26 November, 2004
Police And Communal Riots
By Vibhuti Narain Rai & Yoginder Sikand
In a normal situation an average Hindu does not necessarily see the police as friendly or helpful but during communal riots he looks upon the police as a helper and protector. On the other hand, Muslim riot victims do not generally feel that they would get any protection from the police, even when their lives and property are under threat
23 November, 2004
Swami And Fiends
By S. Anand
Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati's arrest for murder brings other ungodly affairs to the fore
16 November, 2004
The Brahminist Citadel Shaken
By Ra Ravishankar
"Am I Veerappan?", Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati asked after he was arrested this Thursday on charges of instigating the murder of his bete noire Sankararaman. His character is evident from those who have spoken out in his favor
08 November, 2004
Religion, Identiy And Democracy
By Asghar Ali Engineer
We should not allow religion to be politicised at any cost and democracy should remain a source of people's participation in decision making and for welfare of common masses. One must understand the difference between religion as a faith and religion as a political ideology
07 November, 2004
Oh, That Other Hindu Riot Of Passage
By Khushwant Singh
The assassins of Mrs Gandhi were hanged within four years, while 20 years later, the killers of 10,000 Sikhs remain unpunished
04 November, 2004
Fresh Hopes In Babri Masjid Demolition Case
By Rizvi Syed Haider Abbas
CBI, now has taken some active steps into tightening the noose against Babri Masjid demolition accused, an attitude found missing during the last BJP led NDA government
India's Far Right Drops Its Mask
By J. Sri Raman
India's far right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), drops its mask and and takes a more assertive and aggressive stance
03 November, 2004
Verdict Maharashtra: 2004
By Ram Puniyani
We are witnessing the 'mini Pakistans' and 'borders' right in our cities and small towns. Surely no society Can progress under these circumstances. The need is that we try to build bridges between our communities at social level
02 November, 2004
1984 In The Life Of A Nation
By Indira Jaising
Gujarat happened because of the failure to punish the killers of 1984 Sikh massacre
01 November, 2004
Shiv Sena On The Threshold Of Disintegration
By Kumar Ketkar
Today the Sena has become a pathetic shadow of its supremo. With no ideology or faith to hold on to, with no organised set-up apart from the undependable network of frustrated and militant lumpens; with no second line leadership or charismatic successor, the Shiv Sena stands on the threshold of disintegration
20 October, 2004
Drafting A Law To Prevent Communal Violence
By Asghar Ali Engineer
The Congress led UPA Government had promised to draft a law to prevent communal violence in its Common Minimum Programme but it is hardly its priority. It is no more talking about it nor is it preparing any draft for discussion
12 October, 2004
Communalising Kerala
By R Krishnakumar
A criminal assault on nuns of the Missionaries of Charity in Kerala, the first such incident involving the organisation in the country, raises concerns about the spread of communalism in the State
11 October, 2004
Erasing The Past For Present Political Agenda
By Ram Puniyani
In order to polarise votes in the forthcoming election in the Indian state of Maharashtra the far right BJP-Shiv Sena alliance tried to destroy a tomb sacred to Muslims
09 October, 2004
Hindutwa's Demographic Worries
By Dr T T Sreekumar
A reply to an article appeared in the RSS mouth piece, Organizer, claiming that Hindus in Kerala are fast becoming a “minority”. In this rebuttal Dr. Sreekumar points out that the said article is replete with so many inaccuracies, half truths, lies and bland statements
29 September , 2004
Politics In Demographics
By Ram Puniyani
The religion based census data can serve different types of purposes. If this opens our eyes to the plight of this community, poverty, illiteracy and insecurity and if we aim to redress it as a nation , the data will be worth its while
18 September , 2004
Indian Census: For A Better Understanding
By Yasser Arafath. P. K.
The Hindutwa forces are using the finding of the latest census report to whip up communal frenzy. But we must take a closer look and understand the broader prespectives
17 September , 2004
What I Saw At Babri Masjid
By Jeff Penberthy
Jeff Penberthy, then Time's bureau chief in New Delhi,who was present when Babri Masjid was demolished, gives an account of what he saw on December 6, 1992
15 September , 2004
Caught In Historical Cliches
By Praful Bidwai
The Sangh Parivar's tirades against textbook reform reek of obscurantist communalism and its glorification of Savarkar legitimises his pioneering of the Two-Nation theory and poisonous Hindutva
13 September , 2004
Of Figures And Indian Fascists
By J. Sri Raman
We have heard of chemical warfare, of biological warfare, not, however, of population warfare. It has been left to the fascists of India to discover this new dimension to unconventional warfare
Population Growth? Who Cares!
