Culture

UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

Language as Unifying Force: Sitaram Yechury

“Here I am, born in Tamilnadu, mother tongue Telugu, settled in Hindi-speaking Delhi, representing the people of West Bengal in Parliament and addressing the august gathering here of Tamil speaking people from all over the world. This is India,” said Sitaram Yechury, in 2010, the erstwhile general secretary of the CPI (M) whose demise after a prolonged lung infection on September 12 this year, has drawn forth an outpouring of shared memories

Ganesh Chaturthi: where unity triumphs over communal divides

Defying religious boundaries, Hindus and Muslims unite for Ganesh Chaturthi across India, mosques host Ganesh idols, and Muslims join Hindus for prayers and celebrations, three inter-faith friends join hands to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi

“A Legacy of Love”: Muslim craftsman and devotion for Hindu deities

“Faith beyond Boundaries”: 80-yr-old Ishtiyaq Ali's wooden deities, UP's Muslim polishing idol of Lord Krishna for generations

Baba Chamliyal: The Healing Saint of Unity and Faith across Borders

Baba Chamliyal, known as the ‘Healing Touch Saint,’ is revered in Jammu and Kashmir for his miraculous healing powers. His shrine, located at the India-Pakistan border, symbolises unity and attracts thousands of pilgrims annually. The shrine's "Shakkar" and "Sharbat" are believed to have healing properties.

Harmony in diversity: Surendra Mehta’s mission of unity at Kullu’s Pir Baba shrine

Surendra Mehta, also known as Bhai Ji, maintains the shrine of Pir Baba Lala Wale in Kullu, a place that promotes communal harmony by welcoming devotees of all faiths. His family's century-long dedication exemplifies unity and peace, fostering interfaith relationships in a diverse and often divided India.

Hindu-Muslim Unity: The other side of Kanwar Yatra

Muslim Artists and Hindu Kanvarias in Haridwar have long shown the spirit of brotherhood amidst the religious polarisation

Urdu signboard reinstated at Varanasi City Railway Station after intervention from the civil society members

In the memorandum submitted to the superintendent of the Varanasi City Railway Station, the civil society group had questioned the railways for failing to reinstate Urdu board and demanded its reinstallation

Rich Heritage but Poor Plight of Bishnupur’s Baluchari Silk Artisans

Most cooperatives set up during Left rule have closed. At present, about 15,000 people are involved in Baluchari saree-making, a majority whom work as daily wage labourers, as they do not own looms.

Bridging Faiths, Uniting Hearts: Innovating Interfaith Dialogue on Campus

An Inspiring Journey with Hindu Muslim Harmony Fellows Sharing Stories of Fostering Peace and Understanding

Mira Road: Mosque clerics welcome people from across religion and caste to Jama Masjid Al Shams this Ramzan

Muzaffar Hussain, a former legislator and managing trustee of the mosque extended the invitation for all, to unite people of different religions on one platform and tear down barriers between communities

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Noida Protest 2026: A labour uprising the state refused to understand

The protests that paralysed Noida’s industrial belt in April 2026 exposed not only worsening labour conditions but also the growing tendency of the state to treat democratic labour mobilisation as a law-and-order problem

Three Years of the Congress Government

A People’s Critique: Expectations and Disillusionments

Bhojshala Judgment: MP High Court declares Dhar site a Saraswati Temple, ends Namaz rights at complex

Relying on ASI findings, historical records and the Ayodhya framework, the Court held the structure was built over a pre-existing temple and Sanskrit learning centre linked to Raja Bhoj

Cracks in Indian Environment Jurisprudence: An examination of High Courts of central India

Given the flip-flops by India’s constitutional courts on protection of the environment, this three part legal investigation delves deep: In Part 1, we look at how High Courts across different regions of India are contributing to, or departing from, the trajectory of environmental jurisprudence. This part looks at Central India: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. A region that is home to some of the country’s richest forests, its most significant mineral reserves, and its most vulnerable tribal populations.

The Faultlines In Secularism

A secular republic is one of humanity's most difficult political achievements.

Flood of Fake Narratives & Misinformation: How TVK’s propaganda machine is attempting a re-write of TN’s governance history

Claims of being first, the innovator of significant schemes like the “Naan Mudhalvan” to other policy decisions—are not borne out by facts; yet these were the concerted focus of a well-oiled social media machine orchestrated by the winner, TVK Vijay; the real issue however is, is the commercial, read can the corporate media be held responsible when it only dishes out mis-information?

UAPA: ‘99% Possibility of Acquittal’: What the SC said on Conviction Rates

While granting bail to Syed Iftikhar Andrabi, the Supreme Court on Monday, May 19, observed that UAPA conviction rates stand between 1.5% and 4% nationally, while remaining below 1% in Jammu and Kashmir.

India Economic & Social Justice Report 2025: First-ever study measures constitutional justice across union and state governments, have they delivered?

India Economic & Social Justice Report, 2025, Author: Prof K S Chalam, published by: Institute for Economic and Social Justice, Vishakhapatnam, price: Rs 500, Pp: 180 (A-4 Size): This report is first of its kind to measure and indicate where both the Union and State governments stand in providing constitutional guarantees of Justice --both economic and social--- equally and to all citizens of the country.