The Soil That Would Not Be Silenced: Sliman Mansour and the Art of Sumud
Sliman Mansour, the visual architect of Palestinian steadfastness, died in occupied East Jerusalem on 24 August 2026 at the age of 79, leaving behind a half-century of work that turned paint, mud and memory into an unbreakable language of belonging. In a landscape where even the colours of a flag could be criminalised, Mansour refused […]
When Language Becomes a Licence to Livelihood
Maharashtra’s Marathi test risks turning cultural pride into coercive exclusion Language is an important marker of identity. Marathi, like every Indian language, deserves respect, protection and promotion. But there is a profound difference between encouraging people to learn a language and making their livelihood conditional upon passing a state-administered language test. Maharashtra’s current crackdown on […]
An Open Letter to Ram Madhav: History Cannot Be Rewritten One Stanza at a Time
Dear Mr Ram Madhav, Your recent Indian Express column, “On Vande Mataram, Congress hasn’t learnt from its past”, makes a provocative charge: that the Congress decision in 1937 to restrict the public singing of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas was a grave historical mistake, and that Congress’s alleged failure to stand firm against […]
“You Belong to Yourself”: Rahul Gandhi’s Clarion Call for Women’s Autonomy at Pune’s Chhatron Ki Goonj
In the humid evening air of Pune on August 22, 2026, thousands of young women filled the grounds of the AISSMS College for the fourth edition of Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron Ki Goonj campaign. Unlike the earlier gatherings in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, this one was deliberately exclusive to female students. What unfolded was not a […]
Jana Gana Mana and the Enduring Debate Over India’s National Anthem
A recent public remark by actor Mukesh Khanna has revived one of India’s longest-running cultural and historical debates. Khanna argued that the country’s national anthem should be Vande Mataram rather than Jana Gana Mana, claiming the latter was originally composed as a tribute to British royalty. The statement quickly divided social media into familiar camps […]
Vande Mataram: Congress Finally Challenges the BJP’s Monopoly on Nationalism
By reaffirming its 1937 position on “Vande Mataram”, the Congress has taken a calculated political risk. The immediate controversy may deepen the country’s cultural polarisation, but the larger question is whether nationalism can remain the exclusive property of one political party. A Song, Not a Property Deed The Congress Working Committee’s decision to retain the […]
Rajiv Gandhi: The Prime Minister Who Imagined a Modern India
A birth anniversary tribute to the youngest leader to occupy India’s highest office On August 20, India remembers Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister on October 31, 1984, following the assassination of his mother, Indira Gandhi. He served in office until December 2, […]
The Poet Who Refused to Leave Poetry at the Studio Door
Remembering Jan Nisar Akhtar on His 50th Death Anniversary Half a century after his passing, the legendary Urdu poet and lyricist remains a monument to poetic integrity, bridging the revolutionary fervour of the progressive movement with the tender romance of Hindi cinema. On August 19, 2026, half a century has elapsed since Jan Nisar Akhtar […]
Pukar lo, tumhara intezar hai..: Gulzar at 92 and the Architecture of Human Emotion
When August 18 arrives, Indian cinema and literature pause to honor a master craftsman whose pen has quietly defined the emotional vocabulary of multiple generations. Turning 92, the poet, lyricist, filmmaker, and author born Sampooran Singh Kalra stands as a monument to cultural continuity—a rare artist who bridged the grand Urdu literary tradition of the […]
The Song and the Sword: How Majoritarian Politics Misreads ‘Vande Mataram’
From Bankim’s pen to Tagore’s moral caution, the national song was woven into India’s pluralist struggle. Modern attempts to convert it into a tool of ideological coercion dishonour both history and the republic.In the political theatre of contemporary India, few symbols are subjected to as much synthetic fury as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Vande Mataram. Whenever […]
