South Asia Citizens Web

The cycle of killings in Kannur in Kerala can be viewed as a violent symptom of the deep-rooted irreconcilability of two political forces in India-the secular Left and the communal Hindu Right. Although the media seek to depoliticize the CPI(M)-RSS conflict there by projecting it as a simple gang warfare between two contending electoral foes, each seeking to retain and extend its territory, one cannot overlook the fundamental ideologies that sharply divide the two. The fact that soon after (…)

The Editor, The Times of India
Sir,
On January 8, 2009, you published the result of a poll in answer to your question "Should India follow Israel’s lead in its own war against terror?" The answer, predictably, was 84% in favour. I submit that this was a disingeneous way of conducting Israeli propaganda, a means of misleading the public and a violation of journalistic norms of fairness. Your newspaper prides itself on educating your readership. You have the right to publicise your views (…)

Disposable from vimlendu on Vimeo

Comrades, consider what might have happened in 1990 if all groups and parties in the communist movement had set aside their differences in order to defend the Babri Masjid. Had they unitedly resisted the tide of communal mobilisation, they might have prevented the terrible atrocities unleashed by the right extremists. Society is desperate for relief from constant fear, insecurity and intimidation.

“Whether you could admit an injustice if you despise the one you injured” Elias Canetti
If truth is war’s first casualty, a state of permanent war will lead to the complete dissipation of truth. And if truth is to be understood not just as fact, but more significantly, that which remains through the shimmering flux of appearances, then it may only emerge via dialogue, no matter how severe the words chosen. As long as someone is actually listening. The pursuit of political goals via (…)