Gridlock, consensus, cynicism, cooperation… obtaining the ‘consent of the governed’ by proxy…? Koli Mitra looks at some unexpected implications of coalition governments. There was a time, not so long ago, when monarchies and theocracies were the norm and ‘democracy’ was
A reverie for the small, the resilient for whom language is a tool to strike new grounds. By Amit Sengupta. In the parallel cinema of the media industry, the difficult and stimulating narrative of small is beautiful, is at once
Is there such a thing as being ‘literate’ in a language without being ‘fluent’ in it? Does rote memorisation without actual understanding count for anything? Nidhi Dugar Kundalia muses about her missed opportunity to become well-versed in another language. I
It’s probably easiest to introduce Anita Nair as a bestselling author, but one look at her vast repertoire of writing reveals that she is in fact, much more than that. Winner of multiple awards, she is one of the defining
What’s the best way to deal with long-standing oppression or political exclusion based on group identity? Republicanism or multiculturalism? Pluralist or particularist multiculturalism? Universality or diversity? Koli Mitra considers various approaches … Ah, elections! It’s that time in a nation’s
In this election season, as the mainstream media focuses exclusively on the ‘horserace’ element and insists on pitting individuals against each other – namely Rahul Gandhi vs. Narendra Modi – in a pat, easy, privilegeaffirming macho dual, Saswat Pattanayak sets
Europe, that stable and safe haven of the persecuted and downtrodden, is challenged by voices of despair, pushed into the uncertainty of illegal migration. The ‘openness’ inside of cosy Europe finds its end at the fences and drones guarding the
Our interview with Malobika, founder member, Sappho in the February issue “We are all Queer” has received a lot of feedback. Here’s one response note to the interview by Pawan Dhall, gender activist and editor, Varta. This is apropos the article
Like most enterprises, the digital revolution has ‘democratised’ book-publishing by providing easy self-publishing options for writers who can’t penetrate the barriers erected by the industry establishment. The downside, though, is that it has dispensed with quality controls and, even more
In an era when long-suppressed sexual minorities are emphasising the importance of ‘coming out’ and many of us are trying to understand each other’s sexual identities at a more granular level, another question is going largely overlooked: are we too