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.

Sangh Appropriation of Icons: Pranab Mukherjee in Nagpur

Ahead of Pranab Mukherjee’s impending speech at Nagpur, here’s...

“Is the Left ready to receive a new Ambedkarite wound?”

In this discussion on Soumyabrata Choudhury’s Ambedkar and Other...

Meet the Muslim princess Zaida, Spanish ancestor of the British royal family

Zaida, a Muslim princess living in 11th-century Seville, is...

“Ambedkar broke any prevailing consensus on nationhood”: Soumyabrata Choudhury

The writer in conversation with Souradeep RoyIn our latest...

Guilty men of the two-nation theory: A Hindutva project borrowed by Jinnah

FOREWORD After the recent attack on Aligarh Muslim University by...

Unofficial Renaming of Akbar Road: Another Attempt at Meddling With the History

A poster that read ‘Maharana Pratap Road’ was found...

Remembering the Mughals with Catherine B Asher

"One thing that I try to point out when...

Savarkar First Spoke of the Two-Nation Theory: Irfan Habib

Historian Irfan Habib talked to Tarique Anwar about the...

Dalit Imagination: An Antidote to Communal Nationalism

Contemporary India is witnessing the appropriation by the Hindu...

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

Police detain Adivasi students for second day, force them out of Mumbai

Students who marched from Nashik are denied Azad Maidan protest, prevented from leaving Tilak Bhavan and forcefully transported out of the city

Scrap SIR, Restore Electoral Integrity: A national call to defend the right to vote

Public assembly demands the scrapping of SIR, accountability of the Election Commission and urgent safeguards against wrongful exclusion from electoral rolls

Why Majoritarianism today is the single most acute threat to democracy

Majoritarianism that plagues India and many other democracies is the perversion of Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of democracy. While Dr. Ambedkar’s definition of democracy lays stress on effective and proportionate representation and safeguarding minority rights, majoritarianism is the dominance of a particular religious community, caste group, or racial group over the rest of the population.

From Nashik to Mumbai: Adivasi students’ protest meets police detentions

Weeks of agitation over tribal hostels and schools culminate in alleged detention of protesters ahead of planned Azad Maidan march

‘Free the Temple’, ‘Protect the Faith’, ‘Take Up Weapons’: How September’s festivals became stages for anti-Muslim hate

From contested places of worship to demographic fearmongering, a series of speeches used Hindu religious identity to construct Muslims as an existential threat and recast exclusion as religious defence

Karnataka: SIR Interrogated

A report, The SIR Investigation Report—A Narrative of Betrayal and Tears was released by the Anti-SIR Alliance and the Citizens’ Vote Protection Committee today; the report documents the (mal) implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka

‘Solidarity Is Not a Crime’: Mumbai activists protest alleged police harassment over Palestine event

Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine members gather at Azad Maidan after police search activist Harshada’s home in connection with a kite-flying programme for Palestinian children

The West as Enigma: Why Muslims Must Understand the Occident on Its Own Terms

The ideas of Shariati, Mawdudi, Qutb, and Nadwi provide important critiques of Western materialism, imperialism, and secularism, but remain largely reactive in their approach.