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Operation Kagar and Internal Fault Lines: The Caste Question in the Decline of CPI(Maoist)

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Dr B Karthik Navayan The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has always presented itself as the fiercest enemy of caste oppression. Its programme promises to annihilate caste through a protracted people’s war. Yet, as Operation Kagar (launched 21 April 2025) races toward the March 2026 deadline to wipe out Left-Wing Extremism, the party is collapsing …

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Anthropological Debates on Tribal Community Policies – A Note

Shruti Botre Anthropological accounts of tribal communities have largely provided working definitions of the term’ tribe,’ which have often been specific to their site of study. Given that tribes differ considerably in terms of their population size, mode of livelihood and level of integration within the capitalist economy, there is huge differentiation, for example, in …

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The High-Jack of Cultural Institutions by Ruling Parties

Neha Thombre When the Union government announced that the National School of Drama (NSD) would stage a play on the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 150th birth anniversary across major Indian cities, it seemed at first glance more like a political agenda than a national tribute. Of course, Patel was one of the …

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Caste as Capital: Whose Merit? The False Neutrality of Merit in Indian Society

Milind Babasaheb Thokal In 2017, after completing my Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), I faced the daunting task of securing admission to prestigious and reputed institutes in Pune. What struck me most during the process was the constant mention of the word “merit”—a term I had heard repeatedly but couldn’t fully grasp in context. I had …

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Caste Dynamics in the Indian Judiciary: A Tale of Two Incidents Involving Justice B.R. Gavai

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Dr B Karthik Navayan The Indian judiciary, often hailed as the guardian of constitutional equality under Articles 14 -equality before law and 15 -prohibition of discrimination on grounds of caste, continues to grapple with allegations of subtle caste biases in its operations.  Brahmins, who form just 3-5% of India’s population, dominate the bench, holding approximately …

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Manyawar Saheb Kanshi Ram: Architect of Social Transformation

Akhilesh Kumar On the 19th Mahaparinirvan Diwas of Manyawar Saheb Kanshi Ram, we pay tribute to a visionary leader. He was a revolutionary leader who dedicated his entire life to awakening the deprived sections of society, those who have long been denied their rightful place in the nation’s social, economic, and political fabric. Saheb Kanshi …

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Beyond silence and erasure: A review of the mizo film Ambush (A war story) and the media in India

Ringngheti Khenglawt . . . in 1947 the British empire handed us over to the Indian government and set sail towards their homeland. At the year 1958 and 1959, mautam – the famine caused by the flowering of bamboos and rapid increase of rat population, made us realize that we were just a guest at …

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The Hauntology of Blackness in `The Menon Investigation’

Umar Nizar The Menon Investigation’ by the prize-winning novelist Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari is an absolute cracker of a thriller that, in its socio-political ramifications, is, to use a well-worth cliché, unputdownable. The titular Menon’s interiority and anxieties about his dark skin colour in a racist society form an unlikely backdrop to this work of fiction. …

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The non-brahmanical world-building of Lokah: reimagining the subaltern myths

Srutheesh Kannadi The recently released Malayalam movie Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra, which claims to be the first female-led superhero movie in India, has sparked a discussion among a larger audience due to its content, visual experience, and innovative treatment. However, this is not a review of the movie Lokah, but an attempt to interpret the …