IN the early hours of July 10, the dead body of Dodda Veeresh Gudisali was found by the side of a railway track at the outskirts of Koppala, Karnataka. He was a dalit from Marakumbi village of Gangavathi taluk. He was an important witness in the case pertaining to the incident of atrocity on dalits that occurred at Marakumbi, a year ago. He was about 45. He has left behind him his wife and two sons. A death note is said to have been recovered which suggests that he committed suicide.

SINCE its foundation, the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has been a nursery for cinema practices and education in the country. This unique institute has been a space which has always encouraged, cultivated and protected freedom of thought, expression and experimentation. The stature of FTII is clearly reflected in the collective body of work of its students - both in the mainstream film industry, as well as in vibrant regional cinema.

THE monsoon session of Parliament began on a stormy note on July 21. The Rajya Sabha witnessed multiple adjournments with the opposition demanding resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the Lalit Modi controversy, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh over the Vyapam scam, while the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the whole day after making obituary reference on account of a sitting member’s death.

THE recent years in India have witnessed a rapid capitalist transformation accompanied by a regressive feudal consciousness, emergence of identity politics and consolidation of caste panchayats in defence of status quo. The conflicts which arise due to these processes are most visible in the sphere of marriage practices and the basis on which social relationships are established.

AS the global financial crisis peaked in 2008, some countries, notably in Europe, introduced legislative changes that reduced the level of protection for workers. Against the backdrop of limited fiscal space and rising unemployment, these countries argued that such changes would help stimulate economic growth and job creation but a recent ILO study showed no link between less protection for workers and stronger growth.
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