South Asia Citizens Web

First they killed the Mahatma. And then they went after his message of empathy

A couple of days ago, I got a chance to go to Attari Railway Station and Wagha Border, on either side of which the flags of India and Pakistan are brandished with pride as well as a belligerent ferocity. I witnessed the histrionics and performativity of the Border Security Force of India and Pakistan Rangers.

Seventy years on, Punjabis on both sides of the Radcliffe Line continue to use words like ‘batwara’ or ‘vand’, the word for division, which overtook the euphoria of ‘independence’ and ‘azaadi’

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights, sang the late Jamaican reggae master Bob Marley. Would he sing with the same verve if he were around today?

There have been continuous attempts by the ruling BJP to saffronise the education system and root out liberal influences. For this, the ruling dispensation is back to its preferred tool — rewriting history. The idea is clear that the party wants to spread its ideology and iconise its own leaders.