Bhagat Singh: ‘I will climb the gallows gladly’

With little hope left of avoiding the gallows in the trial for the murder of a British police officer, Bhagat Singh’s father Sardar Kishan Singh submitted an appeal to the Tribunal, claiming that his son was innocent. The young revolutionary was deeply disturbed by this and wrote a terse letter to his father, admonishing him for making the appeal. After the judgement was given, he wrote to his comrade and fellow convict B.K. Dutt—sentenced to transportation for life—reminding him of the ne..

Book Launch – Half a Day for Caste?

Friday, February 7, 2020: The Madras Institute of Development Studies in collaboration with the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) and The Dr Dilip Veeraraghavan Memorial Trust hosted the launch of Half a Day for Caste?: Education and Politics in Tamil Nadu, 1952–55 at the Adiseshiah Auditorium, MIDS. The book is an edited, updated version of Dilip Veeraraghavan’s (1958–2009) MPhil dissertation, published posthumously by LeftWord Books. ..

‘Halla Bol’: A book of modern Indian history

January 6, 2020. Breathless. I have to put words down as I read else I’ll be left with none by the end of Halla Bol. As I tumble through the first chapter, I feel I am in a film. Somewhere I have read spoilers, I know how this will end. Even so, I am on the edge of my seat praying for a miracle. Every hard detail – new shoes, a green sweater, a cycle rickshaw, bamboo stick broken like twigs, a refrigerated room – seared into my mind’s eye. The cuts are too fast, the angles too crazy. A ..

‘Memoirs of a Dalit Communist’: Note from the Editors

17 January 2020 We are pleased to bring you the life story of R.B. More as written by More himself and by his son Satyendra. This is not only a crucial document of the past, but it is an inspirational testimony for our struggles today. We are glad that the work of father and son is now being appreciated and studied. Satyendra More finished the work of his father. The original Marathi text was written and edited by Satyendra More. Printed editions of this book will make this clear by a sticker, ..

Raising Hell at Jhandapur

Much has changed in the past thirty years: the marginally better roads, there’s even a metro station not too far away; overdriven speakers in autos playing 90s music or folk songs with a techno beat; the mobile phones, smart or otherwise; the denims and t-shirts; the many shops selling things people couldn’t have imagined back then; a community centre, complete with a building, a lawn, and a gate. While it’s debatable if the lives of the residents at Jhandapur have improved, today’s hig..