Veewon Thokchom In India the term popularly called the “North-East,” used by the White British colonizers to refer to a part of the then province (Assam) under its rule, Northeast Frontier Area (NEFA), later inherited by the new Brown Indian rulers post 1947, has become a brand, a manufactured decorative term, a spatial concept where …
Workers of The World Unite- but those in Somalia & Attapadi stay back for we are Mallus
Georgy Kuruvila Roy It seems like the dust has settled upon the Modi’s Somalia remarks. But still an uneasy feeling continues to haunt us. It is as if something is still rotting after the competition is over and the winner was pronounced. The smell seems so strong that one is forced to look for …
The root causes of racism against North Easterners
Haineube Newme Racial discrimination against North Easterners by the Non-North Easterners (I will use N & Ns hereafter) in India’s metropolitan cities is paradoxical. This article will focus only on its root causes. In a survey released by The Washington Post, India was ranked among one of the most racist countries in the world …
Mary Kom: Nation in Priyanka Chopra
Thongam Bipin Racism is a form of discrimination that is based on race, physical features and region. Like any other form of discriminations, whether, gender, caste or sexual orientation, racism is deeply rooted in our psyche, in our national collective imagination. Collectivity implicates homogeneity, common feelings. Racism involves power and dominance. Any difference or …
You lookin’ at me?
Aqui Thami Nichelle Nichols on meeting Martin Luther King jr. — “I said, “I’m going to leave Star Trek because (I was going to say ‘because I have an offer to star in…’ I never got that far”) He (Martin Luther King) said “You cannot – you cannot. For the first time on television …
Why I don’t support the ‘Dark is Beautiful’ campaign
Anjali Rajoria Nandita Das, the talented Indian actress was recently involved in the campaign “Dark is Beautiful”. The idea has been endorsed by many celebrities across the nation. Despite being a vehement critic of the social standards of ‘Beauty’, I do not extend my support to this campaign. My logic is simple. Let me …
Ashis Nandy’s comment: A Need to Think and Re-think!
Jyotsna Siddharth Renowned sociologist, Ashis Nandy’s comment at Jaipur Literature Festival that ‘it is a fact, that most of the corrupt come from the OBCs, Scheduled castes and now increasingly certain tribes’ once again reiterates the fact that casteism is very much prevalent in India. As India celebrated its 64th Republic Day on 26th …
The return to Muthanga
C.K Janu and M. Geethanandan (Written in May 2003) The Adivasi decision is to return to Muthanga. The Adivasis had become victims of untold brutalities. Yet there is no other way but to return. And the Adivasis have been made refugees in their homeland. There are the spirits of the dead in the forestlands of …
Caste in India
Gail Omvedt [Written in the year 2008] (A Reply to the Hindu Council of UK essay on “The Caste System”) * I owe thanks to Michael Witzel for his note citing Vedic references on caste and his careful reading of an earlier version of this essay. Introduction The essay submitted by the Hindu Council of …