What started as a protest against a heinous rape and murder of a junior lady doctor in a government hospital in Kolkata attached to the famous RG Kar Medical College has snowballed into an unprecedented movement for justice and the safety of women.
Of all the Hindu deities, Shiva may be the most complex but Lakshmi is certainly one of the most amorphous â when one attempts to capture her within a definitive framework. She is undoubtedly one of the oldest deities and one can claim, quite confidently, that she has survived for three full millennia,
Though Narendra Modi and his cohorts swore before the elections that they would surely cross 400 seats, it was clear during the different phases of polling that the INDIA bloc parties would certainly do well. The new-found unity among the opposition parties had evoked enthusiastic popular support.
There is no doubt that today, the 24th of August, is a landmark day when the modern colonial city of Calcutta or Kolkata came up. True, there were human settlements in this area that were part of a zemindari possession of the famous family of Sabarna Roy Choudhuryâ but the great metropolis of Calcutta surely owes its founding to Job Charnock â who set up camp here.
During the UPA years, 2004 to 2014, Narendra Modi, CM of Gujarat, led the brigade of States on each and every issue that he felt militated against the federal structure of the Constitution. Thus, when he was elected prime minister of India in 2014, we had naturally expected him to strengthen the rights of states and were certain that he would take away several controversially acquired powers of the Centre.
In 1967, when I was just 15 years old, I was attracted to Ram Manohar Lohiaâs brand of desi socialism that targeted the nexus between caste and class in India. The Congress had been in power for 20 years and appeared quite invincible. But socialist leaders such as George Fernandes, Madhu Limaye, Rabi Ray and Kishen Pattanayak believed that the mighty Congress could be dislodged.
Narendra Modi has begun his third term in 2024 with the inglorious distinction of leading the âleast productive parliament sessionâ â the just-concluded monsoon-cum-budget session. Conversely, his first session after his second innings in 2019 was proudly declared by the Speaker as the âmost productiveâ one since 1952. Along with the Rajya Sabha, it had passed a record 36 bills â demonstrating, in no uncertain terms, the cocky spirit of that phase.
I remember the tremendous tension that I went through as SDO nd Magistrate in charge of âMuharramâ at Loha Gate in Agarpara in 1978 â as oceans of frenzied humans went all around me, lashing and bleeding themselves with whips, chains and fighting dangerously swords â crying "Ya Hasan, Ya Husain"! It continued through the evening and night. Though there were grievous and other (self-inflicted) injuries, I could report early in the morning, that it was âpeacefulâ and âlaw and order under controlâ.
āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ°āĻĨāĻ¯āĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻž āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻā§ āĻļā§āĻ°ā§āĻā§āĻ¤āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻŽāĻšāĻžāĻĒā§āĻ°āĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻĨāĻž āĻŽāĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻ°āĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻĻā§āĻ¯āĻŧ, āĻ¯āĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¨āĻžāĻĨā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻŽ āĻāĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŽā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻĻāĻ°ā§āĻļāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨āĨ¤ā§§ā§Ģā§§ā§Ļ āĻ¸āĻžāĻ˛ā§ āĻ¸āĻ¨ā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¸ āĻā§āĻ°āĻšāĻŖ āĻāĻ°āĻžāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§ āĻļā§āĻ°ā§āĻā§āĻ¤āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻ¯āĻāĻ¨ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒā§āĻāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨, āĻ¤āĻāĻ¨ āĻ¤āĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāĻŦā§āĻāĻĒā§āĻ°āĻŦāĻŖ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨ āĻ¯ā§ āĻāĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¨āĻžāĻĨā§āĻ° āĻŽā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻ˛āĻŋāĻā§āĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻĻāĻŋāĻāĻŦāĻŋāĻĻāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻļā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻšā§ā§ āĻā§āĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨āĨ¤āĻĢāĻ˛ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻ¨ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻšāĻŋāĻ¤āĻ°āĻž āĻ¤āĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻāĻ˛ āĻā§āĻŦā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ°āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻā§ā§āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻ°ā§ā§āĻ¸āĻ¨āĻž āĻāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ āĨ¤
The INDIA front, that Narendra Modi and his acolytes had scornfully dismissed as divided and doomed, had managed to give the Bharatiya Janata Party a real fright, with its 237 seats so perilously close to the BJPâs 240.
When a short, lanky 22-year-old Malayali lad from Ernakulam got off the Madras Mail at Howrah Station, he could never have imagined that he would become famous as the âbarefoot historian of Old Calcuttaâ.
