Features

Book Review: “Decoding Ambedkar: Ideas of Nation and Nation Building” by Vivek Kumar

Dhruv Kumar The well-known adage, “You can kill a person, but you cannot kill his thoughts,” has transformed in contemporary times. Today, ideas can be rendered ineffective not only through suppression but also by distorting them or preventing their dissemination to the public. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the case of Dr. B. R. …

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Reading the Geo-political rift in West Asia Through Reza Negarestani’s `Cyclonopedia’

Umar Nizarudeen The cyclical temporality of Indo-Iranian notions of metempsychosis lends itself to speculative fiction. The work of the Iranian thinker Reza Negarestani is interesting for its melding of petro-fiction with carbon lifecycles.  The convoluted movement of energy and life in `Cyclonopedia’  cursorily lingers on theory. This visceral yet short excursus allows us an insight …

Assertion

Entitlement in Shamshana Ghat

Deepika Meena                                             During the rural immersion program organized by my institute, I participated in a two-day field visit to two districts in Rajasthan, Jhunjhunu, my hometown, and the neighbouring district of Sikar. Although the visit was brief, it offered me a valuable opportunity to view my own district through a new lens and to unlearn …

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Outrageous Kith, Silent Kins: Postmortem Solidarity in the Anti-Caste Movement

Jatin Mathur Recently, the UGC mandated protective guidelines against caste discrimination in higher educational institutions. These regulations stem from a 2019 petition in the Apex Court filed by the mothers of Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula, which raised concerns over the 2012 equity regulations. Unlike the 2012 regulations—which were advisory, did not address action against …

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Food, Smell, and Discrimination: When a Microwave Becomes a Battleground

Prithiraj Borah  In September 2023, Aditya Prakash, a fully funded PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder, was reheating palak paneer—a spinach and cheese curry—in a shared departmental microwave when a staff member approached him with a complaint about the ‘pungent smell’. The staff member instructed him to stop. Prakash’s calm response— …

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Two Ethics of Suffering: Nietzsche’s Greatness and Buddha–Ambedkar’s Compassion

Dr. Diksha R S What is suffering? Should it be endured, transcended, or even celebrated? This question has troubled the human mind across civilizations and centuries. Human beings have constantly sought to understand why suffering exists, what meaning it holds, and whether it can be overcome. Different philosophical traditions have offered radically different answers, reflecting …

Assertion

I am an Indian not Chinese: How India fails to execute the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” in itself

Sikkya Bushan Chakma “Unity in Diversity” is what India represents to the world tactfully. The protagonists and prime movers of the Indian Constitution tactically penned it down to safeguard and dignify the minority communities. To prove oneself as an Indian, appearance should not dominate. It should be about who I am and where I reside …

Assertion

Performative Caste-Hindus and Non-Assertive Dalits in Progressive Spaces

Ajinkya Sanjay Khandizod I began thinking seriously about the idea of persona not in a classroom or through theory, but by watching how caste operates when power is supposed to change hands. Reservation is often presented as a technical policy or a constitutional safeguard, but in reality, it exposes the deepest anxieties of caste-Hindu society. …

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Economic Growth And Caste in India: A Dichotomy

Km Raksha This article investigates the enigma of India’s economic growth and the enduring caste-based inequalities. While India has experienced robust GDP growth since the 1991 economic reforms, caste continues to play a significant role in shaping access to resources, education, employment, and political power. Drawing on data from the NSSO, NFHS, NITI Aayog, and …