WHILE Ashok Mochi handed over a water bottle to Kutbuddin Ansari, the latter smilingly accepted it and gave a red rose to Mochi. And then the audience gave them a standing ovation the moment when these two persons, belonging to a state which was ripped apart by genocide 12 years back, shared the same stage in Thalipparamba on March 3, 2014, to express their mutual trust and love. This was a noble occasion, characterised by a meeting of Kutbuddin Ansari and Ashok Mochi, two faces of the communal pogrom in Gujarat in the year 2002.

THE state of Kerala recently witnessed an unprecedented and unparalleled political upsurge in all the 140 assembly segments, during the course of the Kerala Raksha March which started from Vayalar on February 1 and culminated in a rally on the Kozhikode beach on February 26. “Secular India and Developed Kerala” was the slogan of the yatra.

THE schedule for the 16th general elections has been announced. These will be the longest ever general elections planned in the country barring those disrupted and delayed due to exigencies such as prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination or the Kargil war. Spread over five weeks beginning April 7 and ending May 12 – these elections will be held in nine phases, the largest number so far.

The All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) in a statement issued on February 25, has extended full support to the struggle of the anganwadi workers and helpers in Andhra Pradesh demanding minimum wages and retirement benefits including pension and gratuity to all anganwadi workers and helpers. The struggle is led by the Andhra Pradesh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers’ Union. AIFAWH demanded the state government to immediately concede the genuine demands of the anganwadi workers and helpers in Andhra Pradesh.