Many people in Kolkata, which includes my wife and I, are shattered to learn that our dear P.T. â P. Thankappan Nair â the barefoot historian of Kolkata, is no more. He was 91 and died in his home in Aluva, Kerala.
āĻĒāĻ°āĻŽā§āĻļā§āĻŦāĻ°āĻ¨ āĻĨāĻ¨āĻāĻĒā§āĻĒāĻ¨ āĻ¨āĻžā§āĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻž āĻĒāĻŋ āĻāĻŋ āĻ¨āĻžāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ§āĻžāĻ¨ āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻ¤āĻŋ, āĻ¤āĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨ âāĻŦā§ā§āĻžāĻ°āĻĢā§āĻ āĻšāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°āĻŋā§āĻžāĻ¨ āĻ āĻŦ āĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ˛āĻāĻžāĻāĻžâ āĻŦāĻž âāĻāĻ˛āĻāĻžāĻ¤āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋ āĻĒāĻžā§ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¤āĻŋāĻšāĻžāĻ¸āĻŦāĻŋāĻĻâāĨ¤ āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ°ā§ āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻžāĻ˛āĻŋ āĻāĻ āĻāĻ¤āĻŋāĻšāĻžāĻ¸āĻŦāĻŋāĻĻ ā§¯ā§§ āĻŦāĻāĻ° āĻŦā§āĻ¸ā§ āĻā§āĻ°āĻ˛ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ˛ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ¤āĻžāĻāĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāĻ¤ā§ āĻŽāĻā§āĻāĻ˛āĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĻļā§āĻˇ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻāĻļā§āĻŦāĻžāĻ¸ āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻ˛ā§āĻ¨āĨ¤ āĻŦāĻāĻ° āĻā§ā§āĻ āĻāĻā§ āĻāĻ˛āĻāĻžāĻ¤āĻžāĻ° āĻĒāĻžāĻ āĻā§āĻāĻŋā§ā§ āĻĢāĻŋāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻŋā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻā§āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¤ā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻšāĻžāĻ°āĻžāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽ āĻāĻ ā§Ēā§Ģ āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¨ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻ āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ā§ āĻāĻ° āĻāĻ āĻ āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻāĻžāĻĸāĻŧ āĻāĻ˛āĻāĻžāĻ¤āĻžāĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŽā§ āĻāĻŦā§āĻˇāĻāĻā§, āĻ¯āĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻ¤āĻžāĻāĻ° āĻā§āĻŦāĻ¨ āĻā§āĻ¸āĻ°ā§āĻ āĻāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻ āĻļāĻšāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¤āĻŋāĻšāĻžāĻ¸ āĻ¸āĻ¨ā§āĻ§āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĨ¤
The 4th of June will be remembered in the history of stock markets in India for the biggest single-day fall in share prices in 4 years. The benchmark stock indexes, Sensex and Nifty, crashed by almost 6 per cent on this day when the election results to the 18th Lok Sabha started revealing that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party may not be headed towards an absolute majority on its own.
āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻ¤ā§āĻ° āĻļā§ā§āĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻ¤ ā§Ē āĻā§āĻ¨ āĻ¯ā§ āĻĒāĻ¤āĻ¨ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§, āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻāĻ¤āĻŋāĻšāĻžāĻ¸āĻŋāĻ āĻĒāĻ¤āĻ¨ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻ¤ āĻāĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§ āĻšā§āĻ¨āĻŋāĨ¤ āĻāĻāĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§ āĻļā§ā§āĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻž āĻĒāĻĄāĻŧā§āĻ¨āĻŋāĨ¤ āĻļā§ā§āĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻ āĻšāĻ˛ āĻ¸ā§āĻ¨āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ¸ āĻ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻĢāĻāĻŋāĨ¤ āĻ¯ā§ āĻŽā§āĻšā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻŦāĻ°ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻāĻžāĻļ āĻĒā§āĻ˛ āĻ¯ā§ āĻ āĻˇā§āĻāĻžāĻĻāĻļ āĻ˛ā§āĻžāĻāĻ¸āĻāĻžā§ āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ā§ āĻāĻ¨āĻ¤āĻž āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°āĻā§āĻā§āĻļ āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻ°āĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ āĻ¤āĻž āĻ¨āĻž āĻĒāĻžāĻā§āĻžāĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻā§āĻžāĻā§āĻā§, āĻ¸ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ āĻ¸ā§āĻ āĻŽā§āĻšā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ āĻĨā§āĻā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻ¨āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ¸ āĻ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻĢāĻāĻŋāĻ¤ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻžā§ ā§Ģ āĻļāĻ¤āĻžāĻāĻļ āĻĒāĻ¤āĻ¨ āĻļā§āĻ°ā§ āĻšāĻ˛āĨ¤
As I switched on the TV for a brief while to watch Narendra Modiâs third swearing-in ceremony, my mind flashed back to his first, in 2014. I was a bit nervous as I was sure to be the fall guy, as the CEO of Prasar Bharati, if any glitch occurred in the television and radio coverage. A few days earlier, he had alleged that Prasar Bharati had mischievously cut off parts of his last interview on Doordarshan.
