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The brazen murder of Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed while in police protection points to a state striding wilfully towards lawlessness.

In this issue

19-05-202337 STORIES

Gangs of Gujarat: Review of ‘The Bandit Queens’ by Parini Shroff

This humorous novel is marred by a mismatch between an American, cosmopolitan register and a rural India setting.

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New books on the shelves

A claustrophobic millennial marriage, an 18th-century warrior queen, the history of patriarchy, and much more.

FLQ: The Frontline Quiz!

Hollywood films, Golden Raspberry award for Worst Supporting Actor, the Hogwarts school library, and more.

Sumant Srivathsan

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‘My Wedding’: A Kannada story in translation

Translated by Deepa Bhasthi. Written more than 80 years ago by a 27-year-old, Gowramma’s stories opened a path for other women writers to follow.

Kodagina Gowramma

The forgotten teacher: Review of ‘A Matter of the Heart’ by Anurag Behar

Parables about ordinary people doing extraordinary work in government schools across India.

Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta

Body doubles: Review of ‘Cursed Bunny’ by Bora Chung

Since Bora Chung prefers to report events rather than evoke experiences, her characters do not really feel human although they are allegedly human.

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Letters

Readers write in.

An intellectual feast: Review of ‘The Sweet Salt of Tamil’ by Tho Paramasivan

The English translation of Tho Paramasivan’s Ariyappadatha Tamilakam offers just enough salt to taste the richness of Tamil.

The Ab Tak Chhappan Phenomenon: Frontline Newsletter

Cops and criminals: Brothers in arms

Both popular cinema and its audiences are enthralled by the brutal encounter cop. But does art imitate life or is it vice versa?

Rift in Rajasthan Congress between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot out in the open

Pilot’s protest was against the Congress government’s failure to take action on corruption charges against BJP leaders when they were in power.

T.K. Rajalakshmi

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Encounter killings and the strongman phenomenon

The legitimacy of extrajudicial police action grows when a “strongman” emerges as leader, promising to rid society of gangsters and gangs.

Peter Ronald deSouza

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Editor’s Note: Impunity for the state means impunity for the mobs

To replace a slow-paced and seriously flawed judicial system with “instant” justice via vigilantism is to stare into the abyss of anarchy.

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Assam under the scanner after rise in encounter deaths since 2017

Since 2017, Assam registered 50 cases of encounter deaths, 18 of which were in 2021-22. The police have been accused of “fake encounters”.

Sushanta Talukdar

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Torture, custodial killings continue to haunt lives in Jammu and Kashmir

Immunity for security personnel has dimmed prospects of free and fair justice for the victims of extra-judicial killings.

Failure of governments to investigate encounter killings as murder rankling

Hardly any government complies with the National Human Rights Commission’s circular on encounter killings. How can police action be made accountable?

No concrete outcomes at IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings

The lack of progress is attributed to the unwillingness of the institutions to reform themselves.

C.P. Chandrasekhar

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Despite the NCERT’s shocking move, Gandhi lives on

The decision to drop the Gandhi assassination from the NCERT’s history textbook just cannot extinguish the Mahatma’s memory.

The elusive idea of grace

Is grace that feeling of being swept into and receding from something, as in an Odissi recital?

Prathyush Parasuraman

Atlas of Impunity: A report that ranks global lawlessness

A new report ranks countries on the basis of how poorly they have performed in terms of not adhering to the rules or the rule of law.

Anupama Katakam

The emerald lands of Kodagu

Footloose in Kodagu, where the mercury still hovers around 20° Celsius.

Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta

Self-help books: Of little help?

A critical look at how such books thrive in a capitalistic culture and often end up confusing rather than helping the reader.

Deepansh Duggal

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Science & Technology

Bacterial ‘syringes’ for drug delivery in humans

The system could potentially deliver gene therapies and cancer therapies in a safe and efficient way.

R. Ramachandran

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Science & Technology

Hydrogen route to steel production

The use of hydrogen as a reactant to produce steel is potentially more environmentally friendly than using carbon, but an industrial-scale switch to u

R. Ramachandran

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Science & Technology

Power-packed neutrinos as supernova detectors

As a star collapses, its iron core disintegrates, producing vast numbers of neutrinos that stream outwards in unimaginable quantities.

R. Ramachandran

Trade unions’ steely resolve to prevent Vizag Steel from being privatised

Workers keep up the fight against any attempt to allow private players’ participation in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

How underprivileged women in a Delhi slum are breaking the glass ceiling

Women at Tajpur Pahari discover the power of having information at their fingertips and find out how to use technology to empower themselves.

Dismantling the gaze

This volume traces the evolution of photography in South Asia from the 19th century to the present and challenges our conditioned habits of viewing.

‘We can easily reach 10,000 tigers’: Dr K. Ullas Karanth

The leading tiger expert sheds light on aspects on the finer nuances of tiger conservation.

Shekar Dattatri

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‘Encounter Pradesh’ model of instant justice indicates terror may become state policy

The Adityanath government has ushered in an era of unapologetic state vigilantism in Uttar Pradesh.

Ashutosh Sharma

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A currency called Kumarji: Celebrating the centenary of Kumar Gandharva

Presenting a small playlist of classical renditions by Kumar Gandharva (1924-1992) from across the genres he favoured.

Will the Karnataka election result in a decisive mandate?

The Congress looks better placed than the BJP and the JD(S) in the last leg of the campaign, as corruption, caste, and development take centre stage.

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

Supriya Sule: ‘People will decide the NCP’s future’

The Nationalist Congress Party MP focussed on a possible nationwide opposition alliance with a common minimum programme.

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Contract killings on the rise in West Bengal

The frequency of such incidents highlights the changing face of politics in Bengal, from ideology-driven politics to muscle power politics.

Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

Sudan plunges into yet another period of volatility as armed conflict erupts

The complexities of the Sudan conflict are such that the crisis is unlikely to abate anytime soon.

China’s diplomatic moves in West Asia could ripple beyond

China’s rising involvement in West Asia has implications not just for the US but also for Israel, Iran, and India.

The essential Geoffrey Bawa: Celebrating the works of an architectural great

An exhibition on the renowned Sri Lankan architect at the NGMA marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka.

Malavika Karlekar

Hakki Pikki: The global nomads of Karnataka

A large number of them are now stuck in different parts of Sudan where an internecine conflict rages.

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

Archive

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+ READ THIS ISSUE 15-12-2023

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+ READ THIS ISSUE 01-12-2023

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+ READ THIS ISSUE 17-11-2023

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+ READ THIS ISSUE 03-11-2023

+ SEE ALL ISSUES

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