The Centre’s continued support of the failed Biren Singh government is part of a larger attempt to veil the real issues at stake in Manipur.

In this issue

08-09-202333 STORIES

Monsoon session sees Modi government rush Bill after Bill through Parliament

Given that several of the Bills passed have serious implications, the government ought to have allowed a detailed discussion in the House.

Ramesh Chakrapani

Editor’s Note: Therefore, we must talk about Manipur—again

India hoped for a statesmanlike address from Prime Minister Modi on the Manipur crisis, but instead got a raucous political rally.

Supreme Court’s unwavering resolve to tackle Manipur’s crisis

The apex court has sent a strong message: it intends to get to the bottom of the ethnic violence and humanitarian crisis.

Manoj Kumar Jha: ‘Constitutional machinery has fallen apart in Manipur’

The RJD MP, who visited Manipur as part of a delegation of opposition parties, says the State has become a split society.

Manipur’s silent suffering and the broken promises of ‘peace’

In a land where trust has been shattered and lives hang in the balance, the call for peace rings hollow.

Kishalay Bhattacharjee

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Will the Congress’ five guarantees burden Karnataka’s economy?

The guarantees, which include free electricity, financial assistance, and welfare programmes, may not be fiscally sustainable.

Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed

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Letters

Readers write in.

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New books on the shelves

A novel that celebrates books and reading, an anthology that dares to disobey the rules of conventional war writing, and much more.

Centre blaming Myanmar migrants for Manipur violence is dangerous

Is New Delhi endorsing Meitei narrative or diverting from its failures?

Angshuman Choudhury

Why Telangana government wants to pull down Osmania General Hospital

The move has sparked a fierce debate between heritage conservationists and advocates for improved healthcare infrastructure.

Women take selfie in front of the International Institute for Population Sciences at Govendi in Mumbai.

Suspension of IIPS director sparks allegations of government interference in academic sphere

Academics fear the suspension is part of a government plan to silence K.S. James, who resisted political pressure to manipulate data.

T.K. Rajalakshmi

2.4 billion hungry lives: The new face of urban food insecurity

The latest FAO report explores the links between urbanisation and affordability of healthy diets.

T.K. Rajalakshmi

In winter, when the countryside prepares for the cropping season, songs waft in the air at night, invariably accompanied by drum and harmonium. Tribal women singing while harvesting paddy at Umswai village in Karbi Anglong, Assam.

How India as a civilisation is defined by its engagement with music

The nation’s vast ocean of songs belongs to everyone and is transferred from one generation to another.

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Why we must bring more voices into the making of art

Most often in art and representation, identity is defined by the violations people endure, by their victimhood.

Prathyush Parasuraman

Employees working in an information technology firm at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Is India booming at 76? GDP’s failure to recover fully indicates otherwise

The perception of rating agencies discounts the fundamental and structural weaknesses that have plagued the Indian economy for long.

C.P. Chandrasekhar

ASI survey raises fears of Gyanvapi mosque going the Babri way

The court-mandated survey might alter the building’s character, violating the 1991 Places of Worship Act.

Decoding the BJP blame game over mishandling of Manipur crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah try to deflect attention by dwelling on past lapses by Congress regimes.

The Sahitya Akademi needs to get in tune with the times

With the 70-year-old institution caught in a time warp, it must become more accessible and less bureaucratic in order to survive.

Saranya Subramanian

How tigers in Uttarakhand’s Thano range are under threat from an airport project

A WWF-Uttarakhand Forest Department study found new evidence of a breeding, thriving population of tigers at the Shivalik Elephant Reserve.

Rishika Pardikar

Govind Krishnan V.

‘Vivekananda is the ideological nemesis of the Sangh Parivar’: Govind Krishnan V.

The author’s latest book is an effort to challenge the Sangh Parivar’s depiction of the spiritual leader.

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‘The hunt and curation were the best parts of the process’: Thomas Abraham

The MD of Hachette India has collected the Hodder & Stoughton yellowbacks since the late 1980s, retaining their signature look and flavour.

Anusua Mukherjee

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A coming plague: Review of ‘Foreign Bodies’ by Simon Schama

Any narrative history of pandemics and vaccines must be told from ground zero. Sadly, Schama’s book is far removed from that reality.

Out of focus: Review of ‘ReFocus: The Films of Shyam Benegal’

This book on a filmmaker as thoughtful as Benegal has reduced him into nothing more than a repository of thesis ideas for reluctant graduate students.

Sohini Chattopadhyay

‘The Dystopian Times’ by Appupen

No getting past the present: Review of ‘History’s Angel’ by Anjum Hasan

Hasan’s novel details how Indian Muslims are being made to feel like outsiders and fugitives.

Shreevatsa Nevatia

Labyrinth of mirrors: Review of ‘The House of Doors’ by Tan Twan Eng

The Booker longlisted novel wormholes into the twilight of the Empire in the East, opening the portals to mesmerising stories from a forgotten era.

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Was Lord Krishna a good mediator in the Mahabharata war?

The dispute between the Kauravas and the Pandavas that led to the Mahabharata war was one that cried out for settlement. And yet, all talks failed.

How uniform is Goa’s uniform civil code?

The gaps in how Goa’s common civil code actually works can highlight the larger dangers of the Uniform Civil Code.

Albertina Almeida

Meira Paibis: How Manipur’s peace-keepers became agents provocateur

The group of women, known for fighting for justice, has been weaponised, as evident from their alleged role in the sexual attacks on Kuki-Zo women.

Manorama Sharma

Delhi Services Act and AAP’s battle for federalism

As the Act tightens the Centre’s hold on Delhi’s administration, a constitutional clash erupts between the BJP and AAP.

Ashutosh Sharma

Dushyant Chautala: ‘No one can boycott people of any community’

The Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana on the violence in Nuh, the wrestlers’ protest, the growing BJP-JJP alliance, and more.

If Sheikh Hasina loses, Bangladesh at risk of prolonged political and economic instability

Departure of Awami League from power would not only worry India but also raise concerns about regional unrest and violence in South Asia.

Are we headed into climate hell? Is IPCC the one to save us?

Questions arise about the IPCC’s role in guiding us toward a sustainable future amid growing climate change concerns.

Raghu Murtugudde

Archive

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