It is an ongoing project of mine at AUD–and hopefully, of others elsewhere in India–to help augment/create capacities for learning/research on Africa. To this end, I’ve come up with a course (below) that gives an introduction to geography-history-political economy of the Sub-Saharan part of the continent, but of course, reflects my own interests too. I…
‘ Why the glaring schism between what we all know about the Army, and what we publicly say or write about it?‘ On 26 January 1950, the Indian Constitution, devised after much debate and deliberation, came into force. The day is since commemorated and celebrated as the Republic Day. The Constitution is no doubt an inspiring…
Published in Himal Southasian, July 2011 Following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Africa and the accompanying India-Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, this relationship across the Indian Ocean has come firmly into the spotlight. Like previous iterations, however, this time observers in India have analysed the situation through a lens that has been simultaneously…
First published online here. Is history a product of human thoughts, plans, and actions alone? Or are non-humans also partners in the manner societies are organized and changed? If we were to accept the conventional view of history, the answer to the first question would invariably be in the affirmative. Historians of a past era—some even…
11 May, 2012 First published here Why is there so much acrimony every time Arnab Goswami organizes a discussion on nuclear energy? Why are so many not convinced that GM foods are safe, even though scientists tell us so? Or indeed, why do climate change proponents indulge in name-calling whenever someone doubts their assertions? The answer,…
15 Sept, 2011 “There is no caste amongst Muslims. Islam does not permit such discrimination”. These words, quoted here from Shivam Vij’s excellent report, are of an upper caste Muslim in an East Champaran village. These can be the words only of someone who belongs to the upper caste, because s/he does not have to face the everyday…
“It’s a Girl’ is a sharp, crisp and succinct documentary on the systematic killing of unborn and infant girls in several parts of the world, most notably, India and China. The film contains interviews with activists, observers, and with mothers forced to part with their daughters. Most chillingly, one sees everyday women talking about the methods they…
Published in Hardnews magazine (January, 2013) Judging by the newsprint and TV time devoted to the Gujarat elections, Narendra Modi has clearly been the hyped-up story of the assembly polls this winter, and his mythical development agenda thenarrative to beat. The carnage of 2002 has been all but buried in this one-dimensional hyperbole. However, the results…
Rikshaa Republic 