THE BINARY OF THE HUMANITIES AND THE SCIENCES – HIRA

In a 2024 op-ed published in the Indian Express, Manish Sabharwal and Ashish Dhawan (the latter a philanthropist and a founder-trustee of Ashoka University) posed an important question: “Isn’t it impossible to decide which disciplines matter more: The sciences that lengthen our lives or the humanities that make those longer lives worth living?” The article … Continue reading THE BINARY OF THE HUMANITIES AND THE SCIENCES – HIRA →

USAID and the Fall of the Global Aid Order — Ritabrata Chakraborty

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 →

D.D. Kosambi’s Appeal for Peace—Translated by Suchintan Das

Peace (Woodcut) by Haren Das (1950) Better remembered as a polymath and historian, D.D. Kosambi was also a globetrotting peace-activist in the 1950s and contributed to the world peace movement both within India and internationally as a first-rate organizer. This pamphlet was printed at Nagar Press Works, Indore and was published and distributed by Anant … Continue reading D.D. Kosambi’s Appeal for Peace—Translated by Suchintan Das →

Of Gains and Divides: Stock Markets and Persisting Paradoxes—Ritabrata Chakraborty

Picture Courtesy: Mint If one has even casually followed the news stream over the last few years, a running theme concerning the economy has been consistent. It is the stock markets having a strong run (‘bullish’ in finance parlance), with abundant capital flowing in, while economies worldwide have been battling runaway inflation and tepid growth … Continue reading Of Gains and Divides: Stock Markets and Persisting Paradoxes—Ritabrata Chakraborty →

The Alchemy of Well-Being—Suchintan Das

Angelus Novus by Paul Klee A pot of wine among the flowers. I drink alone, no friend with me. I raise my cup to invite the moon. He and my shadow and I make three. –––Li Bai, Drinking Alone with the Moon (Translated by Vikram Seth) These lines, penned by the eighth century Taoist poet … Continue reading The Alchemy of Well-Being—Suchintan Das →

A Pandemic Panning Across: Corona and the Questions It Asks—Ananyo Chakraborty

Courtesy: People's Archive of Rural India The Covid-19 or the novel Corona virus pandemic has affected vast sections of the world population and has already caused widespread damage in almost all aspects of human life. The world has come to a lockdown where people are being forced to self-isolate and not go outside to prevent … Continue reading A Pandemic Panning Across: Corona and the Questions It Asks—Ananyo Chakraborty →