South Asia Citizens Web

New York Times, November 8, 2008
An Artist in Exile Tests India’s Democratic Ideals
[Photo]Tamara Abdul Hadi for The New York Times
Maqbool Fida Husain, India’s most famous painter, in one of his homes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he now lives.
By SOMINI SENGUPTA Published: November 8, 2008
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Maqbool Fida Husain, India’s most famous painter, is afraid to go home.
Tamara Abdul Hadi for The New York Times
M. F. Husain
Mr. Husain is a Muslim (…)

Daily News and Analysis, November 07, 2008
History of violence
The various wings of Hindutva-inspired terrorism go back a long way
The connections and events leading up to the unearthing of what the Maharashtra police believe is a well-ramified network of Hindutva-inspired terrorists cutting across different states, and responsible for the September bombings in Malegaon, could not have been more surreal. It’s as if all the authors who originally scripted Hindutva more than 75 years ago (…)

Press Statement
9th November 2008.
A protest march against the ABVP’s fascist assault and vandalism was held by the University Community on the on 7th November, starting from Vivekananda statue, Arts Faculty of Delhi University. A large number of students and teachers from Delhi University were joined by JNU and Jamia students, and a march of more than 600 people traversed all colleges in the North Campus raising slogans.
The march also stopped in front of DUSU office for around five (…)

The UNESCO Courier, 2008 - Number 9
Early in the decade, a woman raised her voice against Hindu fundamentalism asserting Aryan superiority. And she was heard. Her name: Romila Thapar. The famous Indian historian explains here how spurious identities founded on pseudo-historical arguments affect human rights.
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Romila Thapar is professor emeritus of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and one of the world’s foremost experts of ancient Indian history. Her seminal (…)

The Guardian, November 7 2008
Which is the real menace?
People whose bodies and sexualities put them beyond the pale of social norms are without rights in the eyes of Indian police
Under rightwing and leftwing governments alike, India has prided itself on its status as the world’s largest democracy. Civic freedoms, an independent judiciary, and basic political rights for citizens are part of that promise. But in India and far too many other democracies, rights that are arguably even (…)