Counterview

By Prof Tulika Tripathi*   Jyotirao Phule was born on 11 April 1827. Two centuries later, when I read his life and work, I do not see only a social reformer. I see an economic framework—someone who identified problems with surgical precision and solved them by building institutions.

By Prem Singh*  The literatures of colonial countries are widely accepted as documents of protest against colonialism. In pre-independence India, literature became an integral part of the national freedom movement. Modern Hindi literature, across genres like the novel, short story, drama and poetry, focused on patriotic fervour, armed protest, the underground revolutionary movement and the lives of martyrs.

By Ravi Ranjan*  In contemporary Hindi poetry, Arun Kamal occupies a significant place among those poets who have articulated the lives of ordinary people, labour, social relationships, and collective human destiny with remarkable density and artistic refinement. His collections—'Apni Kaval Dhar', 'Saboot', ' Naye Ilaake Mein ', and others—construct a poetic world from the solid ground of life, where seemingly ordinary things acquire profound social and ideological meanings. What distinguishes Kamal's vision is his ability to present great social truths not through declamatory language but through natural, concise expression rooted in people's lives.

By Harsh Thakor*  ' No Women, No History — Women in Indian Movements ' by V. Gargi , published by Virasam Books, encapsulates and chronicles the participation of women in movements in India, dissecting the 19th and 20th centuries in addition to contemporary movements. The book adopts a broad-based and non-sectarian outlook, which is praiseworthy. It is in its own right a landmark work exploring the role of women in shaping struggles to transform Indian society.

By Vikas Meshram   Baburao Bagul was a distinguished Marathi writer from Maharashtra. He was a pioneering figure in Dalit literature in Marathi and played an extraordinarily significant role in Indian short fiction towards the end of the twentieth century — a period that witnessed the arrival of Dalit writers who brought with them lived experiences of radical rupture with the oppressive practices of the past.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  Ibiza is known as the “Island of Fragrance,” the “Island of Pines,” the “Island of Pleasure,” and the “Island of Endless Parties.” These names derive from the island’s aromatic plants and flowers, dense pine forests, and vibrant nightlife. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Ibiza is the third-largest of the Balearic Islands by geographical area and the second-largest by population. The island has also long attracted writers, lyricists, poets, novelists, and other creative artists. 

By Biljana Vankovska  As one becomes more familiar with the complexities and civilizational depth of China, curiosity naturally extends beyond its major cities toward regions often obscured by mythology, ideological distortion, and geopolitical propaganda. This has certainly been my own experience. The more I learn about China, the more I am drawn not only to its visible achievements but also to places whose realities have long been filtered through Western narratives. Few regions embody this more profoundly than Xizang—better known in the West as Tibet.

By A Representative   Indian businesses sharply raised their inflation expectations in April 2026, with one-year-ahead unit cost increase projections jumping by 57 basis points to 5.64%, up from 5.07% in March 2026, according to the latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES) conducted by the Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at IIM Ahmedabad . This marks the third consecutive month that firms have held inflation expectations above 5%, a phenomenon last observed only after August 2022.

By A Representative   The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023–24) has raised serious concerns over infant and young child feeding practices in India, with the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) warning that the sharp decline in exclusive breastfeeding despite high institutional delivery rates should be treated as a national public health priority.

By Vivekananda Mathane   A close examination of electoral data from West Bengal presents a deeply troubling picture. This is no longer merely a matter of routine political fluctuations or changing voter preferences. The figures increasingly point towards a pattern of unusual voter expansion , systematic intervention in electoral rolls , and a recurring alignment between abnormal voter growth and political advantage.

By Rezgar Akrawi  Most countries of the Middle East and the Global South operating under authoritarian regimes share a single structural crisis, one whose substance is the acute and chronic fragmentation and weakness that afflicts mass organisations, trade unions, feminist movements and student bodies, extending further to undermine coordination among the forces of the left themselves. This is not a purely Iraqi predicament; it is a recurring phenomenon in comparable contexts, one that finds in the Iraqi experience its most transparent expression.

By Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, Imam Moeljadi  More than sixty years ago, Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, warned that political independence meant little without economic sovereignty. In his famous Trisakti doctrine , announced during the 1964 Independence Day speech, Sukarno argued that a truly independent nation must achieve three things: political sovereignty, economic self-reliance, and cultural dignity. He believed that former colonial powers would continue to dominate newly independent countries through economic dependency and political pressure, even after formal colonialism had ended.

By Lucia Converti   Javier Milei’s government took office in December 2023 with a strong rhetoric about the need to expand freedom. However, rather than expanding it, his economic policy reduces it. Neoliberal policy advocates a model of free enterprise, free trade, and free movement of capital that favors the extraction of national surplus toward core countries, limiting the possibilities for local development and reinforcing the conditions of societal impoverishment.

By Vijay Prashad  The treatment of the flotilla activists by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was shocking only to those who continue to clothe colonial violence in the soft language of security. There is now a mountain of evidence before humanity: Gaza has become not merely a place under siege but a geography of calculated despair, where starvation and bombardment have been converted into instruments of political management. The activists aboard the flotilla were not armed combatants, nor were they soldiers threatening invasion. They were international volunteers, human rights advocates, doctors, parliamentarians, and organisers attempting to break the siege imposed on Gaza. Their journey was political, moral, and humanitarian. Yet the Israeli state met them with humiliation, detention, and theatrical violence.

By Rosamma Thomas   When Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022 in a $44 billion deal, he was hailed as a champion of free speech, for he undid some of the censorship that occurred to control the Covid narrative. It did not take long, however, for the cat to emerge from the bag – by January 2024, as journalists got de-platformed , it became evident that Musk was attempting to control the narrative by kicking his critics out of the social media space that he renamed “X”.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat   A number of Muslim religious leaders and social activists have recently called for a complete ban on cow slaughter, including a prohibition on the export of Indian beef. Nearly two decades ago, Prof. Iqbal Ansari had written extensively urging Muslims to respect the sentiments of their Hindu brethren by voluntarily giving up beef consumption. At that time, his appeal did not find much resonance within the community, but today similar calls from several Imams appear to be gaining wider attention. Respect for cultural and religious sensitivities is important in a diverse society such as India. However, such respect must remain mutual and cannot become a one-way expectation imposed only upon one community. Food habits are deeply connected not only to economics but also to culture, tradition, and social life. Across South Asia, food is integral to celebrations, festivals, and social bonding. Eating together has historically been an expression of coe...

By Shankar Sharma*  India has set an ambitious target of expanding its nuclear power capacity from the current 9,000 MW to 100,000 MW over the next 20 years. The recently enacted SHANTI Act has added fresh momentum to this push. However, these developments have also raised serious and credible concerns among environmentalists and civil society groups across the country.

By Prof Hemantkumar Shah  Organic farming refers to cultivation without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Organic manure can be bought and sold, while natural farming generally involves the use of locally available materials as inputs. In India, the term “ organic farming ” is often also used for natural farming. In 2023–24, only about 2.5 to 3 percent of India’s total cultivated land, around 45 lakh hectares, was under organic farming. 

By Bharat Dogra   Keeping in view the wider issue of most rainfall being concentrated in a short rainy season and uneven distribution of rain, as well as more specific issues of various regions, a range of traditional water conservation and irrigation works have evolved over the centuries. These aimed at saving water for the dry season, diverting water towards farms, or achieving other related objectives. In many areas, as long as these traditional water works were maintained, villagers remained self-reliant in meeting their water needs even in very low rainfall situations.

By Sudhansu R Das    A country is not merely a territory marked on a map. It behaves more like a living organism — growing, weakening, healing or declining depending on the environment in which it exists. Just as a human body requires nourishment, protection and balance to survive, a nation too needs strong institutions, healthy natural resources, ethical citizens and a clear vision for development.

