Modi-Shah’s policies have shattered India’s image abroad

The Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, has tried to display his loyalty to his boss Narendra Modi by conveying his dislike to the European Union’s move to debate six resolutions pertaining to India’s Citizenship Amendment Act and other policies, in its parliament on January 29 and 30. In his…

National, Politics

January 27, 2020

Perumal Murugan on his Amma

Amma—is the first word a child utters. Amma—a term that suffices numerous meanings for us when in distress. Amma—a word which we say 100 times a day yet many a time we take her for granted. Her emotions, needs, dreams, and sacrifices are never given any importance. Author Perumal Murugan…

Books, Literature

By Geetha Jayaraman

January 27, 2020

The fascinating lives of Kerala’s fishers in watercolour

Post the 2018 floods, Keralites see fishermen as superheroes without a cape. When the floods unpredictably hit the state, they didn’t hesitate to pull out their boats and rush to save lives. However, not many are aware of their hard lives. British artist Susan Beaulah’s paintings give a detailed account…

Art, Features

By Elizabeth Thomas

January 26, 2020

Street Dancer: All melodrama and no fun

The Indian film industry, unlike its foreign counterparts churn out much fewer dance films. The ABCD franchise did create some hysteria, largely due to the success of its first part that had Prabhu Deva as the antagonist. He was part of ABCD-2 too and in order to expand the franchise,…

Movie Review, Movies

By Hariprasad Sadanandan

January 24, 2020

Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh inspires Lucknow’s Ghanta Ghar, Pachrahe and more

Much like the now iconic Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh women protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Ghanta Ghar, Lucknow is gaining strength and support with every passing day. In fact, it is infectiously spreading to other cities and women…

National, Politics

By Pradeep Kapoor

January 24, 2020

Yogi undermines the social status of the protesting Muslim women

The BJP leadership frequently boasts of their fight against Emergency and claim that they were primarily responsible for forcing the autocrat, Indira Gandhi, to retreat. They are free to make any claim which suits them but, the fact is, the fight during the Emergency was simpler. It was a fight…

National, Politics

By Arun Srivastava

January 24, 2020

Shylock: Even Mammootty’s wide grin cannot save this hotchpotch

Shylock is a classic character immortalised by William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. The greedy, vengeful, deceitful moneylender literally asks for a pound of flesh from his arch-enemy Antonio if the latter fails to pay back the money borrowed from him. This is a character with fantastic possibilities and…

Movie Review, Movies

By Toms Varghese

January 23, 2020

Ikigai: Finding joy in your life

Are you all up for ‘New Year, New Me’ motto? Have you been striving to find a perfect ‘work-life’ balance? Then Ikigai, the age-old Japanese concept is what you are looking for. Award-winning self-help writer and author of IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Francesc Miralles,…

Features

By Geetha Jayaraman

January 23, 2020

Nitish Kumar must come clean on citizenship controversy

Will Nitish Kumar strive to keep his flock together and united, or will he sacrifice the interest of his party, JD(U), to protect and promote the personal interest of Modi and Shah? This is the question haunting most of the JD(U) leaders. This question has attained huge significance and a…

National, Politics

By Arun Srivastava

January 22, 2020

Kerala, Chhattisgarh suits no more than posturing

The suits filed by the state governments of Kerala and Chhattisgarh in the Supreme Court, challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Investigations Agency (NIA) Act respectively, appear to be too ambitious to produce the results that they desire.

Kerala, Politics

By K Raveendran

January 21, 2020

K R Meera: Writers don’t have the option of being apolitical

George Orwell once said, “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”

Literature

By Geetha Jayaraman