From Emergency to Kakistocracy: Why Shashi Tharoor’s Half-Truths Serve the BJP’s Agenda
By glossing over the present ‘undeclared’ Emergency and fixating on 1975, Shashi Tharoor risks legitimising the very authoritarianism he claims to warn against. The Timing and the Intent: Who Benefits from This “Reminder”? On July 10, 2025, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor published an article in Deepika recalling the 1975 Emergency. While his observations rightly […]
ECI’s Special Intensive Revision in Bihar: A Threat to Democratic Rights?
A Controversial Electoral Overhaul On June 24, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, a move aimed at updating voter lists ahead of the state’s assembly elections scheduled for November 2025. The ECI described the exercise as essential to ensure the “integrity of the […]
The Importance of Being Zohran Mamdani: A Progressive Trailblazer
Reshaping New York and Beyond At just 33 years old, Zohran Kwame Mamdani has emerged as a political phenomenon, capturing the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in a stunning upset in June 2025. A democratic socialist with roots in Uganda and India, Mamdani’s rise from a New York State Assembly member to the […]
Resistance as Iqbal’s Inheritance in the Poetry of Ali Sardar Jafri
Ali Sardar Jafri, the ebullient literary giant, had his genesis in the same democratic soil that produced the world’s great thinkers. He was shaped by the turbulence that transforms a complacent political order into a more rational understanding of geopolitics and new social constructs. Though born with majestic royal blood, his poetry drew its power […]
Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb in Muharram: The Legacy of Channu Lal Dilgeer’s Marsiyas
As the Islamic world observes Ashura on July 6, 2025, the 10th day of Muharram, the solemn remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Karbala resonates deeply in Lucknow, a city synonymous with the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb—a cultural synthesis of Hindu and Muslim traditions. At the heart of this syncretic heritage stands Munshi Channu Lal […]
Language, Politics, and Identity in a Multilingual World
How language shapes political inclusion, exclusion, governance, and resistance—from India’s federalism to global conflicts. Language as a Tool of Power and Identity Language is far more than a tool for communication; it is a mechanism of power, a carrier of identity, and a political battleground. In legislative halls, election rallies, protests, and digital campaigns, language […]
The Erasure of Medieval Indian History: A Dangerous Rewrite of the Past
In a shocking move, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has virtually erased 600 years of Medieval Indian history (1200–1800 AD) from the syllabus of the UGC NET examinations. This follows a disturbing trend, with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) previously removing the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire from Class 7 textbooks, […]
DARK INTERLUDE : THE EMERGENCY AND INDIA’S DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA
Fifty years ago, India witnessed a seismic jolt to its democratic foundations when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a national Emergency on June 25, 1975. The move, widely regarded as a dark chapter in India’s constitutional history, suspended civil liberties, muzzled the press, and stifled dissent for 19 months. Today, as the nation reflects on […]
The Real Threat to the Constitution Lies Not in Its Words, But in Their Denial
A Point-by-Point Rebuttal of the BJP-RSS Attack on “Socialist” and “Secular” in the Preamble The Constitution of India is more than a legal document—it is a moral compass forged through consensus and commitment to democratic pluralism. Yet recent statements by key figures in the ruling establishment—RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa […]
Muharram: A Saga of Sacrifice and Unity in the Indian Subcontinent
Commemoration, Not CelebrationAs the crescent moon heralds Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a question arises: Is Muharram a festival to celebrate or a solemn occasion to commemorate? Far from a festive event, Muharram is a time of profound reflection, particularly for Shi’ite Muslims, who mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husain ibn […]
