THE India Gate in Delhi is an imperial monument constructed by the British government to commemorate Indian soldiers of the British Indian army who died in battlefields far from home, in Flanders, Gallipoli, Iran and elsewhere during the First World War (1914-18).  Other Indian soldiers who died during Britain’s Afghan wars also had their names recorded on the monument.  Later, a statue of King George V was installed under a canopy in the centre of the war memorial.

THIS was about five decades back in the mid-seventies. I was then a student at Jadavpur University. It was a time of internal emergency in the country. We on our campus had quite a few students from Palestine. They were not just progressive, but also active participants in the Palestine liberation struggle. One day some of them informed us that an important leader of the PLO was in Kolkata. The PLO operatives urged that progressive student activists meet him to discuss and exchange views and experiences.

IT is true that the history of public education has been fraught with neo-liberal, authoritative and regressive attacks on the promises of secular, scientific and accessible education in this country. It has been, however, at its core, also a history of continuous student struggles fought not just against these attacks but for an equal and just society. The debarring and imposition of fine on 11 students of Pondicherry University over protests against fee hikes are a reflection of this same anti-student sentiment.

IN a country with over 5,701 large dams, 619 of them having crossed the age of 50 years, dam safety is a matter of great concern to our nation and addressing it is crucial for the lives and livelihoods of our people. So, any legislation which attempts to provide for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams is bound to attract some attention.

AT least 50 anxious people gathered near the village pond in Chotahi village, Samastipur district of Bihar. They had gathered to save their houses which were declared illegal as the area was developed as a green belt by the state government of Bihar under the project ‘Jal Jeevan Haryali’.