By Rosamma Thomas*  It was evident from the swiftness with which ruling party MPs picked up placards after the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated in Parliament that the government was fully prepared for this outcome. This defeat, however, could prove decisive, as women have now seized the opportunity to push for the introduction of bills providing reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies and councils. 

By A Representative   A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights. 

By A Representative   On April 18, World Heritage Day, Sarkhej Roza in Ahmedabad once again came alive with the energy and creativity of children. Nearly 100 students from Gul International School, Safal School, and Gulshan-e-Maher School participated under the theme “Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” (Our Heritage, Our Identity). Through their paintings, the children sought not only to depict buildings but also to reconnect with their cultural roots.  The event was organized in collaboration with Saanjhi Virasat and the Archaeological Survey of India, with speakers including Bhavna Ramrakhiani of Saanjhi Virasat, Shubho Majumdar of ASI, historian Rizwan Kadri, Dr. Utpala Desai of Intact Gujarat, Abrar Ali Saiyed, President of the Sarkhej Roza Committee, and trustee Rafiq Kotharia.  They shared insights into the monument’s history and significance, fostering awareness among the younger generation about their heritage. Sarkhej Roza, located in Makarba on the outski...

By Bharat Dogra   The Chambal Valley peace initiative led by followers of Mahatma Gandhi and the Sarvodaya movement—which ultimately resulted in the surrender of over 600 dacoits between 1960 and 1972—began in a modest yet deeply inspiring way under the leadership of Vinoba Bhave, one of Gandhi’s most committed disciples.

By Vikas Meshram*   On April 10, 1965, a boy was born in New York City, USA. His father, Muthusamy Varadarajan, was a distinguished officer of the Indian Administrative Service, and his mother, Usha, was the pillar of the family. The boy’s name was Siddharth Varadarajan. Because of his father’s frequent transfers, his childhood was spent across many cities, from La Martiniere School in Lucknow to Mayo College in Ajmer. But this wandering gave him a priceless gift: a deep, intimate understanding of India’s diverse society, its sorrows, and its richness.

By Harsh Thakor*  The passing of Professor Vijay Singh on April 17 marks the end of a significant scholarly career devoted to the study of Marxist theory, Soviet history, and the documentation of debates within the international communist movement. His work, particularly through the journal “Revolutionary Democracy”, represents a sustained effort to assemble archival material, translations, and interpretive essays that engaged with contested histories of socialism in the twentieth century.

By Ravi Ranjan*  The poetry of Kumar Ambuj, specifically the twelve works published in 'Samalochan' in April 2026, serves as a profound and vibrant document of contemporary Indian society that intertwines personal wounds with deep-seated social structures. Ambuj’s sociological and aesthetic vision is one that peels away layers of reality without resorting to slogans, standing firmly in favor of democracy, secularism, and scientific consciousness while critiquing the minutiae of capitalist modernity.

By Bharat Dogra   In 1972, as part of a peace initiative led by followers of Mahatma Gandhi in the Chambal Valley, hundreds of dacoits surrendered voluntarily. This marked a turning point for a region long associated with the terror of dacoit gangs, enabling a transition toward normal, peaceful conditions in which development initiatives could take root. The episode is widely regarded as a significant example of how non-violence and a genuine change of heart can foster durable peace.

By Ram Puniyani*  In Delhi’s Tri Nagar , some Hindu families appear to have embraced a new form of devotion—and a way to deter Muslim neighbours—by keeping pigs as pets. The animals are kept in cages at homes, while the walls display posters of a powerful, pig-faced deity in jewellery, much like other gods.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  It is encouraging to see that the Delimitation Bill was effectively stalled in Parliament. Credit is due to opposition party members who grasped the seriousness of the issue and returned to Delhi even during the peak of their election campaigns in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. Their arguments exposed significant weaknesses in the government’s position. The parliamentary debate also highlighted that parties such as the TMC, DMK, and Congress possess articulate voices capable of presenting well-researched and data-driven perspectives.

By Arsalan Ahad Reshi*   The National Conference (NC) has made a habit of accusing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of responsibility for the abrogation of Article 370. Whenever PDP leaders raise questions in or outside the Assembly, NC’s stock reply is: “You are responsible for abrogation of Article 370.” Their second line of attack is: “You allied with BJP and brought them into Jammu and Kashmir.” But is it true that PDP introduced BJP into the state? That claim is little more than a political fabrication.