By Dr. Palash Baruah*  I recently watched a video of a woman in New Zealand stopping at an unmanned vegetable stall along a quiet national highway. She picked up what she needed, placed her money in a box, and drove away. There was no shopkeeper, no CCTV camera — just trust.

By Rajiv Shah  India's residential real estate market recorded near-flat growth in the January–March quarter of 2026, with sales volumes dipping year-on-year even as property prices hit a historic milestone — crossing ₹10,000 per square foot for the first time.

By Priya Sharma, Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava  On April 17, 2025, a Lake Walk at Ulsoor Lake hosted by Drop Talk brought together citizens and experts to reflect on the urgent need for connecting science and society in conserving Bengaluru’s lakes. The session, part of the ongoing Lake-Pond and Water Education series by Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava, featured Prof. T. V. Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), a leading voice in ecological research and advocacy.  

By Prof. Hementkumar Shah  Organic farming refers to cultivation without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, the buying and selling of bio-fertilizers is allowed in it. Natural farming means using inputs that are locally available. In India, the term “organic farming” is often used for “natural farming” as well.

By Bharat Dogra   If the most important question relating to development, livelihoods and environmental protection is to be identified, it is likely to be this: can small farmers cultivate their land in economically viable ways while also protecting the soil and water base for sustainability, producing enough healthy food for themselves and others, and contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation ?

By Nava Thakuria  The recent electoral victories of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the eastern Indian States of West Bengal and Assam have drawn varied responses in Bangladesh. For many observers in Dhaka , the outcome represents not only a regional political shift in India but also a development with possible implications for India-Bangladesh relations , border management, migration debates, and regional security.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  Mallorca adorns the Mediterranean Sea as one of the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, where rolling hills descend into the sea. Its beautiful cliffs whisper the fantasies of ancient caves, while a combination of sandy and stony beaches and dense pine forests welcomes the sunrise and sunset as part of nature’s daily ritual, bringing joy to holidaymakers. From prehistoric settlements to the modern era, Mallorca has witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms, dynasties, caliphates, empires, invasions, pirates, rulers, and civilizations.

By Harsh Thakor*  Mike Smith defied conventions to create a new aura in cricket, epitomising unselfishness as few cricketers ever did. M.J.K. Smith, or Michael John Knight Smith, an accomplished batsman and highly popular captain of England in the mid-1960s, passed away on May 17th at the age of 92. His exploits on the cricket field and his personality will remain etched in the memory of lovers of the game.

By Rajiv Shah   The BJP ’s massive electoral win in West Bengal is being interpreted across political persuasions — except, of course, by the BJP itself — as the result of the alleged deletion of around 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls during the controversial intensive revision process. This may well be true, given my own experience in Gujarat regarding the shoddy manner in which electoral revisions have often been conducted. In West Bengal, there also appeared to be a political angle to the exercise. But I am not interested in discussing that here, as enough has already appeared in the media on the subject.

By Vikas Meshram   The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ( MGNREGA ), which for nearly two decades provided a solid foundation to India's rural employment policy, has now been replaced by the Viksit Bharat Rozgar Aur Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2025 , known as the VB-GRAM JI Act . This new law is set to come into force across all states and union territories of the country from 1 July 2026, and MGNREGA will officially stand repealed.

By A Representative   The health rights advocacy group Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has expressed serious concern over persistent inequalities in infant and maternal health outcomes across India, despite improvements in national health indicators highlighted in the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin released by the Office of the Registrar General of India. According to the SRS Bulletin 2026, India’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined to 24 per 1,000 live births. However, several states continue to report significantly higher mortality levels. Chhattisgarh recorded the highest IMR at 36, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh at 35 each.

