Remembering Bertolt Brecht

Remembering Bertolt Brecht

Remembering Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht the playwright appears to have overshadowed his other artistic identities nearly completely, though, in truth, Brecht wore more creative hats than most other artists of his time. He was a theatre-producer, essayist, critic, novelist, short-story writer, drama theorist and film-script writer. And, above all, he was a poet. Indeed, Brecht…

No, Mr Modi, Ram Manohar Lohia Would Not have been Proud of BJP Government – He was an Anti-Fascist

No, Mr Modi, Ram Manohar Lohia Would Not have been Proud of BJP Government – He was an Anti-Fascist

No, Mr Modi, Ram Manohar Lohia Would Not have been Proud of BJP Government – He was an Anti-Fascist On March 26, Narendra Modi claimed in a blog post that Gandhian socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia would have been proud of the BJP government. Perhaps the prime minister is not aware that Lohia was ferociously…

Goebbelsian Doublespeak: B. R. Ambedkar and the RSS

Goebbelsian Doublespeak: B. R. Ambedkar and the RSS

Goebbelsian Doublespeak: B. R. Ambedkar and the RSS Historically, the philosophical roots of the RSS can be located in German National Socialism and the former has constantly strived to live up to the ideals of its mentors. This is best illustrated when the RSS indulges in Goebbelsian doublespeak to further its exclusivist nationalism. A lie…

Shadow of Fascism

Shadow of Fascism

Shadow of Fascism In its attack on civil liberties, its restructuring of the State to effect an acute centralisation of power, and its pervasive purveyance of fear, the Modi years resemble Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. But the resemblance stops there. In fact the two differ fundamentally in several ways.   First, there were no lynch mobs,…

Book Release:  “The RSS: A Menace to India”

Book Release: “The RSS: A Menace to India”

Book Release: “The RSS: A Menace to India” Scholar, lawyer and author Abdul Ghafoor Noorani’s latest book The RSS: A Menace to India, published by Leftword Books, was released in New Delhi on April 2, 2019. It’s a well written, comprehensive, research-intensive deep-dive book about one of India’s biggest and most secretive organisations.   Speaking…

Writers, Scientists, Filmmakers, Theatre Artists Appeal to Vote Out Hate Politics

Writers, Scientists, Filmmakers, Theatre Artists Appeal to Vote Out Hate Politics

Writers, Scientists, Filmmakers, Theatre Artists Appeal to Vote Out Hate Politics Hundreds of writers, theatre artists, scientists and filmmakers have issued appeals stressing that the coming elections are crucial for the future of our country, the spectre of fascism looms over the country, and appealing to the people of the country to vote against inequality,…

The Challenge of Fascism

The Challenge of Fascism

The Challenge of Fascism With the gradual coming together of the opposition, hope has been generated across the country in recent days that the BJP can be defeated. This hope was first generated in a big way when the BJP was soundly defeated in the bypolls held across ten states in the country in mid-2018….