THE observance of the centenary of Vaikom Satyagraha, one of the landmark social protest movements in Kerala, began on March 30. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin kick-started the centenary observance on April 1. Several other organisations also marked the occasion. They included the Indian National Congress, SNDP and some Hindu organisations. Almost all the Malayalam dailies carried articles and comments by eminent intellectuals and activists on the Satyagraha.

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), in a statement issued on April 11, has expressed its deep concern over mounting miseries of farmers and agricultural workers due to the recent spree of rainfall and hailstorm in different states, especially in north India. Unseasonal rain in Maharashtra, hailstorm and rains over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir have led to massive damage to crops.

THE British saw the Mysore Kingdom of Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali as a significant obstacle to the British Empire in India. The British lost the first three Anglo-Mysore wars before defeating Tipu in the fourth war. The British allies were the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Peshwas. Cutting to the present, the BJP's battle against Tipu is limited: it is about the Karnataka elections. The attack on Tipu is a not-so-thinly veiled attack on the Muslims.

UNLIKE politically motivated yatras by parties like the BJP or Congress that fail to address the root problems of the people, the CPI(M)'s Jana Chaitanya Yatras delved deep into the issues faced by the masses and unequivocally showed that unless the BJP government at the centre is removed, people's woes will continue.In response to the call from the Party Central Committee, the Telangana state committee has decided to educate the masses about the dangers posed by the BJP, reinvigorate the cadre in Telangana, and realign anti-BJP forces in the state.

TELANGANA is witnessing an upsurge in the working class struggles, which have taken the form of indefinite strikes leading to even militant actions, besides demonstrations and dharnas. Their demands include minimum wages, reduced working hours, job security, affordable housing and land. These struggles are indicative of the increasing frustration among the working class with the present political systems.In a historic move, anganwadi workers in the state of Telangana went on a three-day statewide strike.