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.

39 Years and the Ghosts of Nellie Massacre Haunt Assam

India’s first genocidal pogrom on February 18, 1983 preceded the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other cities and has vanished from public acknowledgment and memory

Badshah Khan an icon of inter-faith harmony: February 6

Complimentary to Gandhi’s Satyagraha, Badshah Khan also played a crucial role in the sub-continent’s movement for sovereignty over the British and commitment to inter-faith Harmony

Gandhi’s death anniversary: Indian Christians to fast and pray for unity

The Martyr’s Day observance by the Christians of India will be without speeches, slogans on political signage

‘Abide With Me’ will Stay Forever!

A recent Government (Defence Ministry) communique finds no mention of ‘Abide With Me’ in this year’s ‘Beating Retreat’ programme which will be held on January 29, as the culmination of the events on and around Republic Day

A weekend of wiping legacies, fanning divides?

There is a loud political message in dropping ‘Abide with me’, ‘merging’ Amar Jawan Jyoti that has been sent to the nation

Vivekananda: Monk who highlighted Humanism of Hinduism

His teachings are in total contrast to the present scenario, where many saffron robed are promoting hate and inciting violence in the name of same religion

How RSS denigrated the Constitution

A peep into its archives on Constitution Day

BOOK REVIEW – Bhil Vidroh: Sangharsh ke sawa sau saal

Chronicling the historic events of Bhil revolts in India

A historicity of Savarkar’s rehabilitation project

An examination of claims made as part of the Hindutva leader’s image makeover

37-year-long mockery of searching for the killers of 1984 Sikh massacre

A deep dive into how various governments and political parties failed the people of India in getting justice for one of the worst instances of communal violence in the country

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Sit Where We Stand: The segregated back rooms for sanitation staff in urban spaces

The absence of dignified break rooms for sanitation staff in urban spaces is a visible residue of caste-exclusionary practices that have become normalised. Women who work here—whether in universities or elsewhere—are often left with no option but to rest on bathroom floors.

After some dithering, Odisha government rejects premature release of Graham Staines murder convict Dara Singh

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Deaths, Denials and Delayed Action: The Balaghat crisis

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Why Swatantra Bhardwaj is a pawn in our politics

As a fellow Bihari and a native of Darbhanga, my heart goes out to the middle class parents who pawn jewellery and mortgage ancestral property to send their ladlas and ladlis to a big city…