CATEGORIES

I Want to be killed by an Indian Bullet
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I Want to be killed by an Indian Bullet

I heard the news long ago that they were looking for me; in the morning in the afternoon at night. My children told me; my wife told me.

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1 min  |
January 21, 2024
My Invented Land
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My Invented Land

My native soil was created from tiny sparks that clung to grand mother's earthen pot which conjured savoury dishes I've been looking for all my life in vain.

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1 min  |
January 21, 2024
Native Land
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Native Land

First came the scream of the dying in a bad dream, then the radio report, and a newspaper: six shot dead, twenty-five houses razed, sixteen beheaded with hands tied behind their backs inside a church . . .

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1 min  |
January 21, 2024
Ayodhya: A Personal Account
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Ayodhya: A Personal Account

The homogenisation of Indian culture and the seizure and erasure of history will only get stronger in times to come

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6 mins  |
December 21, 2023
The Sounds of Silence
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The Sounds of Silence

The mystical desert of Jaisalmer, the majestic 12th-century fort palace, and a juxtaposition of sounds and silences from 20 different countries the story of a unique 'museum' within a museum

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8 mins  |
December 21, 2023
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
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REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

The Equator Line (TEL), a themed, quarterly magazine of non-conformist writing blazed a brilliant trail of its own before shutting down

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4 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Through the Looking Glass
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Through the Looking Glass

Nearly 40 years on, Govind Nihalani's memorable social and political satire Party unravels the hypocrisy of India's urban elite and raises vital questions about art

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5 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Inglorious Miners
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Inglorious Miners

The rat-hole miners involved in the Uttarakhand rescue operations are well aware that soon they will fade from people's memories and will have no option but to go back crawling inside dark tunnels

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7 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Rethinking Development in the Himalayas
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Rethinking Development in the Himalayas

Several reports published around the UN climate change conference, COP28, warn that the threats to the Himalayas from climate change are more direct and immediate

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9 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Saving Languages
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Saving Languages

Many threatened languages in the country might become critically endangered in the near future. A few from some tribal communities, especially women, are doing their bit to preserve and document their mother tongues

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6 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Painful Silence
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Painful Silence

Palestinian women have had to suffer the adverse impacts of war, while living within a deeply conservative and patriarchal society

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4 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Lopsided Language
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Lopsided Language

Coverage of the Israel-Palestine war raises the larger question of bias in media representations

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5 mins  |
December 21, 2023
UNPROMISED AND PROMISED
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UNPROMISED AND PROMISED

Calls for a Greater Israel are gaining currency since the Hamas attack. But any move to do so would only lead to a wider regional war

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5 mins  |
December 21, 2023
Science of Electioneering
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Science of Electioneering

Unmasking the factors the BJP has used in every election since Modi became the supremo

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6 mins  |
December 21, 2023
END OF AN ERA?
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END OF AN ERA?

A resurgent BJP may have hurt the Congress, but it has also belittled the importance of regional and smaller parties in national politics

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10+ mins  |
December 21, 2023
A WELFARIST TURN?
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A WELFARIST TURN?

In the recent state elections, political parties went all out to woo voters with welfare schemes. The verdicts, however, prove that populist policies sans good governance won't necessarily bring electoral dividends

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7 mins  |
December 21, 2023
BUCKING THE TREND
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BUCKING THE TREND

Madhya Pradesh will be a walkover for the Congress. Chhattisgarh will be tougher.

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1 min  |
December 21, 2023
Ayodhya: Many Cities, Many Histories
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Ayodhya: Many Cities, Many Histories

ONCE simply a mound of land nourished by the Sarayu River and smaller streams, Ayodhya has seen its fate change repeatedly.

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9 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Shades of Justice
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Shades of Justice

Two women—one black, the other white—are under trial in the films Saint-Omer and Anatomy of a Fall

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6 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Golden Lessons in Zen
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Golden Lessons in Zen

You don't travel to Japan. Japan travels to you

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9 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Rekindling Hope
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Rekindling Hope

The Supreme Court verdict in the Bilkis Bano case that rescinded the remission of 11 convicts raises hope for a democratic India

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5 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Men in the Guise of Gods
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Men in the Guise of Gods

Rama faces the greatest challenge of his legacy today and it is caused by humans who consider themselves gods, accountable to no one

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4 mins  |
February 01, 2024
The Slow-burning SOUTH
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The Slow-burning SOUTH

The Ram Janmabhoomi movement has taken its time to seep into the southern states, but undercurrents have always existed

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8 mins  |
February 01, 2024
The Dark Mien
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The Dark Mien

Hindu scriptures differ on the skin colour of Ram. Was he white, blue, bluish-grey, black or even green?

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5 mins  |
February 01, 2024
What Does Ram Mandir Mean to an Ordinary Indian?
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What Does Ram Mandir Mean to an Ordinary Indian?

It's a moment in history that shows that, as a country, we have faith in our institutions

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5 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Eye on Polls?
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Eye on Polls?

The Ram temple inauguration may certainly influence the processes and outcomes of the upcoming General Elections

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4 mins  |
February 01, 2024
A Paper City
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A Paper City

The contemporary Ram Janmbhoomi politics that began in the 20th century can be broadly categorised into three periods1949, 1980s and post-2014

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6 mins  |
February 01, 2024
December 23, 1949: Abdul Sees Divine Ram Lalla
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December 23, 1949: Abdul Sees Divine Ram Lalla

Global history is replete with instances where faith has overshadowed all other considerations

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4 mins  |
February 01, 2024
Ramaisation Of Indian Politics
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Ramaisation Of Indian Politics

Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram's idol in Ayodhya has transformed the political landscape.Following Hindu tradition is the new buzz in governance but its foundation was laid in 1986

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5 mins  |
February 01, 2024
'I Was Told Don't Object as Elections are Near': Joshimath Shankaracharya
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'I Was Told Don't Object as Elections are Near': Joshimath Shankaracharya

Joshimath Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who came into the limelight for his decision to not attend the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, in an exclusive interview with Outlook, says that the religious scriptures are not being followed. He also accuses the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary, Champat Rai, of dividing Hindu society in the name of sects. Excerpts:

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4 mins  |
February 01, 2024