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.

Who was Shivaji?

Eleven years after his murder, Comrade Govind Pansare's book continues to rile up the right wing.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: An inclusive ruler

The far Hindutva right continues its assault on the iconic Shivaji Maharaj in their crude bid to distort history and manipulate facts

Understanding power through caste: Dr. Ambedkar’s contribution to the sociology of law

Dr Babasaheb’s understanding of Indian society was pivotal: he was prescient in the dangers that loomed ahead, even after drafting the Indian Constitution; because caste-based inequality remains deeply entrenched in society and the post-Independence state did not go much beyond providing formal equality to the lower castes and other marginalised communities, Dr. Ambedkar was acutely aware of the continuing presence of upper-caste hegemony from society to politics and from culture to the economy

Bhagat Singh sent to gallows once again!

Repeated attempts by present day academics to whittle down the tradition followed and forged by young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh are bound to fail; as history endures with the traditions laid by these very men

Denigration of martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev – a peep into RSS archives

On the 95th anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, March 23, 2026, historian Shamsul Islam dives deep into RSS archives to show how this organization has historically denounced the movements led by these revolutionaries

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 

78th Martyrdom Anniversary of Gandhi & Identity of his Assassins: Sardar Patel

This detailed historical chronology and timeline outlines the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi as identified by Sardar Patel

Supreme Court brokers interim peace at bhoj shala, allows basant panchami pujas and Friday namaz under strict safeguards

Directing separate enclosures, regulated access, and administrative oversight, the top court appeals for mutual respect while keeping the core dispute over the Dhar complex’s religious character open before the Madhya Pradesh High Court

Busted: ‘Hindu’ Narratives of Desecration of Somnath, Buddhist & Jain Temples in India

Be it the Jagannath Mandir in Odisha, a Buddhist temple that was ‘taken over’ by Hinduism or the Jain idols destroyed during Adi Shankracharya’s countrywide yatra, these are no less historically significant than the stories around Somnath and other temples that may have been razed and raised by emperors who happen to be Muslim

Love Letters like no other. Letters from Savitribai to Jyotiba

Acclaimed actors Joy Sengupta and Tannishtha Chatterjee read out the...

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JNU revokes rustication of five students after hunger strike, agrees to withdraw FIRs and review CPO manual

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India’s Electoral Crisis is fast becoming a civil-liberties crisis

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After ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protests, Neha Bora Moves Delhi HC against police notice; CJP leaders’ release remains unresolved

More than 100 protesters were detained in Delhi as police blocked the planned flag march, while demonstrations in Mumbai and Bengaluru took different courses

Books Under Siege: Bengal’s Left bookstalls, the Calcutta High Court’s intervention and the warning from Hitler’s Germany

The bulldozer retreated, and the court offered temporary relief. But who gets to decide which ideas can occupy Bengal’s public spaces?

After 772 Days in Detention, Ajabha Khatun Returns Home: CJP helps secure her release

Ajabha Khatun’s conditional release brings relief to her family, while her pending legal case and her plea for another detainee underline the fight that remains