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Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion
While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.
Disenfranchisement route to Majoritarian Rule: Political Logic of SIR
The idea of India as a state-nation (in contra-distinction...
Centre escalates action against Satluj, refers film to high-level committee after ordering OTT takedown
Invoking Section 69A of the IT Act, the Centre has ordered Satluj offline pending further review under the IT Rules
SIR 2025-2026: A backdoor exercise to bring in the NRC?
The unholy haste behind the ECI’s moves, pushed by...
SIR 2025-26: Dismantling the very Idea of India?
In this first part of a recent lecture, erudite...
From Punjab ’95 to Satluj: When cinema becomes a battlefield over history, memory and censorship
From demands for 127 cuts to a sudden removal from ZEE5 just days after release, Punjab '95 has become a defining case study of the constitutional promise of free expression
To a living Saint, now dead five years: Meeting to commemorate July 5
July 5, 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, who’s death in judicial custody in Maharashtra has been condemned for the institutional murder that it was; the 84 year old activist priest, who died of maltreatment by the prison authorities in Mumbai after suffering from the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic was an activist priest remembered for his path-brteaking work among Adivasis in Jharkand
Satluj: A film encountered
The writer writes; Jaswant Singh Khalra never carried a gun. His weapons were documents, persistence and moral courage. He asked a simple question: Where have all the sons of Punjab gone? This is what the film recounts and why it threatens the Indian state
21 Opposition parties to CJI: SIR process is irregular and illegal, must be suspended
The eight page letter, dated June 28, 2026 but released publicly on July 3, includes signatories Mallikarjun Kharge, President, INC, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party MP, Mamata Banerjee, TMC, Turchi Silva, DMK and independent MP, Kapil Sibal; the signatures of DMK. AAP assume significance as both parties had distanced themselves from INDIA bloc.
If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today ….
On the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of the People’s Priest, an associate writes that, if alive Fr Stan Swamy would have been at the forefront of all the ongoing struggles of the Adivasis
Somnath to Ayodhya: Plunder to ‘Chanda Chori’
How do we contrast temple destructions during kingdoms and now under a semi-democratising society turning into elected autocracy?
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History
Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion
While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.
Gender and Sexuality
Muslim women will define their own lives & choices: Bebaak Collective responds to Kerala cleric
Islamic history is rich with examples of women’s participation, says a statement issued by Bebaak Collective that also condemns the Kerala Muslim cleric’s controversial statement
Media
Six Days On, Still No FIR: What happened to Shaheen and Nafisa Khan at Saket Police Station?
Shaheen and Nafisa Khan gave a detailed written complaint naming police personnel, describing the alleged assault and pointing to CCTV footage. Yet six days after the September 3 incident, the women say their case has still not been registered
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Beaten to Death Outside His Own Home: What Delhi owes Chongtham Vikram Singh
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Children
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Rights
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‘Gauri Day’ Became ‘Gen Z Day’
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From exposing civic failures to confronting political VIPs, the Pune activist built a massive following—now he faces criminal charges after a midnight arrest