Counterview

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ  The editorial of the latest issue of the Economic and Political Weekly (Vol. 61, No. 22, 30 May 2026) carries a compelling and incisive title: “The Great Nicobar Project: A Holistic Folly.” Its central argument is unequivocal: the project's claims of strategic significance are questionable, while the environmental damage it will inflict is certain.

By A Representative  Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) organized a national conference on occupational and environmental health at Gandhi Bhavan in Bhopal on World Environment Day, bringing together representatives of labour organizations, public health experts, environmental activists, and community members from across the country to discuss pressing concerns related to workers’ health, environmental degradation, climate change, and public health. Participants from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan attended the conference, which featured four thematic sessions on occupational health, environmental health, climate change, and water and global warming. The conference stressed that occupational health and safety continue to be major public health concerns in India, particularly for workers employed in industries, mining, construction, domestic work, and other informal s...

By Raqif Makhdoomi*  "I want to burst like a cloudburst," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked on 6 May, a few days before Eid. The statement generated considerable speculation, with many wondering whether it signaled a major political move. However, given the experience of the past two years, many people concluded that it was likely to remain just another statement rather than a precursor to decisive action.

By A Representative   More than 200 prominent Adivasi-Mulvasi leaders, academics, activists, representatives of mass organizations and traditional self-governance bodies have jointly appealed to the people of Jharkhand to observe June 9, the martyrdom day of tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda, by commemorating his struggles, culture and the historic Ulgulan movement across the state.

By Harsh Thakor*  Neville Cardus was one of the most remarkable literary figures of the twentieth century. A prolific English writer and critic, he achieved distinction in two vastly different fields: cricket and classical music. Entirely self-taught, Cardus rose from humble beginnings to become both the cricket correspondent and chief music critic of The Manchester Guardian . His achievements in these contrasting disciplines earned him widespread acclaim and established him as one of the foremost critics of his generation. In February 2025, the cricketing and literary world marked the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which occurred in February 1975.

By A Representative   The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has strongly condemned the Supreme Court's May 27, 2026 judgment in the case of Association of Democratic Rights vs Election Commission of India, describing it as a landmark setback to political equality and democratic rights in India. In a statement, PUCL President Kavita Srivastava and General Secretary V. Suresh alleged that the ruling effectively legitimises what they termed a "mass disenfranchisement exercise" carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls.

By Gajanan Khergamker  On June 3, 2026, a fire ripped through Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. At least 21 people died, most of them foreign nationals from Nigeria, Mozambique, Liberia, and Bangladesh. Over 40 were rescued. Many victims were medical tourists or attendants of patients at Max Super Specialty Hospital nearby.  

By Vikas Meshram   George Matthew Fernandes occupies a distinctive place in the history of Indian politics. Over a public career spanning more than five decades, he emerged as a trade union leader, socialist activist, parliamentarian, and Union minister. His political journey traversed ideological battles, mass movements, coalition politics, and some of the most consequential moments in post-Independence India. Whether admired for his role in labour struggles and resistance to the Emergency or debated for his later political choices and controversies, Fernandes remains one of the most significant political figures of his generation.

By A Representative   For millions of women who menstruate every month, the simple act of bleeding has become a battleground for fundamental human rights. From refugee camps in war-torn regions to informal settlements hit by climate disasters, menstruators face discrimination that activists say goes far deeper than access to pads. Radha Paudel , a nurse and activist from Nepal who founded the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation , argues that dignified menstruation is not merely about hygiene products but about the very rights that define humanity. "Dignified menstruation is rooted in right to dignity, right to freedom, right to equality and right to non-discrimination," she said.  "It means no matter whether menstruating persons are in the evacuation camp or refugee camp or camps for the war-affected population, or any climate or manmade disaster relief camps, we need to prioritise the needs and priorities of menstruators." Paudel challenges what she ...

By Ravi Ranjan*  In an age that has perfected the art of communication while steadily eroding the possibility of genuine encounter, poetry becomes something more than aesthetic exercise—it becomes a moral and existential necessity. The irony of modern times is unmistakable: despite unprecedented connectivity, human beings have grown more lonely, more spiritually fragmented, more incapable of true dialogue than ever before. Voices have multiplied; listening has declined. Presences have grown; real presence has blurred.

By  Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava  Looking from afar, from a region unaffected by the immediate crisis, it almost seemed strategic to use water cannons against protesters in the midst of the shocking water crisis in Indore, India's cleanest city. For the police, deploying water cannons may have felt like a subtle way of delivering water, since they are not directly responsible for water management. For the protesters, it may have felt like receiving water—at least temporarily—to quench thirst, bathe, drink, or wash clothes. Through the water cannons, there was, after all, some water. This may seem better than having none at all.

By Palla Trinadha Rao   The debate over whether India's tribal communities should be regarded as Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, or followers of distinct indigenous religions has re-emerged in recent years. The issue has gained prominence in discussions on census enumeration, cultural identity, constitutional recognition, and the growing demand for the delisting of Christian tribal communities from the Scheduled Tribe category.

By A Representative   Fifteen citizens associated with the Ahmedabad Rationalist Association have submitted a representation to Gujarat’s Director General of Police (DGP), the Rajkot Police Commissioner, and the Rajkot Rural Superintendent of Police, demanding preventive action against alleged “miracle demonstrations” by preacher Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, popularly known as Baba Bageshwar, during his scheduled visit to Rajkot from June 5 to 7.