By A Representative   Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks. 

By Ravi Ranjan*  Any sensitive reader of contemporary Hindi poetry will find it impossible to overlook the eight poems by Deepti Kushwah recently published in Samalochan. This suite—comprising works such as ‘Ekākelī ābha’ (A Solitary Radiance), ‘Praśna mem camaktā huā’ (Glowing in the Question), and ‘Ek ankahī tapis’ (An Unspoken Heat)—constructs a multidimensional collage where colour transcends mere visual experience. 

By Harsh Thakor*  She was only nineteen years old when the Nazis carved a five-pointed star into her back and rubbed salt into the wound. She did not break. She did not betray her comrades. And when they marched her toward the mine shaft where she would die, she found a way to signal to the other prisoners that they should sing revolutionary songs.

By Shamsul Islam*  Prime Minister Narendra Modi , presenting himself as the savior of Indian women while speaking in support of the Women’s Reservation Bill 2026 , declared that reserving seats for women in legislative bodies is the need of the hour to make Indian democracy more vibrant and participative. He lamented that it was “deeply unfortunate” that the bill had been delayed for decades. He added that despite repeated efforts by previous governments to give women their rightful place in democratic institutions, the bill was never passed. He underlined the fact that for women—who constitute nearly half of India’s population—“committees were made, and bill drafts were introduced, but they never saw the light of day.”

By Jag Jivan   Dr. Narasimha Reddy Donthi , a noted public policy expert and public interest campaigner, in a detailed critical analysis of two Bills introduced in Parliament in April 2026—the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 , has warned that the twin bills "raise significant constitutional, political and methodological concerns — most critically, a structural inconsistency in the census basis used for Parliament versus State Assemblies, and an over-reliance on population as the sole parameter for delimitation." 

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  India, already strained by religious polarization, now faces a new and potentially more destabilizing divide—the North–South fault line. At the centre of this debate are three proposed legislations by the Modi government: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Law (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Introduced amid state elections and global tensions such as the Iran–US crisis, these proposals could reshape the democratic framework and test the resilience of federalism.

​By Raqif Makhdoomi*  ​ Jammu and Kashmir is no longer merely at risk of a drug epidemic ; it is losing the fight. The statistics are staggering, with approximately 13.5 lakh people—nearly 8% of the total population—caught in the grip of substance abuse . In the ranking of Indian Union Territories , Jammu and Kashmir now sits at a grim top. We have officially reached a point where we can no longer speak in hypotheticals about a future crisis. The vocabulary has shifted from "if" to "if not addressed immediately."

By Neha Desai*  The knife that hacked Yapi Potom to death on the night of April 7, 2026, in broad view of her own home in Itanagar’s ESS Sector did more than end the life of a 42-year-old widowed junior teacher and mother of two. It exposed the ugly underbelly of a society that prides itself on “ tribal harmony ” while tolerating lethal personal vendettas, and a government that boasts of low crime statistics while doing next to nothing to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*  The United States’ long-standing policy of isolating adversarial regimes has repeatedly produced destabilizing consequences. Iraq in the 1990s and early 2000s offers a cautionary template for current approaches toward Iran. Following the Gulf War of 1991, President George H. W. Bush initially pursued containment of Saddam Hussein’s regime. 

By José Carlos Llerena Robles  On Sunday, 12 April 2026, Peru held presidential and parliamentary elections for the 2026–2031 term. The deepening political crisis in which Peru has been mired since 2017, the social and economic crisis—recently characterized by issues of public safety and rising fuel prices, respectively—and the return to a bicameral legislature (Senate and Chamber of Deputies) signaled that we were in for a unique electoral process. However, no one expected that the logistical aspects of the electoral process would be the main factor differentiating these elections.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The proposed delimitation bill, coupled with the women’s reservation bill, is a calculated attempt to divert attention during state elections while laying the groundwork for long-term power consolidation through a north Indian hegemony. India’s constitution-making process was arduous, but it was guided by leaders deeply committed to unity and integrity. They ensured no community felt betrayed, and the foundation of modern India was laid on inclusivity. Any attempt to alter this balance must be approached with caution and respect for that legacy.

