenge the meta-narratives of their … Continue reading Revisiting Lokayata—Rajarshi Adhikary
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
Is Reproductive Choice a Myth for Women?—Krishna Priya
Image Courtesy: MSI Reproductive Choices The union cabinet has recently voted to raise the minimum age for girls to marry from 18 to 21, bringing them into line with boys. The new decision was made in response to the rising number of early pregnancies that endanger both mother and child's lives, as well as for … Continue reading Is Reproductive Choice a Myth for Women?—Krishna Priya
Mahadevi Verma’s ‘War and Woman’—Translated by Avishi Gupta
Mahadevi Verma (1907-1987) Image courtesy: Pinterest [Translator’s note: This essay was first published in 1933, and later included in Verma’s 1941 volume called Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan (Links in the Chain). War and Woman is perhaps one of the earliest extant texts in the intellectual tradition which later came to be termed as ecofeminism. Ecofeminism, if … Continue reading Mahadevi Verma’s ‘War and Woman’—Translated by Avishi Gupta
Economics and the Ethics of Inequality—Ritabrata Chakraborty
Image Courtesy: Getty Images "Can we turn our backs on equality? No government is legitimate that does not show equal concern for the fate of all those citizens over whom it claims dominion and from whom it claims allegiance. Equal concern is the sovereign virtue of political community-without it, government is only tyranny-and when a … Continue reading Economics and the Ethics of Inequality—Ritabrata Chakraborty
In Memoriam: Satyam Jha
Satyam Jha (20/01/2002 - 25/05/2021) To write the obituary of someone younger than yourself, that too when you consider yourself to be quite young, is a painful and arduous task. Satyam Jha had turned nineteen in January this year, when things were looking brighter and somewhat hopeful. Little did we know then, that this pandemic … Continue reading In Memoriam: Satyam Jha
Can Periyar’s Politics Be Accepted In Today’s Anti-Caste Discourse?—Diya Maria Abraham
Periyar E.V. Ramasamy Naicker (Image Courtesy: Vikatan) “The Jews are only interested in themselves and nobody else. They somehow contrive to have the rulers in their pocket, participate in governance and conspire to torture and suck the lives out of other citizens in order that they live (in comfort).” “Are they not comparable to the … Continue reading Can Periyar’s Politics Be Accepted In Today’s Anti-Caste Discourse?—Diya Maria Abraham
Rahul Sankrityayan’s ‘Mental Slavery’—Translated By Satyam Jha
Poster by Bisakh Sarkar The greater the antiquity of any civilization, the stronger it is gripped by the bonds of mental slavery. Since the civilization of India is unquestionably ancient, there are greater impediments on its path of advancement. Mental slavery is the biggest hurdle to progress. Our sufferings, our myriad economic, social and political … Continue reading Rahul Sankrityayan’s ‘Mental Slavery’—Translated By Satyam Jha
Lokayata 