THESE days I often think back to my first association with the anti-colonial national movement. In the 1940s, I was a teen-ager in school. This was in Pune, where the action was, at that time. We would rush through homework and go to the prayer meetings of Gandhi. A foundational change was expected in Indian society. We, who had for centuries been subjects of diverse kingdoms, and then of a colonial state, were slowly mutating into citizens of an independent nation-state.

AN array of political leaders, intellectuals, activists and artists assembled at the HKS Surjeet Bhavan on April 6, 2024 to express solidarity with Prabir Purkayastha who has already served six months jail term over trumped up charges under UAPA. The solidarity programme was organised in three sessions. The first session had the performance of artists from Ahvaan and the release of Prabir’s book ‘Keeping up the Good Fight’.The second session was addressed by intellectuals, activists and journalists.

THE prolonged negotiations among the parties comprising the Mahagathbandhan bloc in Bihar concluded with a joint press conference held at the RJD headquarters in Patna on March 29. The press conference was addressed by state leaders from RJD, Congress, and three Left parties: CPI(M), CPI, and CPI(ML), with the state secretary of CPI(M), Lalan Choudhary, representing the Party.

THE government and the media often discuss the initiatives of Make in India and atma nirbhar (self-reliance), but what are the actual plans? Are we making progress towards these goals or regressing? There are several factors to consider, so let's focus on the example of fuel. In the fiscal year 2014-15, when the Modi government came into power, the dependency on imported fuel was 78.4 per cent. By 2019-20, it had increased to 85 per cent. If we delve into the details, we can observe a year-by-year increase in imports.