Open Space
View All
The Caste Question in Bengal: Hindu Demographic Anxieties and Repercussions
In pre-1947 Bengal, lower caste political and social aspirations generally received favourable response from the Hindu Nationalists. After 1990 too, the expansion of the BJP in the Hindi-heartland and beyond was the result of a successful combination of Mandir and Mandal. Will this history be repeated in West Bengal also? Time will tell.
VOICES
View All
The Highly Hazardous Pesticide Crisis: Why Himachal Pradesh Needs an Agrochemical Reset
The gravity of the HHP crisis in Himachal Pradesh is distinct from the agrarian struggles of other states. The cultivation of high-value cash crops like apples, and off-season vegetables, alongside the practice of clearing commons and forest land with herbicides to cultivate monsoon season peas, demands intense HHPs use.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
View All
Birsa’s Forlorn Children
The 150th birth anniversary this year of the tribal martyred hero, Bhagwan Birsa Munda (1874-1900) has begun to be observed with deserved enthusiasm in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and other parts of the country. Many Indians, especially those of tribal stock, would perhaps agree that this is an appropriate time to dwell on the abysmal conditions in which Birsa’s children are forced to live and die.
LOUNGE
View All
On the ‘Rahul Gandhi Question’ : A Rejoinder to Ramachandra Guha
The larger question is not whether Rahul Gandhi deserves criticism. Every political leader does. The question is whether the condition of India’s opposition can be adequately explained by focusing primarily on one individual. It cannot.
REVIEW
View All
The Highly Hazardous Pesticide Crisis: Why Himachal Pradesh Needs an Agrochemical Reset
The gravity of the HHP crisis in Himachal Pradesh is distinct from the agrarian struggles of other states. The cultivation of high-value cash crops like apples, and off-season vegetables, alongside the practice of clearing commons and forest land with herbicides to cultivate monsoon season peas, demands intense HHPs use.