By Prof. Hementkumar Shah*   Nearly 100 crore people in India need greater consumption, not more savings. The renowned 20th-century British economist John Maynard Keynes argued that while saving is a personal virtue, it can become a public problem when practiced collectively by society. According to Keynes, if individuals save for their future needs, it is considered prudent behavior. However, if everyone in society simultaneously increases savings, the overall economy can suffer because aggregate consumption declines. Reduced consumption weakens demand for goods and services, leading to unemployment and economic slowdown.

By Dr Anurag Verma   The modern world stands at a strange historical crossroads. Scientific progress has reached astonishing heights, yet public trust in global institutions is eroding across continents. The anger is no longer confined to fringe corners of the internet. Increasingly, ordinary citizens across Asia, Africa, and Latin America are raising uncomfortable questions about power, medicine, global governance, and the unequal structure of the international order.

By Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman*  In recent years, a narrative has emerged from the rugged and forested terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), portraying the region as the site of a “silent relocation” — a mass forced migration of Bangladesh’s non-Muslim ethnic communities into neighboring India and Myanmar.

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosopher, author, and activist. An existentialist, Marxist, and feminist—Simone de Beauvoir’s contribution to modern thought remains almost unparalleled. Her writings and life continue to inspire generations to question, to dream, and to act.

By Mansee Bal Bhargava*  Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recently described unemployed youth as “parasites” and “cockroaches,” sparking outrage across the country. His oral observation, though later clarified, revealed a troubling disdain for young citizens who, in the absence of opportunities, turn to activism, media, or social platforms to question the system. Such language from the highest judicial office is not only unfortunate but also symptomatic of a deeper constitutional crisis .  

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  Since coming to power in 2014, the Narendra Modi-led government has repeatedly sought to shape the national conversation around issues that critics argue often overshadow pressing socio-economic concerns. Every election cycle has been marked by emotionally charged debates on nationalism, identity, religion and security, while issues such as unemployment, inflation, economic inequality, education and healthcare frequently remain at the margins of political discourse.

By Citan Pertin   The controversy surrounding the proposed Siang Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh has become one of the most divisive public issues in the state’s recent history. While the government presents the project as a symbol of development, energy security, and economic progress, a growing number of residents see it very differently. For many communities living along the Siang River, the project represents not opportunity but uncertainty, displacement, environmental degradation, and the possible destruction of a way of life that has existed for generations. At the heart of the opposition lies a simple question: who truly benefits from the dam, and who will bear its costs?

By Himadri Priya   The allegations surrounding Gumin Mize have resonated far beyond the borders of Arunachal Pradesh. For many, the controversy is not simply about one activist or one detention. It reflects a deeper and more uncomfortable reality: the growing disconnect between the ideals of justice India professes and the experiences many citizens associate with law enforcement. Mize is known across Arunachal Pradesh for his anti-drug advocacy and grassroots efforts to steer young people away from addiction. Whether one agrees with every aspect of his activism is beside the point. The fact remains that he devoted years to a cause that governments themselves publicly claim to support — the fight against narcotics and the protection of vulnerable youth. That such a figure could become the center of allegations involving custodial mistreatment has understandably generated outrage. Naturally, questions have been directed toward the police in Assam, under whose custody the alleged inci...

By Jayant Kumar   Modern society’s contradictions are stark. We live in an age of extraordinary technological progress, yet loneliness, violence, ecological collapse, and inequality deepen. Economic growth has not translated into moral growth. Information has multiplied, but wisdom often feels absent. This paradox has led many to ask whether genuine societal change is possible without a deeper transformation of human consciousness itself. That question lies at the intersection of spirituality, human transformation, and social change.

By Pedro Marin   The Donald Trump administration has  indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro for the downing of two planes in 1996. Given the similarities between the measures taken against Cuba in recent months and the modus operandi of the United States in its attack on Venezuela, the indictment of the Cuban leader could represent another step toward military action against the island. According to Bloomberg, in addition to Castro, Washington is also reportedly eyeing the current Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and family members of Cuban government officials.

