SECULARISM, DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

INSAF Bulletin 187 November 2017
Founding Editor: Daya Varma (1929-2015)
Editors: Vinod Mubayi (New York) and Raza Mir (New Jersey).
Editorial Board: Ram Puniyani and Irfan Engineer (Mumbai); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Islamabad); Dolores Chew (Montreal); Vamsi Vakulabharanam (Amherst); Ajay Bhardwaj (Vancouver).
Circulation/website: Feroz Mehdi (On behalf of Alternatives, Montreal).

EDITORIAL: MODI’S “ACCHHE DIN” SEEM TO BE TURNING SOUR

Vinod Mubayi and Raza Mir

 

Modi and BJP’s triumphal march across the Indian political landscape for the last three and a half years now seems to be slowing down if not going into reverse. Those who believe in the promise of the Indian Constitution for a secular and democratic polity can now afford to breathe just a tad more freely as the poisonous hot air balloon of the regime appears to have begun to deflate a little. As the poet Faiz said once: “Roshan kahin bahar ke imkan hue to hain.” (Some possibilities of spring seem to be emerging.) Read more…

WHY ISN’T NARENDRA MODI TALKING ABOUT THE ‘GUJARAT MODEL’ ANYMORE?

Swati Chaturvedi

 

Narendra Modi, as three-time Gujarat chief minister, won the Bharatiya Janata Party an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha on the basis of his “vikas” (development) track record and the mega publicised “Gujarat model”. Isn’t it perplexing, then, that Modi, who by no means can be described as modest, is not fighting the Gujarat elections on that same record? Read more…

MISSION 350 OR NON-MISSION 200?

Sunil Sharan

 

It was all going swimmingly well. 2019 all locked up with 350 seats. Until the economy tanked. Read more…

CHANGING POLITICAL WEATHER: BJP GETS THE CHILLS

Mitali Saran

 

The weather in Delhi is finally turning, as is public opinion in India. The bluster and gloating is gone. Three and a half years into the Modi government, those who never liked the BJP are furious and openly derisive. Read more…

SECTARIANISM SUPPRESSING DEMOCRATIC RIGHT OF EXPRESSION

Ram Puniyani

 

Freedom of expression has been the core value which accompanied the struggle for India’s Independence. Read more…

PAKISTAN’S EDUCATED JIHADI’S

Muhammad Suleman

 

The recent trend in Pakistan is of the gradual penetration of radicalization and religious violent extremism into academic institutions. Traditionally, there were the madaris (religious seminaries) that played a vibrant role in breeding the jihadists and promoting religious violent extremism and terrorism in the society. Read more…

INDIA BECOMING DANGEROUS FOR INTELLECTUALS, SOCIAL ACTIVISTS

Pushkar Raj

 

When journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead in front of her house early last month, quite a few writers and social activists in India must have felt a chill down their spines as the country steadily becomes a dangerous place for intellectuals. Read more…

ON HIS BIRTH ANNIVERSARY, KARWAN-E-MOHABBAT MAKES FINAL STOP AT GANDHI’S BIRTHPLACE

Mari Marcel Thek Aekara

 

Porbandar: It’s a bit surreal, staying in a small, rather seedy, very dirty little hotel surrounded by members of the Sangh Parivar. Around mid-day, the president of India, with Amit Shah, will do the usual – start the honours for commemorating Gandhi Jayanti in Porbandar. Read more…

#I-AM-GAURI’ EVENT IN MUMBAI

Anand Patwardhan

 

October 5 marks one month after the murder of the journalist, rationalist and anti-communal activist, Gauri Lankesh. In the last four years, three other rationalists, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Comrade Pansare and Dr. M.M Kalburgi were gunned down in an almost identical manner. Read more…

INDIAN CHILDREN SUFFER FROM INFANT STARVATION AND HUNGER

Sabrangindia Staff

 

While other countries have improved, we have not. This fall to 100th place (of 119) on the hunger index is registered for India at a time when the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) shows long term progress in reducing hunger in the world. Read more…

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