Is identity-based voting irrational or a calculated response to inequality? In this opening conversation with Abhish K. Bose, political theorist Manindra Nath Thakur challenges common assumptions about caste, religion, and democracy, urging a deeper rethink of how power, community, and...
In this concluding part of the two-part interview, Abhish K. Bose continues his conversation with political theorist Pradip Kumar Datta on the evolving strategies and contradictions of the RSS as it approaches its centenary. This section examines the Sangh’s engagement...
As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) approaches its hundredth year, debates around its ideological project, political influence, and organisational transformation have become increasingly urgent. From a tightly knit cadre organisation committed to ideological discipline, the RSS today stands at the...
National awards such as the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri are often celebrated as instruments to recognize exceptional service to the nation. However, this paper argues that such awards are fundamentally incompatible with the egalitarian and democratic...
On February 5, 2026, the village of Soundala in Maharashtra unanimously declared itself “caste-free” at a special Gram Sabha, grounding its decision in the values of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity enshrined in the Indian Constitution. In a country where caste...
In a society where caste operates not only through institutions but also through everyday aesthetics-dress, taste, purity, and visibility-design becomes a deeply political act. In this conversation, Jay Sagathia, illustrator, communication designer, and anti-caste activist from Gujarat, reflects on how...
As the world approaches 2026, global politics appears caught between fracture and redefinition. In this essay, Ilya Ganpantsura explores the shifting ontological foundations of the West and the Global South by contrasting Western “emergence” with Southern “manifestation” as rival symbolic...
The recent attempt by the district administration in Koraput, Odisha to halt the sale of meat, fish, and eggs on Republic Day, in the name of “decorum,” raises serious questions about citizenship, culture, and state power. Though the order was...
This second part returns to Mozda not through memory or letters, but through lived encounters. Listening closely to villagers, friends, and long-time residents, it reflects on how everyday life in Mozda has been reshaped by markets, technology, state interventions, and...
This narrative traces a long, inward journey toward Mozda, a tribal village nestled in the Satpuda ranges of Gujarat. Woven through letters written over three decades by Swati and Michael, the essay reflects on land, community, and a way of...