By Harsh Thakor*  On May 9 this year, the 50th death anniversary of Ulrike Meinhof was commemorated by sections of the radical left in Europe and elsewhere. Meinhof remains one of the most controversial political figures in postwar German history. To supporters, she symbolized uncompromising resistance to imperialism, fascism, and the Vietnam War. To critics, she represented the turn of a section of the radical student movement toward political violence and terrorism.

By Venkatesh Nayak*  On 18 May, 2026, the Central Information Commission (CIC) issued a decision (see 1st attachment) holding that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not covered by The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act). The CIC was acting on the directions of the Hon. Madras High Court which had remanded back an earlier decision of the CIC (October 2018) where it was held that BCCI is a 'public authority' under the RTI Act. 

By Shamsul Islam   India is witnessing an aggressive political and cultural campaign to equate Hinduism with vegetarianism. What was once a personal dietary preference has increasingly been transformed into a test of patriotism, religiosity, and social acceptability. Under the rule of the RSS-BJP combine , vegetarianism is no longer projected merely as a lifestyle choice; it is being weaponised as a marker of “true” Hindu identity.

By Shankar Sharma*  There is a sort of newfound euphoria sweeping India with respect to nuclear power — and in particular, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). In political speeches, policy documents, and newspaper editorials, the word "nuclear" has acquired a fresh, almost romantic glow, as though a technology once synonymous with catastrophe at Chernobyl and Fukushima has been quietly reinvented.  To be sure, the challenges of climate change and India's growing electricity demand are real and urgent. But enthusiasm is not a substitute for analysis. A hard look at the global evidence, the domestic cost picture, and the practical hurdles of nuclear deployment raises questions that this national conversation urgently needs to confront.

By Dr Jayant Kumar*  Grassroots development work across India is passing through a deep but largely unacknowledged crisis. Foreign funding has sharply declined. CSR support often remains visibility-driven and socially neutral. Government systems frequently suffer from discontinuity, corruption, and weak last-mile accountability . As a result, remote regions, vulnerable communities, and transformative grassroots initiatives are increasingly left unsupported.

By Vikas Meshram   The scorching flames of the Middle East conflict are now slowly reaching the kitchens of ordinary people. The true price of this war is paid in daily markets, vegetable shops, and in the shattered minds of farmers. Expensive crude oil, skyrocketing fertilizer prices, and rising agricultural costs are together creating the conditions for global food inflation — and this crisis is directly tied to what people eat and drink every day.

By Kuntal Mukherjee*  As fresh warnings emerge about the possible return of El Niño conditions and their likely impact on the southwest monsoon , concerns are once again growing across rural India. For urban India, El Niño may appear as just another climate phenomenon discussed in weather bulletins. But for millions of farmers, especially in central and eastern India, it can mean failed crops, mounting debts, water scarcity, distress migration , and deep psychological stress. In a country where agriculture remains heavily dependent on monsoon rainfall, the threat of an El Niño year is not merely meteorological; it is social, economic and humanitarian.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   Politics is a tool for social, political, economic, and cultural transformation—of individuals, families, societies, states, governments, and institutions—toward a progressive path of human emancipation from poverty, marginalisation, inequality, deprivation, and exploitation, as well as other forms of oppression created by feudal, patriarchal, capitalist, and imperialist power structures. The struggle against dominant powers not only produces mass leaders but also strengthens and deepens democracy across the world.

By Ravi Ranjan*  The intersection of hunger, poverty, and state violence has long been a defining theme of South Asian subaltern literature. In Hari Bhatnagar’s story Sharm (Shame), this intersection is not merely depicted—it is dissected, exposing the collapse of human dignity under the combined weight of economic destitution and institutional brutality. The narrative demonstrates how morality itself becomes a privilege of the secure, while the poor are stripped of even the right to feel shame. What emerges is a devastating portrait of survival, where the common man is crushed between the twin predators of police and dacoits, and where society itself becomes complicit in eroding the humanity of its weakest members.