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 →

The Myth of Belonging: How to Create a Nation—Hira

Untitled (2005), M.F. Husain [Courtesy: Learning Journal] Amidst the chaos and uncertainty in the academic year of 2021-22, as students and teachers alike learnt to grapple with the online mode of teaching, NCERT used the time to quietly edit the contents of its History and Political Science textbooks from classes 6 to 12. Official communication … Continue reading The Myth of Belonging: How to Create a Nation—Hira →

Samar Sen’s ‘Sans Reverence’—Translated by Suchintan Das

Samar Sen (1916-1987) [Image: Public Domain] The question of livelihood does not arise while discussing the term ‘intellectual’. The Bangla term ‘Buddhijibi’—one who lives off one’s own intellect—is therefore not an accurate translation. Perhaps the remnant of our old Brahminical baggage[1] has lingered on in this rendering. Brahmins were the custodians of intellectual culture and they … Continue reading Samar Sen’s ‘Sans Reverence’—Translated by Suchintan Das →

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 →

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 →