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.

Idea Exchange: Romila Thapar Answers Gopal Guru on Dharma and the Past

Historian Dr. Romila Thapar replies to Prof. Gopal Guru's...

Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Scathing Attacks on Hindutva and Hindu Rashtra

Babasaheb Ambedkar is equally critical of the Muslim League...

Finest Literature was the Inspiration for Our Films: Dilip Kumar

  Munshi Premchand, Saratchandra Chatterji, Bandkimchandra, Tagore, Iqbal, Josh, Kanhaiyalal...

Mangal Pandey Martyrd Today, 159 Years Ago: 1857

The Man who Fired the First Salvo that then...

Open Letter to the ‘Head Chopping’ Billionaire Baba Ramdev

Image Courtesy: Economic TimesBaba, At the outset I must congratulate...

Withdraw Police, Suspend VC, Order Probe: 300 International Academics on HCU

Statement of SolidarityOver 300 International  by Academics, Activists, Artists...

Good Friday question: Was Jesus really nailed to the cross?

Jesus’s crucifixion is probably one of the most familiar...

ICC order: 40 years in prison for former president, Bosnia-Serbia for genocide, war crimes

Karadžić in court. EPA/Robin Van LonkhuijsenFormer Bosnian Serb leader...

भगतसिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरू की शहादत पर डा अम्बेडकर

  समसामयिक विचार (जनता, 13 अप्रैल 1931) भगतसिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरू इन...

Sangeet, Sapna aur Samvidhan: Diverse Tastes that animate India

Dedicated to Charul and Vinay and their music: the recollection...

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Karnataka Form 7 Row: 91,278 deletion requests and bulk filing complaints—where was the ECI’s check?

Karnataka has received 91,278 Form 7 applications seeking voter deletions, but officials say no names have been deleted so far. Complaints from Mangaluru, Kodagu and other districts allege bulk filings against eligible voters, including Muslims, as police investigate and electoral hearings continue

‘Serious Grievances’: Bombay HC backs students’ concerns, MPSC protests continue in Pune

Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to explain recruitment backlog and restore trust; two of three protest sites remain occupied, with Rohit Pawar-led agitation refusing to move

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