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.

Lessons Unlearned: Nine years after the Thorat Committee report

  In 2007, then prime minister Manmohan Singh set up...

Untouchable God

The hotel was an old mix of florid Mughal...

No dialogue between sheep and wolves

  I had my first close encounter with Mr. Narendra...

No to Hindutva, Yes to Hindustaniyat

Image Courtesy: V. Sreenivasa Murthy / The HinduCourtesy: www.indianculturalforum.inLet...

Swami Vivekananda, theirs or ours?

  A close look at the Swami on his 153rd...

Shakespeare and Islam

This article appeared http://blog.oup.com/2015/12/shakespeare-and-islam/ on December 27, 2015   Without Islam...

Indian Policy victim of Upper Caste Bias, Unreason – Dilip Mandal

  Dilip C Mandal Speech At Bamcef Convention 2016 AWAAZ INDIA...

Muslims and I – Vijay Tendulkar

Illustration: Amili SetalvadNoted playwright, VIJAY TENDULKAR, recounts the story...

Indian Nationhood after Weathering Partition

  Composite and Diverse: The first presidential address at the...

When a Bengali Novel became a threat to the British Empire

  Excerpts from the English Translation of Pather Dabi The...

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Protest Denied, Dissent Policed: India’s crackdown on those challenging the Election Commission

From alleged house arrests and detentions to police checks on train journeys and restrictions in Delhi, activists say authorities are trying to stop citizens from reaching the October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR

Bihar adds 14 lakh voters after SIR, questions remain over those excluded from 2025 assembly polls

Nearly 14 lakh voters have been added to Bihar’s electoral rolls since SIR, the additions and subsequent enrolment exercise put the focus on eligible voters who have missed the 2025 Assembly election and the consequences of their exclusion

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