By Vikas Meshram*  April 16, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a three-day special session of Parliament, the central government is set to introduce a comprehensive package of three historic bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The stated purpose of all three is the same: to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment) passed in 2023. However, the political intent concealed behind these measures — and their impact on the federal balance — is far more profound. It is absolutely essential to understand this.

By A Representative   The All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA–NAPM) has reiterated its solidarity with transgender communities across the country, marking 12 years of the landmark National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (NALSA) judgment while calling for the repeal of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026.

By A Representative   The civil rights coalition, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR),  has issued a strong statement condemning the reported targeting of labour rights activist Shiv Kumar by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), alleging that the move forms part of a wider pattern of repression linked to what it described as the “Lucknow Conspiracy Case.”

By Harsh Thakor*  Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

By Harsh Thakor*  Maoist leader Bhagya, known as Rupi, was killed on April 13 in Chote Betiya, Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. Police reported she refused to surrender and was shot during the encounter. Her death marked the end of the last surviving Maoist cadre from the Telugu states, highlighting the decline of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Bastar, where nearly 400 cadres surrendered in the first four months of 2026. She was also the widow of Vijay Reddy, a Maoist commander killed in August 2025.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.  

By Jag Jivan   A perfect storm of geopolitical crisis and policy paralysis is pushing India’s poorest into a devastating double-bind. The ongoing war in Iran has sent shockwaves through global oil markets, and as LPG prices skyrocket and factory slowdowns ripple across urban centers, a massive exodus of migrant workers is underway. But for millions fleeing the city’s hardships, the safety net of rural employment has all but vanished, leaving them stranded without work or income.

By Sunil Kumar*   Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

By A Representative   The Uttar Pradesh government has announced an interim hike in minimum wages of up to 21% effective April 1, 2026, following violent worker protests in Noida and Ghaziabad. However, labour groups argue this remains inadequate compared to Haryana and Delhi, and have formally petitioned the state leadership to comply with Supreme Court directives for a fair and lasting revision.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  These are challenging times. The world is being reshaped by conflict and uncertainty. The recent American–Israeli attack on Iran has shocked global opinion, reviving the specter of imperialism and colonialism. Civilians are dying, children are being killed, hospitals reduced to rubble, schools bombed—and yet there is no forum where the victims can truly complain. Even speaking out risks international alienation. The price is heavy, but it is precisely in such moments that we must recall the life and courage of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, whose 135th birth anniversary was commemorated worldwide on April 14.

By A Representative    On National Transgender Rights Day, April 15, over 200 activists across India have urged the Telangana Chief Minister to pass a State Assembly Resolution against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, citing its violation of constitutional rights and rollback of self-identification protections. The Act, which mandates medical certification for gender identity, is already facing multiple constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court and High Courts.  

By A Representative   The All India Catholic Union (AICU) has raised serious concerns over what it describes as growing threats to religious freedom, minority rights, and constitutional safeguards in India, warning that recent policy and legislative trends could undermine the country’s secular and federal framework.

By Rosamma Thomas*  On April 7, 2026, Ecuador’s Electoral Disputes Tribunal (TCE) imposed fines totaling USD 18,000 on two members of YASunidos, an ecological organisation defending democracy and the rights of nature. The fines are to be paid within 30 days. The penalty was imposed for their participation in the 2023 Yasuní Popular Consultation process, a citizen-led initiative to decide whether the region’s vast natural wealth should be further opened to oil exploration.

By Jag Jivan   A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.

By Vikas Meshram *  “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  The widening gap between Raghav Chadha and the leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party is not an overnight development. It reflects a slow, layered process of internal churn that has been building over time. Once celebrated as one of AAP’s most articulate and promising young faces in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha symbolised the party’s attempt to project a modern, educated, and policy-driven leadership. Yet politics is as much about perception as it is about performance, and over time questions began to emerge around his alignment with the party’s core leadership. His gradual sidelining appears less like a sudden disciplinary action and more like the culmination of a strained relationship.

