Shaq pe hai yakeen tho, yakeen par hai shaq mujheKiska jhooth jhooth hai, kiska sach sach nahinJaan loon ki jaan doon, main rahoon ki main nahinCOMING from the protagonist of the 2014 film Haider, an adaption of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it captures not just his, but the dilemma of the entire Kashmir. One can’t but recall it while leaving Kashmir after a two-day visit.One less discussed aspect of the film is the portrayal of two disabled people.

AT the call of Left parties – CPI, CPI(M), and CPI(ML), hundreds of people gathered at Freedom Park in Bangalore to protest against the Israel’s bombing on Gaza killing thousands of Palestinians including women and children.Bangalore police had refused permission for the protest. But people gathered defying the police ban and proceeded to hold the demonstration. Police arrested the demonstrators and took them to City Armed Reserve (South) at Adugodi.

THE entire political spectrum of Kerala came together to convey their best wishes to the Communist stalwart V S Achuthanandan on his 100th birthday, which fell on October 20. V S Achuthanandan, a symbol of communist struggles and a shining star in the revolution's sky, received greetings from numerous prominent figures in the socio-political arena, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

ASHA workers, who essentially act as backbone of health structure in rural areas of the region, are compelled to work on paltry emoluments. The government has totally neglected them. They have been fighting for better remuneration over the last many years but to no avail, thus compelling them to resort to strikes and dharnas. Recently the workers were on protest in every district of Jammu and Kashmir.The senior officers of the health department including NHM officials met the delegations of respective ASHA workers unions.

(MA Baby, Member Polit Bureau and Head, International Department of the CPI(M) represented the Party in the IMCWP. A detailed report will follow)THE 23rd International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) took place on 19–22 October 2023. The meeting was hosted by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in Izmir, Turkey. The meeting was attended by 121 representatives of 68 parties from 54 countries and 7 parties, who could not attend for various reasons, also sent their greetings.