History

Hidden Histories: A rare memory of the struggle for freedom in a Himalayan kingdom

While large parts of modern India’s contribution to the sub-continent’s struggle for freedom find place in historical accounts, the author tracks this unreported hidden struggle against colonial yoke in the Himalayan kingdom of Tehri 

Unity not Hate: Commemorating the 168th anniversary of 1857 War of Independence

On the eve of the 168th anniversary of this heroic battle, let not the far right, Hindutva regime undermine the unique heritage of collective sacrifice

‘Phule’: A Revolution on Screen

No other couple in human history has shown such a spirit filled with revolutionary ambition for change. That too in a stagnant society like that of India.

2025 NCERT Textbooks: Mughals, Delhi Sultanate out; ‘sacred geography’, Maha Kumbh in

 ‘NCERT has dropped all portions on Mughals from Class 7 Books. Students will now get to read about how Rajputs fought against nobody and lost!’ So, sarcastically wrote an ‘X’ user, Joy even as one more cut and slash action of the Modi 3.0 government with Indian social science/ history texts came to light; for the NDA II government this is only the latest in a long series of ad hoc deletions

Composite Indian Nationalism or ‘Two Nation Theory’

One of the greatest tragedies of South Asia has...

106th Anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Documents on Jallianwala Bagh massacre and people’s resistance buried at the National Archives

Revolutionary Udham Singh's choice of his alias, name of Mohammad Singh Azad was not a coincidence -- he chose it to underline the cardinal fact that India could be liberated only by a collective and united effort of all Indians

Bloodbath on Baisakhi: The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, April 13, 1919

Ninety Seven Years Ago, one of the bloodiest actions of British Rule was the calculated massacre of close to 2,000 innocent Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims at the Jallianwala Bagh. The firing was ordered by an officer of the British colonial power, General Dyer. While the official figure for lives lost was 1,526 the actual figure was reportedly much higher

Tamas and the Shadow Over Empuraan: A Nation Still Disturbed With Itself

Tamas encountered legal and political challenges in the late 1980s. The government attempted to prevent the series from airing. There was fear it would provoke unrest. Now, if Empuraan disturbed us, it should, for who we are: a culture that justifies and forgets.

Jyotiba Phule’s Trenchant Critique of Caste: Gulamgiri

First Published on: 11 Apr 2016On his 189th Birth...

Unique 98th Anniversary Mahad Satyagraha Observances: Samata Din with a Roja Iftar Party

In mirror memory to the Roja Iftar jointly celebrated by Hasrat Mohani and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Delhi on October 13, 1949, for the second year running, the Muslim community has taken the lead along with Ambedkarite leaders to have collective observances at Mahad

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

The Double Stage: Caste’s Schizophrenic Modernity between Spectacle and Shadow

Caste from the pre-modern, colonial to the post-Republican; this analysis draws from, among others, works by Nicholas Dirks (2001), Anand Teltumbde (2014) and Gopal Guru (2016) to map this transition showing that contemporary caste should be best understood as a sort of social schizophrenia driven by imaginative acts whereby power perpetuates itself through a convoluted hermetic legitimising act in India.

UGC Guidelines 2026: AISA Protest at Delhi University followed by sexual abuse allegations amid police presence

Delhi university has seen persistent protest by Ambedkarite and left groups demanding implementation of the UGC Guidelines 2026 that were summarily stayed by the Supreme Court; in one such, a confrontation during a mobilisation over UGC equity regulations, AISA women leaders were subject to brute and allegedly sexualised threats, while a right-wing YouTuber filed a separate assault complaint; police have registered parallel FIRs

12 Bengali migrant workers murdered in 6 states, Maharashtra tops the crime list

Following the recently unleashed hysteria on the misnomer “Bangladeshi immigrants”, spearheaded by BJP elected officials from the Centre to States, as many as 12 Bengali migrant workers have been murdered, revealing the physical targeted harm that can flow out of systemic hate speech made by those in public authority; these are statistics compiled by the West Bengal Migrants Welfare Board; 4 of the 12 killed have been in “progressive” Maharashtra and 10 in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Against the Script of Hate: How ordinary citizens are reclaiming public space

A shop sign in Kotdwar, a shutter kept open in Nainital, a landlord’s refusal in Purola, and a Valentine’s Day standoff in Jaipur — how everyday acts of defiance are reshaping the narrative of communal tension in India

‘Democracies Erode When Those Entrusted With Power Fear Laughter and Start Taking Action Against It’

The Wire's submission to the government at the post-facto hearing on a request to block social media URLs over a 52-second satirical video.

2025 in Protest: Across issues, across India

In 2025, citizens nationwide mobilised across labour, environment, religious freedom, and electoral integrity