Dating Bakhshali Manuscripts: Answering Important Questions in History of Mathematics

THE Bakhshali Manuscripts, a collection of 70 odd leaves of birch bark, containing a wealth of mathematical methods, have finally been dated. The oldest of the three samples tested was written as early as the 3rd-4th century, placing it almost five centuries earlier than where most scholars had placed the manuscripts. This makes the Bakhshali Manuscripts the oldest recorded use of a large dot, the precursor of our current form of zero. The other two fragments were dated as late 8th, and 10th century compositions, a gap of five to six centuries between the earliest one.

Towards 34th Conference of AIKS

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is gearing up for its 34th Conference, after a long, eventful four years of struggle and advances. It will be held in Hisar, Haryana, from October 3-6. A public meeting on the first day at Old College Ground will be addressed by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. A total of 758 delegates from 25 states will attend the conference. Two delegates from UIS, the international farmers’ organisation, will also be present.The 27th conference of the AIKS was held in September 1992 at the same venue.

AARM Calls for Broadening the Struggles

THE first meeting of the newly elected National Coordination Committee (NCC) of the Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) held on September 9-10, 2017 at Com EMS Academy, Thiruvananthapuram has called for a broad mobilisation of the different tribal communities to combat the onslaught of the Modi government.

A Dirty Game to Protect Killers of Tripura Journalist

WITH an eye on the 2018 Tripura assembly polls, the IPFT(NC) has mounted numerous attacks on left and progressive forces in the state. Since its efforts to disrupt a rally of the Ganamukti Parishad (GMP) in Agartala on September 19, the IPFT has intensified its attacks.

BJP National Executive: Claims without Substance

THE political resolution adopted at the extended national executive meeting of the BJP in New Delhi and the speeches of President Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, failed to inject any enthusiasm among the party’s ranks and its supporters.

MAHARASHTRA: Whole-Timers State Workshop Held

AS part of the implementation of the state organisational plenum decisions, the CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee organised a state level workshop for Party whole-timers at Solapur on August 19-20, 2017. It had organised a state Party class in Mumbai in June and seven regional Party classes are due in September and October. Some important decisions about the state Party weekly ‘Jeewan Marg’ have led to a doubling of its circulation from July. From November 15 to December 15, a statewide call has been given to collect one crore rupees as whole-timers fund.

SFI-TSU sweeps in Tripura college council elections

THE SFI-TSU combine registered a splendid victory defeating the RSS-affiliated ABVP in all the 22 general degree colleges in Tripura, where students council elections were held on September 12. Out of a total 393 office-bearers and 385 class representative seats, the SFI-TSU won 385 and 366 seats respectively. In all, the SFI-TSU (Students Federation of India and Tribal Students Union) combine won 751 (96.53 per cent) seats.

On Expulsion of Ritabrata Bandopadhyay

Below we publish the statement issued by Surjya Kanta Mishra, Polit Bureau member and secretary of West Bengal state committee of CPI(M), on September 17.RITABRATA Bandopadhyay has been expelled from the primary membership of the Party under clause 19(13) of the Constitution for grave anti-party activities.Ritabrata Bandopadhyay has been cautioned publicly by Party state committee in last February for breaking the Party discipline. He was asked to rectify himself and refrain from misusing social media.

South Asian Theoretical Workshop in China

ON the invitation of the international department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Tapati Mukherjee and I attended the South Asian Theoretical Workshop as representatives of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Apart from the CPI(M), representatives of the CPI and the AIFB attended the workshop from India. In total, representatives of 15 Left parties from South Asia participated in it.

JAN EKTA JAN ADHIKAR ANDOLAN: Convention against Neoliberal, Communal Policies

THE all India convention of mass, class and social movements was held on September 18 in New Delhi to intensify the issue-based united struggle against the anti-people neoliberal and communal policies of the BJP led NDA government. The Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan (people’s unity, people’s right, people’s resistance) was launched in the convention which will be expand to all states and districts.

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