South Asia Citizens Web

Malegaon was wonderfully free from communalism and its tension in the halcyon days after the Independence. Bigotry against the minority Muslim community appeared on the scene thanks to the growth of aggressive Hindutva. In later times this would became the defining characteristic of communalism in and around the city. The eighties was the turbulent decade of Indian social life. BJP was the new avatar of the communalist party Jan Sangh. While there was some degree of communalism (…)

The Deccan Herald
Bapsi Sidhwa is an internationally acclaimed author of novels like ‘Water’, ‘Ice Candy Man’, ‘An American Brat’, ‘Cracking India’, ‘The Bride’, and ‘The Crow Eaters’. Sidhwa was raised in Lahore , Pakistan ; she now lives in Houston Texas One cannot look in upon events in 2008 without reflecting on the fateful moments that held Pakistan hostage to a horrendous roller-coaster ride through 2007. The turmoil that spilled over from Afghanistan into the lawless maze of (…)

Dawn
IT is axiomatic that rightwing Hindu and Muslim groups dominating India and Pakistan consolidate each other’s constituencies. But both together have wreaked economic havoc on their people by consolidating neo-con politics and its economic worldview, although they publicly pretend to disagree with such policies. On the other hand, in Pakistan, the fight against Muslim extremism means you fall into the lap of the PPP. In India, opposition to Hindu extremism takes you into the embrace of (…)

www.sacw.net, January 4, 2008 Islamabad: Pakistan human rights activists, women’s rights activists, teachers, labour leaders and journalists have issued a statement on the current stand-off between India and Pakistan. Among the signatories are Asma Jahangir, I.A Rehman, Mubashir Hassan, Ahmed Rashid, Salima Hashmi and Iqbal Haider. The statement is as follows:
“We condemn the recent terrorist attack on Mumbai and extend our heartfelt condolence and sympathy to the victim families. (…)

Deccan Herald
Eminent historian Romila Thapar recently received the prestigious Kluge Prize 2008 of the United States Library of Congress, for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity. Well known for her contribution to creating a new pluralistic view of Indian civilization, she speaks to Shruba Mukherjee of Deccan Herald.
Excerpts:
Does study of history have a future?
History as practised at the professional level has a good future. But what passes for history at the popular (…)