Monthly Archives: October 2017

Name the inhabitants of countries like Nepal, India, England and Kashmir- a question like this has appeared in a State conducted examination in Bihar. Is it just a printing error or an error in our national consciousness?

Child marriage is a social evil that despite legal steps continues to haunt Indian society. The landmark judgment of the Supreme Court that designates sexual intercourse below the age of eighteen years as rape may be a fruitful turning point towards the eradication of the social evil. But will legislation alone be able to transform our collective outlooks?

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has put a ban on protests at Jantar Mantar which has witnessed some of the most important public movements in recent times and made the Ramlila Maidan the new site for protest demonstrations. The ban by the NGT is symbolic of the growing culture of shrinking spaces for democratic dissent. What symbolic value does the ban have for ordinary citizens?

The Supreme Court has banned firecrackers in Delhi-NCR preceding the upcoming festival of Diwali while 16 more children have died in Gorakhpur; while these events may at first appear distinct and unrelated we must understand that they are both sides of the same coin. We must acknowledge that they point to an institutional void and subsequently to a future that is bleak and unpromising for the nation as a collective. How far can half-hearted mechanisms really work?

Do we need to switch off our television sets?

Dove’s latest advertisement reasserts racist values and compels us to succumb to the popular beauty myth. Is the market ideology really a savior or is it same old patriarchy packaged in a new bottle?

A film like Newton is a significant departure from the fairy tales of popular cinema as it allows an unconventional and even controversial theme to be debated upon. The film’s realistic appeal and ability to generate dialogue is a welcome step in the trends of popular cinema but is it enough to transform commonsensical perceptions about conflict, violence and injustice?

Here is a reservation obsessed society. It nurtures the illusion that only by reserving seats for women in legislative assemblies we can move towards an emancipatory society. The New Leam persuades its alert readers to demystify this gimmick, and raise critical questions for creating a truly just society.

Teachers in government schools often work under difficult circumstances compelled to fulfill both teaching and administrative work. They are often denied adequate pay and infrastructural facilities; amidst these conditions a bill that provides them vocational security and dignity is an utmost necessity.

In this remarkably honest and transparent article Professor Avijit Pathak has reflected on his own journey towards a casteless identity.