āĻŽāĻ¨ā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻāĻŦā§āĨ¤ ā§§ā§¯ā§Ŧā§, ā§§ā§¯ā§ā§ āĻŦāĻž ā§¨ā§Ļā§§ā§Ē-āĻāĻ° āĻ˛ā§āĻāĻ¸āĻāĻž āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ¨ āĻ¯ā§āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻāĻ¤āĻŋāĻšāĻžāĻ¸ā§ āĻ āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻ¤āĻŽ āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻ˛ā§āĻ¯āĻāĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ¨ āĻšāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻŦā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻ¨ āĻĒā§ā§ā§āĻā§ āĻ āĻŋāĻ āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ¨āĻ āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻ°āĻŖā§ā§ āĻšā§ā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻāĻŦā§ āĻāĻ ā§¨ā§Ļā§¨ā§Ē āĻ¸āĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻ° āĻ˛ā§āĻāĻ¸āĻāĻž āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ¨āĨ¤ āĻā§āĻ¨āĻ āĻ¸āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āĻš āĻ¨ā§āĻ āĻŽā§āĻĻāĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻ¸āĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻŋāĻ° āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻ¨āĻž āĻāĻāĻ˛ āĻāĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ¨ā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻžāĻ˛āĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻ¨ āĻ¤āĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻāĻŦāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ¯āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻž āĻ¸āĻ¤āĻ°ā§āĻ āĻāĻ°āĻŦā§ āĻ¤āĻž āĻāĻŦāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ¯āĻ¤ā§āĻ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻŦā§āĨ¤
History will look back at the 2024 elections to the 18th Lok Sabha as an exciting landmarkâ somewhat like 1967 or 1977 or even 2014. There is no doubt that it marks the beginning of the end of the Modi era, though one cannot predict how badly he may react to the writing on the wall or how or viciously he may tighten his stranglehold over a battered democracy. It is a major blow to Narendra Modiâs ego and his hold over his flock that he has fallen 32 seats short of the absolute majority figure of 272 seats.
What started as a completely one-sided election has slowly but surely turned into an interesting one, with all sorts of possibilities. Liberals, rationalists, pluralists, democratic, leftists and all others who have not accepted a regime that is openly opposed to these values enshrined in the Indian constitution have suffered repeated defeat, demoralisation and humiliation for 10 long years.
I am sad that while every major city of India has a proper public-sponsored art gallery, Kolkata does not. Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have great facilities called the National Galleries of Modern Art (NGMAs),
āĻ°āĻžā§ āĻ āĻā§āĻāĻ˛ā§ āĻ āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻā§āĻ° āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ§āĻŽāĻžāĻ¨ (āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻĒāĻļā§āĻāĻŋāĻŽ), āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻļā§āĻŦāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻ˛āĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧāĻž, āĻŦā§āĻ°āĻā§āĻŽ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻā§āĻĄāĻŧāĻžā§ āĻŦā§āĻļ āĻāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻā§āĻļā§āĻŦāĻ° āĻļāĻŋāĻŦāĻŽā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧāĨ¤ āĻāĻā§āĻ˛āĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻā§āĻ¤āĻĒāĻā§āĻˇā§ āĻā§āĻ¨ āĻ¤ā§āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻā§āĻāĻ°āĻĻā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻāĻŽā§āĻŦāĻ° āĻŽā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻŋāĨ¤ āĻāĻā§āĻ˛āĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻžāĻā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻŽāĻ§ā§āĻ¯āĻ¯ā§āĻā§ āĻā§āĻ¨āĻ§āĻ°ā§āĻŽā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻāĻ āĻ āĻā§āĻāĻ˛ā§āĻ° āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻžāĻ¯ā§āĻā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻˇ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻŽāĻžāĻŖāĨ¤