Lessons from Delhi riots: how people of India rejected divisive politics on March 14, 2020The Delhi riots could not have come a worse times. The riots took place just when the US president and his family were being hosted for a state banquet by the Indian president, at the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhawan (Presidential Palace), the official residence of the president, just 20 km away. The riots were not spontaneous […]
The battle to preserve India’s soul on December 30, 2019India has been the cradle of religious pluralism for centuries. India is among a few countries, which had openly embraced Jews, Bohra Muslims, Parsis, Syrian Christians and people of other denominations, who had sought sanctuary against religious persecution in their countries. The people who came from diverse religious backgrounds not only assimilated in the Indian […]
Is Hong Kong being pushed to the brink of total breakdown? on November 21, 2019In what started as a legitimate peaceful protest against a controversial amendment to the extradition law, which provided for the transfer of fugitives to mainland China, where they would have faced trial for any act committed against the state, the protests have now taken an ugly turn; leading to violence and vandalism. However, what is […]
The unfolding of Kashmir tragedy on November 16, 2019The partition of India and Pakistan brought in its wake a human tragedy of colossus magnitude, leading to murder, arson and rape. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims were killed leading to one of the largest migrations ever seen in history. The outgoing British further complicated the already fragile situation by not deciding the fate of […]
Is China ready to become the next global leader? on December 25, 2018In a speech to mark China’s 40th anniversary of economic liberalization, the Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the ‘opening up of the economy’ was “a great revolution in the history of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation”. He further said a quantum leap has been made in the cause of socialism with Chinese […]
Has the recent electoral reverses in three Indian States made ‘Brand Modi’ vulnerable on December 17, 2018The recent electoral debacle in the three BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, in the Hindi heartland of India, has come as a major setback to the Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi. Ever since winning the 2014 general elections, Modi juggernaut has become unstoppable, winning one state after another, until now. […]
For now, it’s advantage Sheikh Hasina on March 1, 2018Bangladesh has always prided itself on its multicultural and pluralistic society. In spite of having an overwhelming Muslim majority, the country has always preserved its secular and pluralistic fabric, mainly drawn from the syncretic Sufi Islam. Further, its strength has always been its linguistic and cultural identity of different religious groups. Sadly, during the last […]
Iran needs to address protestors’ concerns on January 10, 2018The recent protests in Iran should serve as a warning to the country’s leadership of the importance of affecting economic and political reform. After all, those who took to the streets have shown that they can’t be cowed by the heavy handedness of the regime. This anti-government unrest, which has now moved northwards, was sparked […]
WTO at the crossroads on December 24, 2017The Eleventh World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference that took place from 10-13 December 2017 in Buenos Aires Argentina, ended without any substantive agreement. The collapse of the talks was on expected lines, as the United States, backed by the European Union, reneged on its earlier assurance, given at the Bali summit, to find a permanent […]
Padmavati is now held ransom by the right-wing on December 3, 2017India is a country with a diverse culture, pluralism and tolerance. For centuries, waves of immigrants, who sought refuge in India, from being persecuted in their own countries, were seamlessly assimilated to the Indian ethos and culture. So, what has changed now? We are now seeing growing intolerance taking root in society. The cow vigilantism, […]