By Surjit S Bhalla
We are all economic animals first, and religious identities second, and political entities third. Perhaps this reality has struck our fundamentalists, which is why they so often resort to demagoguery, rather than facts
12 September , 2004
Look Beyond The Camel
By Dr Rafiq Zakaria
Hindus and Muslims must pursue the path of reconciliation. Prejudices and suspicions are counterproductive; camaraderie among them is essential for both development and integration. Each has to help the other to make the country strong and prosperous
Indian Census - After the Xenophobia,
The Report Card Of The Communities
By John Dayal
Releasing a false report on the religious divisions and growth data from the 2001 census smacks of of a conspiracy with the Hindutva Parivar
11 September , 2004
Sorry, Wrong Number: Venkaiah Naidu
And The 247-Year Hitch
By Shankar Raghuraman
If the present growth rates were maintained for Muslims to outnumber Hindus in India, it will take 247 years and by that date India's population would be about 158 billion!!! So the sangh parivaar can exit the panic mode
Manufacturing Hysteria: On
Census-Inspired 'Nationalism'
By D.Jayaraj and S.Subramanian
The misinterpreted data on the population growth rate of India has become a tool in the hands of Hindu nationalists to whip up hysteria against the nation's minorities
10 September , 2004
BJP Back On Aggressive Hindutva Track
By Asghar Ali Engineer
It seems secularism is becoming a distant dream in view of increasing communalisation of our politics. Those who strive for inter-religious harmony will have to face increasing challenges in coming days
01 September , 2004
Crime, Politics & Hypocrisy- BJP's Comeuppance
By Praful Bidwai
There is more than poetic justice in the way in which the law caught up with Ms Uma Bharati through a Karnataka arrest warrant, forcing her resignation as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
30 August , 2004
Religion, Politics And The Modern State
By Ram Puniyani
Last two decades have witnessed a constant invocation of religion in the arena of politics.There are many an arguments , which regard Secularism as a western concept. This stream is joined by an unexpected quarter of Post Modernists
26 August , 2004
BJP's New Stunt
By Praful Bidwai
The Bharatiya Janata Party has proved to be a bad, terribly peevish, loser. It still behaves as if the last Parliament election were somehow stolen from it
25 August , 2004
Veer Savarkar : Brave By Half
By Ram Puniyani
This article was written when Savarka's potrait was unveiled in the Parliament. The article is republished in the context of the latest controversy involving Manishankar Aiyar and the Sangh Parivar
30 July , 2004
On Comprehensive Law On Communal Riots
By Asghar Ali Engineer
The United Progressive Alliance Government has promised, in its Common Minimum Programme that a law will be enacted to prevent communal riots but what is stated therein seems post-riot measures like special courts to punish the guilty, to pay uniform compensation to the victims etc
29 July , 2004
Religion, Power And Violence
By Ram Puniyani
It is time that the people associated with religion realize the abuse to which religion has been put
24 July , 2004
Men In Khaki Proudly Wear Hindu Identity
On Their Sleeves
By Anand S T Das
As you step into any police station in Ahmedabad, you can't help feeling that the force is Hindu first
05 July , 2004
Hindutva Politics: Future Trajectory
By Ram Puniyani
Time is overdue for social groups to combat the communal poison at the level of society; the need for demolition of myths against minorities, the need for intercommunity committees to promote amity. And this is paramount if we want to preserve the democracy and associated principles
18 June , 2004
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Who?
By The Hindu Correspondent
The Ahmedabad police gunned down four motorists including a 19 year old girl student on the way to Ahmedabad alleging them to be terrorists plotting the murder of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. But relatives and friends of the girl, Ishrat Jahan Shamim Raza vows her innocence, raising doubt over the encounter death
29 May , 2004
A Critique Of Hindutva
By Praful Bidwai
A study of the rise of Hindutwa or militant political Hinduism in India
02 May , 2004
Apportioning The Blame Of Communal Riots
By Ram Puniyani
The argument that during BJP regime only Gujarat riots have taken place while during Congress regimes thousands of riots have taken place is totally misplaced
16 April, 2004
Darkness And Light In Modern India
By Harsh Mander
The agony of Gujarat, its blood-drenched humanity soaked in ideologies of hatred and divide, has hurtled the people of our vast country into a defining crossroads. The manner in which they respond today will determine the kind of country and world that we leave behind for our children
03 April, 2004
The Future Of The Indian Past
By Romila Thapar
The discipline of history in India at a broader level may be forced to go into reverse, in an effort to instill an ideology of religious nationalism
30 March, 2004
James Laine, Shivaji And Freedom Of Speech
By Manu Bhagavan
James Laine, a professor of religious studies at Macalester College in MN, is facing arrest through interpol for writing a bookentitled SHIVAJI: HINDU KING IN ISLAMIC INDIA
The spread Of Hindutwa In The South
By S. Viswanathan, R. Krishnakumar, Parvathi Menon
Hindutva has percolated to the nooks and corners of South India, and the routes taken have often been socio-cultural and educational rather than political. Reports from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka
29 March, 2004
My Religion Is Not My Nation
By Anuradha M. Chenoy
Prime Minister Vajpayee has projected friendship with Pakistan as a sop for Indian Muslims. Deputy Prime Minister Advani has stated that Hindu-Muslim relations in India will improve if relations with Pakistan improve. These are dangerousand divisive formulations
24 March, 2004
Islam, Hinduism And Jihad
By Taberez Ahmed Neyazi
There is now a growing propensity among a section of society to dumb together any political resistance offered by Muslims in any part of the world as global Islamic terrorism. It is unfair to punish the whole community for the action of a few fanatics
21 March, 2004
Jhabua's Harvest Of Hate
By Harsh Mander
The fields of Jhabua yielded this year a vastly different harvest from the past - a harvest of hate. For the first time in the history of the district, Christian homes and properties, mainly of tribal converts, were targeted and destroyed in many locations
18 March, 2004
Rise Of A God Woman And The Right To Expression
By Sidharth
The Kerala Chief Minister has ordered the prosecution of Sreeni Pattathanam , the author of the controversial book, “Matha Amruthananthamayi - Mysteries And Realities” on the God Woman, Matha Amruthananthamayi
Future Of Secualrism In India-Down But Not Out
By Ganesh S. Iyer
Resistance to the erosion of secular values is slowly but steadily gathering momentum. Communalism has been challenged by right thinking, liberal Indians
16 March, 2004
In The Name Of Nationalism
By K.N.Panikker
A new identity is being foisted on Hindus. The identity of Hindutva. Are Hindus being coerced to accept that identity, socially and culturally and indeed politically?
