FOR the first time after independence, the central trade unions and independent industrial federations in the country joined together to adopt a ‘Workers’ Charter’ and demanded that these demands be included in the election manifestoes of the political parties. The ‘Workers’ Charter’ was unanimously adopted in the joint national convention of workers held in New Delhi on March 5, 2019.

AnchorIT is heartening to see that several intellectual critiques of Hindutva on epistemic grounds are beginning to appear now – one has come across a few online in recent weeks. The immediate shock of seeing the intellectual discourse in the country being swept aside by sheer brute force had a numbing effect; this effect is finally wearing off.

THE promise of the Modi government to double farm incomes by 2022 seems to be a cruel joke on farmers who are suffering the reverse - a steady decline in farm incomes. The Central Statistics Office has added credence to the allegations of the peasantry that the last five years have seen continuously low incomes. CSO figures show that farm income growth crashed to the lowest in 14 years in the last quarter of 2018 (October-December).

Post-Pulwama air strike by the Indian Air Force inside Pakistan territory, the retaliation by Pakistan the next day and the subsequent release of Wing Commander Abhinandan must lead India to step up its diplomatic efforts to exercise international pressure on Pakistan to purge terror outfits and cross-border terrorist activities.   A united India rose against terrorism. Instead of strengthening this, the post-Pulwama developments are seeing an orchestrated effort by the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits to rouse jingoistic nationalism.

KARL was eighteen years old when he spent the late summer weeks of 1836 in his parent’s home after leaving Bonn University and before proceeding to Berlin to continue his studies. During these weeks, he wooed Jenny von Westphalen, who had not only unusual beauty but also an unusual spirit and character.The Marx and Westphalen families were friends and Jenny was the daughter of Government Councillor Ludwig von Westphalen who, in contrast to most of his colleagues in his social position and profession, was a highly educated man with liberal ideas.