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05NovThe Russian Revolution Is Still Relevant Today
Brinda Karat with Aleida Guevara March, veteran of Cuba’s medical brigades and daughter of Che. The upcoming 7th November will mark the 100 years of the Russian Revolution. The Russian Revolution changed the course of history in many ways. In what is remarked as one of the most significant events of the 20th century, the ordinary Russians took control of the stage to overthrow the provisional government and established a rule of the proletariat. Various organizations around the world have o[...] -
Lessons from Sikar: a passionate, disciplined and successful Agitation
On the 12th of September, the farmers in Rajasthan succeeded in making the government surrender to their key demands. Their victory was achieved by a non-violent protest that drew popular support from all sections of society. The farmers in the Sikar district of Rajasthan had started this struggle in the middle of July under the banner of All-India Kisan Sabha, an organization associated with the CPI(M). The farmers had a list of 11 demands which they wanted the government to accept. These d[...] -
14JulThe Venezuelan Dilemma: Progressives and the “Plague on both your Houses” Position
In recent weeks, a number of Venezuelan specialists on the left side of the political spectrum have published and posted pieces that place them in an anti-Chavista, “ni-ni” position that consists of “a plague on both your houses” with regard to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition. I consider myself a ‘critical Chavista.' It’s not an easy position to be in, particularly because the last thing I would want to do is to act in any way that would favor the r[...] -
07JulRed Sun in a Blue Sky
Subhashini Ali delivered this speech at EMS Smrithi, Thrissur in June 2017: 25 years of neo-liberalism have seen the greatest concentrations of wealth and exponentially growing disparity. They have also seen not only growing unemployment but lowering of standards of living of the middle class and working class people. This is the natural result of the wage cuts and loss of jobs with guaranteed benefits. It has often been said that the market is not kind and it is unkindest to the poores[...] -
16FebLetter to the LeftWord Books community
Dear friends, We have opened our year with a publication that has been long anticipated – Teesta Setalvad’s Foot Soldier of the Constitution: A Memoir. The book has already been widely reviewed all favorably and is on the road to appear in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and a host of other languages. Teesta’s book tells an intimate story of a young woman from an important legal family who goes on the quest of journalism only to be dragged into the world of the la[...]