For An Informed Ambedkar Age
Umar Nizar The allegation that was levelled against Socrates was that of corrupting the young. Similarly present day philosophers such as Zizek and Badiou has a huge following among the youth. But there are controversially radical figures like Jordan Peterson who dehumanises victims of violence, who also attract the minds of the young in large …
Umar Nizar There is a poignant moment in the i-flux edition brought out by Sage publications, in which the art work titled `Hallelujah Fallujah’ by Anita Dube is `misprinted’ as `Hallelujah Hallelujah’. This is the apotheosis of contemporary art, where a truly radical artistic ploy has been `unconsciously’ or `unintentionally’ reduced to an onomastic caricature with …
Umar Nizar The Malayalam novelist NS Madhavan claims that James Joyce was a major influence on his writings. But that leaves one wondering about the fact that Madhavan’s works bear none of the labyrinthine complexities of Joyce. His short stories have been celebrated in Kerala. Perhaps Madhavan is referring to Joyce’s `Dubliners’, a magisterial collection …
Umar Nizar (DEUS ABSCONDITUS AT THE KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE) `I am not your data’ -Abhay Xaxa Saddam Hussein, the erstwhile dictator of Iraq, was executed on a local holy day. The imperial revenants always make it a point to make their emergence on such occasions. Such was the case of a hatchet job perpetrated by the …
Umar Nizar One fine morning, I was answering the call of nature, like any `Swachch’ citizen of a sacred land, in the designated toilet of a JNU hostel, where I was residing at that time. Imagine my astonishment, on being accosted by a fellow hosteler who, while brushing his teeth, and foaming at the mouth,was …
Umar Nizar In a televised debate in Australia, Žižek ’s vehement defense of Julian Assange was stymied by an opponent’s counter argument that some of Assange’s actions endangered the lives of US and allied personnel on the ground. Žižek ’s last stand, against this ultimate riposte, was that though it might have won the argument …
Umar Nizar Nearing Thiruvananthapuram, the road bends, entering the city, as a vein enters the heart. The bus moves along the curve with its load of human destinies. People nap inside, in the secure snugness of their seats. For those who are awake, it seems like an age. The tarmac is slipping away under …
Umar Nizarudeen I am also surprised at the praise for this book from a sensible social science scholar like Neera Chandhoke, in another review. Caste-blind scholarship which draws a quick distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva is forcing the Congress of Rahul Gandhi to own Hinduism, as a strategy to bring the Congress back to …
Umar Nizarudeen Fahadh Faasil, the Malayalam film actor has come into national as well as global limelight, much more than any other actor from Kerala has ever managed to do before. From his heterodox acting style, body language and physique to an unconventional choice of roles, Fahadh Faasil has helped break stale notions of …