South Asia Citizens Web

Known in the past as the land of sapphires and saffron, Kishtwar today is a metaphor for the larger collapse of the idea of Jammu and Kashmir. Once, the state’s greatest strength was its rich cultural, linguistic, religious and geographical diversity. Today, as most of these identities have morphed into shrill, polarised and communally charged monsters, the real danger to J&K is from within. Unless the nation acts today, the state is sure to implode tomorrow. For, much of what we are witnessing is a consequence of the warped and short-sighted policies of the Centre and the state.

While a bridge collapse will kill a few hundred people, a nuclear disaster will destroy hundreds of thousands of lives and live in genes for generations. Bhopal is there for us to see. And yet, we stay silent, as greedy corporations, governments and individuals put us all at risk for profit. At what cost is our non-involvement?

IIC Quarterly
BOOK REVIEW
Rajmohan Gandhi
PUNJAB: BLOODIED, PARTITIONED AND CLEANSED Author: Ishtiaq Ahmed Publisher: Rupa, Delhi, 2011 Details: pp. 808, Price: ` 995
In our subcontinent’s book of violence, some chapters are gorier than the rest. Of those dealing with the 20th century, none are more bloodstained than ‘Punjab 1947’ and ‘East Bengal 1971–72’. While the latter has yet to find its adequate historian, it would seem that Ishtiaq Ahmed’s study has finally done justice to (…)

We strongly condemn India’s recent acquisition of a nuclear-propelled submarine close on the heels of the recent flight-test of another nuclear-capable missile. Brandishing these tools of mass destruction as guarantees of national security while ignoring the issues of real safety, security and well-being of the Indian people demonstrates a perverse pathology.

Though it was not possible to imagine at the time of Partition that separatists would work within the Hindu community, the BJP today functions like the Muslim League of pre-partition days. We must be on guard, lest the aggressiveness of the majority turns into fascism