Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where I spent a decade studying and researching hi
On their way to independence, the Muhammad Ali Jinnah-led Muslim League chose to create a separate nation on the basis of religion. While Pakistan was conceived under the two-nation theory as a hom
2014 – ghar wapsi; 2015 – cow slaughtering; 2016 – anti-nationalism. This has been the year-wise growth in India under the slogan of ‘achche din’. With the trampling o
Kanhaiya Kumar has captured the imagination of many with his measured, calm and yet witty words during his speech Thursday night and the press conference on Friday. He was ‘trending’ on
Dear daughter, You asked me about the JNU episode the other day. For
Here is an anecdote of 2007 vintage. A well researched book on the history of Gujarat’s maritime trade with central Asia was being released. The small audience in the hall was largely made up
Though Jhandewalan sees a rat in this story, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has become a star of sorts overnight – or over 22 days. With the “freedom” speech on Thursday night, fo
Sheldon Pollock, a preeminent Indologist who has been facing criticism from Hindutva hardliners and right-leaning academics after he expressed solidarity with the JNU students and teachers facing a
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has always been a bastion of the left. Decades ago, people in power saw to it that JNU moved on the left beat. Recently, JNU students (and possibly some unidentifi
Of late, we’ve been hearing a lot about the charges of sedition, anti-nationalism, anti-democratic, being levelled against the students of JNU commemorating Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon. The qu
Former chief justice of the Delhi high court, justice Ajit Prakash Shah, has batted for free speech, expressed concern over sedition charges against JNU students, and said that
Narendra Modi is like Greek mythology’s King Midas: whatever he touches turns into gold. Most people in this country are left dazzled by his ability to make dramatic announcements with
In this nationalistic age, sports seem to play an important role, and in India, this can be seen during cricket matches. For most, a victory symbolises prestige and supremacy.
“The politician performs upon the stage: the historian looks behind the scenery.” This distinction, made by British historian AJP Taylor, was expected to come true when former president
Some of the developments in India during the past four years, such as lynchings, growing polarisation among communities on caste and religious lines in every walk of life and the consequent fear ps
The column may begin by recalling quotations from two illustrious sons of pre-Independence India who were under no obligation to make any ‘appeasing’ comment. Noted Urdu
Also read previous columns on similar themes:
In a scathing attack on media, political analyst Shehzad Poonawala has said that the time of media is gone and anyone with a smartphone and a social media account can be a journalist today.
India’s effective handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is not the success of an individual or a party but is the success of the nation and should be celebrated as such, prime minister Narendra M
Northeast India: A Political History By Samrat Choudhury HarperCollins | 432 pp | Rs 699
Explorations in Colonial Bengal: Essays on Religion, Society, and Culture Edited by Achintya Kumar Dutta, with a Foreword by Amiya P. Sen
