Counterview

Counterview News   In a deeply reflective conversation on Episode 13 of the Unmute podcast, veteran Dalit rights activist, lawyer, and founder of Navsarjan , Martin Macwan , dissected the anatomy of social resistance, the pervasive nature of caste , and the future of human rights movements in India. 

By Osman Sher*  Humans suffer from a universal "us versus them" syndrome. Economics, race, origin, and profession divide us. For the disadvantaged, this stigma is often hereditary and endogamous, producing hatred, exclusion, and servitude across generations. Japan has the Burakumin, Korea the Baekjeong, Yemen the Akhdam, and Kenya the Watta—groups condemned to dirty work and segregated quarters, not by law, but by brutal social reality. Yet the caste system of Hinduism stands apart. It is not merely a social hierarchy; it is a divine one. And uniquely, its original fault line was skin color—an ancient apartheid encoded as eternal cosmic order.

By Harasankar Adhikari*  India needs a welfare state. But does it need a politics of permanent dependence? That is the uncomfortable question India must ask as political parties increasingly compete to offer cash transfers, subsidies, free services and other benefits to voters. Welfare is a legitimate responsibility of a democratic government. But when welfare becomes the principal language of an election, something fundamental changes. The citizen risks becoming a beneficiary first and a citizen second.

By A Representative   A power and climate policy analyst based in Sagara, Karnataka, has written to the Union Finance Minister, with a copy to the Prime Minister, calling for a comprehensive review of India's long-term electricity investment strategy, arguing there is no credible economic case for building large amounts of new coal-fired power capacity.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Universities were once the bedrock of human progress. They were established to challenge traditions, dismantle orthodoxies, and create new knowledge to address the deepest needs of humanity. Their mission was to emancipate people from illiteracy, prejudice, and all forms of illiberal forces—empowering individuals and democratising society through scientific and secular learning.

By Harsh Thakor*  Jarod Kimber's The Art of Batting is a compelling blend of descriptive storytelling, penetrating insight, and statistical precision. Original, lively, meticulously researched, and exceptionally well written, it is a book that demands careful reading and thoughtful reflection.

Counterview News   For nearly a decade, the database at Land Conflict Watch has carried a certain bleakness. It is a cold, hard accounting of the costs of resource extraction, the toll “development” takes on the most vulnerable, and the ugly consequences of unchecked private consumption. Within this grim arithmetic of over 1,095 mapped land conflicts, one statistic stands out: nearly 80% of these disputes occur over common lands . 

By Umashree Akham*  Why is it easier to feel sorry for a Dalit man than to sit with one who is simply, unapologetically angry? Ten years after Una, that question still cuts. Sorrow is easy to sit with—it asks nothing of us. Anger is not.

By Vikas Meshram*  What unfolded since June–July in the dense forest belt of Baihar and Birsa talukas in Balaghat district, eastern Madhya Pradesh, is not merely a story of an infectious disease outbreak. It is a stark illustration of how India’s health system continues to struggle to reach the “last mile” at the grassroots—and of the persistent neglect faced by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).