South Asia Citizens Web

Each time I go to the Kashmir Valley – and that is often – I make it a point to engage with the men in uniform. At first, they are wary, even surprised to have a civilian walk up to their bunkers to talk to them. The reaction is the same, irrespective of whether they are from the paramilitary forces or from the army.
Trained to watch out for ‘enemy’ bullets, the soldiers are always on alert; their weapons forever cocked. “We don’t know which side the bullet will come from,’’ is the common refrain. They stay in these bunkers for most of their posting – a minimum of two years – with little or no contact with the civilians around them.

THAT Bangladesh has had a woman prime minister and a woman leader of the opposition in parliament since 1991, save the two years of illegal rule by an unconstitutional interim government in 2007-2008, has often been showcased as an indicator of stupendous ‘progress’ of women’s empowerment, especially by the political parties of the ruling class and their crony intellectuals. The Awami League-led government has sought to sustain such ‘progress’ in women’s empowerment by electing the first woman speaker of Jatiya Sangsad and appointing the first woman foreign minister in its previous tenure. Just a few days ago, the incumbents appointed the first woman vice-chancellor of a public university. However, the ‘progress’ in women’s empowerment, as showcased by the ruling quarters over the years, seems to have been more about style than substance — for more reasons than one.

Text of statement by Prof. Kum Kum Roy addressed to participants at ’Speaking of the Hindus’ seminar and the 2nd AK Ramanujan Lecture in Delhi on 6 March 2014

The cornerstone of Modi’s and the BJP’s campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections is that the UPA has ruined the Indian economy and the BJP led by Modi will make it boom. These claims have been reinforced by corporate adulation for Modi in his ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ summits [1] and surveys showing that almost 75% of top corporate CEOs want him to be the PM [2]. How valid are these claims?

Audio recordings from the National Seminar: ’Speaking of The Hindus’ with Profs. DN Jha, Kunal Chakrabarti, Apoorvanand, Chair: Prof. Romila Thapar. The organiser Prof. Mukul Mangalik led the event with introductions and a note of thanks. The seminar was organised by Ramjas College History society, University of Delhi on the 6th of March 2014 | The audio recordings were done as part of South Asia Citizens Web Archive initiative - sacw.net