By Hemantkumar Shah*  At a time when tensions in West Asia repeatedly escalate into open confrontation, the Iran–Israel hostility often appears puzzling at first glance. Unlike many enduring conflicts in the region, this is not a dispute rooted in shared borders or direct territorial claims. Instead, it is shaped by ideology, geopolitics, and competing visions of regional influence. Understanding why Iran positions itself so sharply against Israel requires revisiting history, geography, and the political choices that have defined their relationship over the decades.

By Vijay Prashad   As the United States farcically walks away from the negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, it was always a matter of concern whether Israel would abide by any such agreement. This was particularly the case with Lebanon and with the Palestinian territories, where Israel seemed absolutely hell bent on creating new ‘facts on the ground,’ including evacuating more sections of Gaza, ethnically cleaning more towns in the West Bank, and eliminating almost one million people from the entire southern half of Lebanon.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

By Harsh Thakor*  The passing of Asha Bhosle at the age of 92 marks not merely the loss of a legendary voice, but the end of a cultural epoch she helped shape and transform. Forever young in spirit and endlessly vibrant in expression, Asha Bhosle’s voice embodied a profound shift in post-Independence India—a transition toward a more confident, worldly, and self-aware representation of women in cinema. Her singing did not just mirror change; it propelled it.

By Jag Jivan  Over the past decade and a half, Gujarat has witnessed a remarkable resurgence of Dalit agitations that mark a decisive shift from accommodation to confrontation, according to a major new study published in the journal National Identities . The research, conducted by Mahendra Parmar of the Central University of Gujarat , draws on 18 in-depth interviews with victims and activists to document how B.R. Ambedkar ’s radical thought has become the central political resource shaping Dalit identity and mobilisation in the state.

By Ram Puniyani*  As we celebrate Babasaheb Ambedkar ’s birth anniversary on April 14, 2026, we must also ask: what is the status of his core teaching—the “ annihilation of caste ”? The caste-Varna system has been central to Hindu society, even before the term “Hindu” came into use. Our holy scriptures, from the Vedas to the Manusmriti and beyond, mandated rigid Varna-Jati rules. 

By Vikas Meshram*   Few figures in modern India embody the struggle for women’s rights as profoundly as Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar . More than a leader of the Dalits , he was a defender of every marginalized being—especially women—who had been shackled for centuries by caste and patriarchy. For Ambedkar, the progress of a society was measured by the heights its women attained. This was not rhetoric; it was a principle he lived by.

By Dr. Sanghmitra Sheel Acharya*  We have just celebrated the 199th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule on 11 April, and are marking Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s 135th on 14 April. The legacy of these two iconic figures in modern Indian history extends far beyond their popular image as social reformers. Both Phule and Ambedkar were thinkers and philosophers who challenged existing Brahmanical norms and strived for societal change. Their efforts marked a transformative shift from exclusion and hierarchy toward inclusion, rights, and social justice.

By Shamsul Islam*  ​Today, India stands as a fractured landscape, increasingly claimed by religious bigots. Even the highest offices of our democratic-secular polity, bound by oath to the Constitution, now align openly with Hindu nationalism. The RSS-BJP framework seeks to redefine India not as a diverse democracy, but as a "Fatherland and Holyland" for Hindus alone—specifically those who fit a narrow, Brahmanical definition of identity. In this vision, the inclusive history of our struggle is an obstacle to be erased.

By A Representative   A serious allegation of large-scale voter disenfranchisement has been brought before the Election Commission of India by Kirity Roy , Secretary of the Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) and National Convenor of the Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity, through a formal complaint dated 13 April 2026. The representation highlights the alleged arbitrary deletion of names of legitimate citizens from electoral rolls in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district , specifically in Gobra village under the Swarupnagar Assembly Constituency .

By Nava Thakuria*  Assam’s assembly elections on 9 April 2026 witnessed an extraordinary 85.96% voter turnout across 126 constituencies, underscoring the electorate’s strong engagement with the democratic process. Puducherry reported over 90% participation in its 30 seats, while Kerala registered nearly 80% across 140 constituencies. The polling was largely peaceful, setting the stage for Tamil Nadu ’s single-phase vote on 23 April and West Bengal ’s two-phase exercise on 23 and 29 April. Results for all states, along with by-elections in Karnataka , Nagaland , and Tripura , are scheduled for 4 May.