Posts
-
Johanna Wallin on the process of creating ‘Rehearsing Freedom’
‘Rehearsing Freedom: The Story of a Theatre in Palestine’ is the outcome of a desire to visually present The Freedom Theatre’s first decade, from our own perspective, with our own voice. Collaborating with LeftWord Books was the obvious choice. It became as much their project as it was ours, thanks to the ingenuity, vision, and dedication of Sherna Dastur, the designer, and The Freedom Theatre’s close friend and LeftWord publisher Sudhanva Deshpande. Both Sherna and Sudhanva invested[...] -
30DecRemembering Safdar: his life and his legacy as a voice of resistance
“So you missed the demolition of the Babri Masjid And the violence and hate that followedYou missed Ramabai and other Dalit massacresYou missed your nation’s love for the atom bombIn 2002, you missed the Gujarat pogromAnd in neighbouring Pakistan you missedThe creation of the Taliban and hereThis year you missed the coronation of killers We who survived you missed none of theseWe missed you.”- Anand Patwardhan 29 years ago, on 1st January 1989, Safdar Hashmi, one of the founding mem[...] -
19DecA spark of hope for India's future in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh
In an alternative world, the BJP would have been routed in both Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. It is the Party of the Rich, the party of corruption and deceit, the party with fangs against minorities - particularly Muslims. Why a party with such fangs can win elections is to be seriously considered. Books - such as Manjari Katju's new Hinduising Democracy - suggest that the rise of the BJP and its Sangh Parivar has virtually overrun not only democratic institutions but also the culture of[...] -
23NovOn the Death of Comrade Sukomal Sen (1934-2017)
In 1985, when Sukomal Sen was a member of the Rajya Sabha, he stood up to speak about a World Bank loan that had been taken by the Government of India. Sen and his comrades in the communist movement warned – early on – about the insinuation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) into the policy-making of the Indian government. Take their money, he suggested, and you will find yourself making their decisions. On that particular day in March 1985, Sen made his point with b[...] -
07NovThe Revolution of 1917
Today – November 7, 2017 – is the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution of 1917. In February of that year, the working class and peasantry – along with the soldiers – overthrew the Tsar’s regime. That October (November in our calendar), led by the Bolshevik party, the workers and peasants completed their social revolution by overthrowing the conciliatory government of the bourgeoisie led by Alexander Kerensky. Lenin, who had returned to Russia from exile, saw that behind Kerensky[...]