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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‘Subjective Satisfaction’ Cannot Be Built On Conjecture: Allahabad HC quashes NSA detention of Akriti Chaudhary

The Court finds no material linking Chaudhary to the violence that erupted after her arrest, finds the Section 130 BNSS notice prima facie prepared retrospectively, warns that unchecked bureaucratic power could turn Uttar Pradesh into an “Orwellian Dystopia”

Penguin’s Shenanigans

Penguin has repeatedly crossed the line between due diligence and outright censorship. Small publishers, who have a lot more to lose, seem to have more of a spine.

Four decade-long misogyny of a law academic? Tahir Mahmood’s defence of Manusmriti echoes in his criticism of the 1985 Shah Bano verdict

The author argues that the positions of the legal scholar, Prof. Tahir Mahmood over forty years --defending the Manusmriti in 2026 and his opposition to maintenance for Muslim women at the time of the Shah Bano verdict in 1985 –reveal a cohesive, conservative worldview that normalises gender hierarchy under the guise of legal protectionism.

Press bodies condemn alleged assault on women journalists at Saket Police Station, seek inquiry and action

Press Club of India, NWMI, Editors Guild of India and other journalists' organisations demand an independent and impartial investigation after Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan alleged assault during and after their detention by Delhi Police

Jauhar & the Politics of Distraction: How the Right and so-called liberals often complement each other

The selectiveness of medieval Muslim or medieval Rajput history in contestation is not just deliberate effort to alienate these two communities but is also a Brahmanical viewpoint that refuses to subject Peshwa or Maratha history to a similar brand of selectivity