11 March, 2004
Saffronising The Mind Of India
By Roshni Sengupta
An enquiry into the way in which the hindutwa forces took control of India's educational system and the media
Hindu Nationalism And Orissa: Minorities As Other
By Angana Chatterji
In October 2003 Angana Chatterji wrote a report on Orissa about the political economy of Hindutva in the state. In this article, she continues to map the entrenchment of the Sangh Parivar
27 February, 2004
British Public Is Funding Hindutva Extremism
By Awaaz - Soth Asia Watch
A report prepared by Awaaz - South Asia Watch Ltd, says RSS branches in the UK have been raising large amounts of money in the name of charity for natural disasters like the Gujarat earthquake and funding sangh parivar groups, including groups that have incited anti-minority violence
25 February, 2004
Uma Bharati's Cow Agenda
By Ram Puniyani
Right from the word go Uma Bharati has brought in Hindutva into her style of functioning and polices.She has banned liquor and non vegetarian food in the three "holy" cities and to back it up she is now giving a 'cow tilt' to Madhya Pradesh's economy by giving primacy to establishing Goshala
23 February, 2004
Hindutva And The Dalit-Bahujans:
Dangerous Portents
By Yoginder Sikand
Hindutva, the unique Indian form of Indian fascism, is the modern incarnation of Brahminism. Although it projects itself as the defender of the 'Hindu' community against imagined 'enemies', such as Muslims and Christians, it is actually premised on an unrelenting hostility towards the vast majority of the so-called 'Hindus' themselves-Dalits, Shudras and tribals
Five Women Tonsured For Converting
To Christianity
By John Dayal
Five women in an Orissa village tonsured for converting to christianity
17 February, 2004
Basis of Minorities-Genetic or Social
By Ram Puniyani
RSS is no spokesperson of Hindus, it does represent the most retrograde values of a section of Hindu community. If it is serious about ensuring that the concept of minorities is done away with, it should stop the whole paraphernalia, which it has unleashed upon the country, to spread hate
13 February, 2004
The Mob As Censor
By Ranjit Hoskote
The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists who attacked the Garden Art Gallery in Surat, on January 29, appear to have taken destructive criticism to its extreme
10 February, 2004
Chronicling Communal Violence
Book Review: By Ram Puniyani
Review of Asghar Ali Engineer's Communal Riots After Independence-A Comprehensive Account
21 January, 2004
Terror Returns To Jhabua
By Hartosh Singh Bal
Nightmares are revisiting Jhabua. And police don’t seem to be bothered. As many as 12 Christians have been arrested for violence while the Vishwa Hindu Parishad men who led the mobs that terrorised the converted tribals and the Sadhvi from Gujarat who provoked their action still roam free
Hindutva or Development
By Ram Puniyani
The recent victory of BJP in MP, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan is being attributed to development issues taken up by BJP in these states. But a closer look will reveal that it is a lie
10 January, 2004
The Sturggle Against Hindutwa And Fascism
By Dr Dr. Rai Mohan Pal and Yoginder Sikand
Unless we have a philosophical revolution to challenge Hindutwa, real and meaningful social change in India is impossible
03 January, 2004
Communal Riots 2003
By Asghar Ali Engineer
Communal riots have become the fate of India. Most of the riots are engineered by the politicians who claim to be most patriotic. The year 2003 too, like previous years, saw its own quota of communal violence
Communalism 2003
By Ram Puniyani
In India, communalism is rising by default, it is as much the success of the long work of RSS and its progeny as much it is due to the failure of the progressivepeople to understand the multiple dimensions of social, economic and cultural life of the people in all its rich complexity
