For An Informed Ambedkar Age
Mahesh Admankar Main Wapas Aavunga is an emotionally resonant masterpiece—one that approaches the staggering tragedy of the 1947 Partition not through explosive political grandstanding, but through the quiet, devastating power of human intimacy. The film anchors the historical trauma of millions onto the fragile shoulders of an elderly Sikh man in his nineties. Haunted by …
Saraswati Suna (Swati) Abstract: Marriage rituals in South Asia have historically reinforced caste and gender hierarchies. Within contemporary Ambedkarite Buddhist communities in Odisha, debates over “mixed marriages” frequently centre on visible Hindu practices such as Brahmin priests, sindur, and the mangalsutra. Drawing on Ambedkarite social media discussions, wedding practices, B. R. Ambedkar’s writings, and anthropological …
Dinesh Govindaraj Kamalam For the first time in its history, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) has a minister sitting in a Tamil Nadu Cabinet it did not help elect as the senior partner. Vanni Arasu’s appointment as the state’s first-ever Minister for Social Justice, with charge of Adi Dravidar Welfare and Hill Tribes, is being …
Cheena Khundrakpam When societies experience prolonged conflict, the most visible losses are often the easiest to count. We record the number of lives lost, the homes destroyed, the families displaced, and the schools that fall silent. These figures matter because they remind us of the scale of human suffering. Yet they reveal only part of …
Neeraj Bunkar & Ratnapriya Singh Bollywood has long projected itself as a space that embraces modernity. Over the years, Hindi cinema has increasingly shown women drinking alcohol, living independently, pursuing careers, entering live-in relationships, and openly discussing intimacy. Yet, beneath these seemingly progressive images, many films continue to uphold deeply conservative ideas about gender. Women …
Kshirod Nag The controversy surrounding the appointment of an Anganwadi cook in Ghusramunda village, Muribahal Block, Balangir district, deserves attention. It is not merely an administrative dispute but a sociologically significant event exposing the unresolved contradiction between constitutional democracy and the everyday reproduction of caste hierarchy. According to media reports and televised interviews, a woman …
Thiruppathi P From a village in Tamil Nadu to Ambedkar House in London, a first-generation scholar reflects on education, memory, and the unfinished struggle for equality. “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.” — B.R. Ambedkar There are journeys measured in miles, and there are journeys measured in generations. My recent …
Dr Rinzing Ongmu Sherpa Laryoo abo laryo laryo (she will fall, she will now fall). Audience at the Inox West Point Mall, 4th June 2026 The Security Guard: Baini, what kind of work do you have outside at this hour of the night? Where are you coming from? Incident April 2025, Sikkim The 21st Century …
Dr Govind Dhaske and Gayatri Sutar Many interpret the sudden rise of the Cockroach Janta Party as the beginning of the much-awaited and hoped-for Gen Z revolt against the BJP. It has emerged around real issues that youth could easily resonate with, such as unemployment, examination failures, paper leaks, and inflation. The humiliation of young …