Sage Publications (I) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi; Year:2015; Pages:180; Price:Rs.650
Reviewed By : Brig. Suresh C. Sharma (retd.)
The media in the USA coined the phrase “Islamic terror” after the 9/11 tragedy and the same phrase was adopted by the media and the public to describe terror attacks that occurred from 2004 to 2012. Continue reading
The year 2015 had more than its fair share of tumult and chaos in many parts of the world and India was no exception. Political fortunes swung like a pendulum. The invincible overlord of 2014 was stung by a newbie upstart in Delhi and bulldozed in Bihar. The mantra ‘Modi is BJP and BJP is Modi’ seemed less convincing as the BJP lost a string of local council elections, most painfully in the PM’s home state of Gujarat. The Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) shed its pretence of being a backseat driver and openly influenced BJP policies. Buoyed by the government’s apparent acquiescence in the RSS Hindu Rashtra agenda, Hindutva hotheads, including BJP ministers, felt emboldened to openly promote their divisive agenda, causing eminent intellectuals, artists and writers to return their national awards. Rahul Gandhi went on a secretive sabbatical and found his mojo – or so it seemed. All in all, there was plenty of fodder for eager news anchors. Here are some of the highlights. Continue reading
In this post, there are two articles bordering on the same issue. While Mr. N. S. Venkataraman writes on Andhra government’s obnoxious decision of usurping arable land for developing its capital city, Mrs. Meera Sanyal takes us through Mumbai’s municipal corporation’s policy of land adoption and wonders if it’s a back-door entry to a land grab.
In both articles, the question is of land, an area of ground being encroached upon illegally, leaving the aam admi poorer – whether it is his farmland being snatched away from him or whether it is that open space which he cannot call his own little paradise any more. Continue reading
Freedom First 