By Citan Pertin   The recent controversy surrounding the application of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the Mising community in Arunachal Pradesh has exposed a troubling contradiction at the heart of contemporary politics in Northeast India. In the name of protecting indigenous identity, certain sections of the ongoing ILP movement have begun treating the Mising people as outsiders to a region with which they share centuries of historical, cultural, and ancestral ties. 

By Himadri Priya   The recent controversy surrounding the application of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the Mising community has become one of the most emotionally charged political debates in Arunachal Pradesh . Much of the criticism directed at the state's position portrays Arunachal Pradesh as unfairly treating a culturally related community as outsiders. Yet, when viewed through the lens of Arunachal Pradesh's historical experience and political realities, its insistence on maintaining the integrity of the ILP system appears not only understandable but, in the eyes of many, necessary for the long-term preservation of its indigenous tribal character.

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur  India is currently in the grip of intense heat waves, with most of its cities experiencing exceptionally high temperatures. According to global air quality and temperature data, 97 of the world's 100 hottest cities on May 22, 2026, and all of the 100 hottest cities on May 23 were located in India. Maximum temperatures in these cities ranged between 44°C and 48°C. The scale and intensity of this heat underline a growing environmental crisis that can no longer be ignored.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat    A video of a group of Indian tourists, reportedly from Gujarat, performing Garba on the airport tarmac in Vietnam has gone viral on social media. The group, consisting of men and women, was seen dancing in front of their aircraft, making considerable noise, ignoring instructions from airport staff, and disrupting the boarding process for other passengers. The incident triggered widespread criticism online. Many viewers expressed outrage and began recalling similar episodes in which Indian tourists have displayed a disregard for local norms, civic behaviour, and public etiquette while travelling abroad.

By Jag Jivan    A massive gathering in the national capital last month has thrust a long-simmering political demand into the mainstream — the removal of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status from tribal individuals who convert to Christianity or Islam. The development has set off alarm bells across Northeast India , where tribal identity, religion, land, and political autonomy are inseparably intertwined.

By A Representative   A People's Tribunal on Violence Against Christians in India, organized by Karwan-e-Mohabbat and a collective of concerned citizens, heard testimonies from survivors, community representatives, researchers, lawyers, and human rights defenders regarding alleged violence and discrimination against Christians in several states. The tribunal was held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on June 1.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   Universities and institutions of higher learning are meant to be spaces where secular, scientific, and critical ideas flourish. Their purpose extends beyond the mere dissemination of information; they are sites for the creation of knowledge, where dominant ideas, entrenched power structures, and inherited intellectual traditions are continuously questioned and re-examined. Through the democratization and decolonization of knowledge , universities deepen democratic values and strengthen resistance to authoritarian tendencies. By combating ignorance and fostering critical inquiry, they contribute to social progress and the struggle against exploitation and discrimination.

By Bharat Dogra  While many war films have been made, there are not many that can be called truly anti-war —films that focus on the essentially tragic nature of most wars and the importance for all humanity of trying to avoid them. Such films can play an important role in promoting peace and disarmament.

By Harsh Thakor*  On June 1, 2026, the world marked the centenary of the birth of Marilyn Monroe , one of the most iconic figures in the history of cinema. The occasion has been commemorated by institutions such as the British Film Institute and the National Portrait Gallery , prompting renewed reflection on the life and legacy of a woman who was far more complex than the glamorous image that Hollywood projected. For much of the mainstream media and the general public, Monroe has long been remembered as the archetypal "dumb blonde" and a glamorous sex symbol. Yet this image concealed a very different reality. Marilyn Monroe was neither a natural blonde nor intellectually shallow. Behind the carefully crafted Hollywood persona stood a politically conscious woman of considerable intelligence, sharp wit and strong convictions. She challenged many of the social and cultural structures that sought to confine her and helped redefine what female stardom could mean in mo...

By Rajkumar Sinha*  Several Gram Sabhas have taken independent decisions regarding the collection, storage, and sale of tendu leaves . With the role of middlemen diminishing, the wage benefits are now reaching tribal families directly. This is a constructive example of economic self-reliance.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  The history of organised terrorist violence has deep roots. The Sicarii and Zealots conducted the first recorded organised campaign of political violence against Roman occupation of Judaea during the 1st century CE. Historical accounts suggest that Roman governor Antonius Felix also used members of this group to eliminate political opponents, including Jonathan, the Jewish High Priest. Contemporary analysts have noted that certain Zionist movements draw ideological inspiration from the Sicarii and Zealots, while critics argue that ongoing conflict in the Middle East serves the commercial interests of the defence industry and facilitates access to regional natural resources.

By A Representative   India’s real estate sector will require nearly Rs 50 lakh crore in capital over the next decade to support its transformation into a $1 trillion industry by 2030, but smaller cities and regional developers continue to face severe financing constraints despite growing housing demand, according to a new report prepared by the real estate consultants  Anarock , " India’s Real Estate Finance Transformation ."

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  On May 26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 12 years in office, marking one of the most consequential and debated political tenures in contemporary India. While supporters celebrated the occasion as a milestone in India’s rise under strong leadership, critics described the period as one marked by economic disruptions, rising inequality, institutional weakening, and an increasingly perception-driven style of governance.

​By Harsh Thakor*  The Maoist insurgency in India is arguably at its weakest point since the formation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2004. Years of sustained counterinsurgency operations, leadership losses, shrinking territorial influence, declining recruitment, and growing technological advantages enjoyed by the state have significantly eroded the movement's operational capabilities. 

By Ravi Ranjan*  Kumar Vikal (1935–1997) occupies a distinctive place in modern Hindi poetry. Emerging during the 'Anti-Poetry' (Akavita) movement, he refused to treat poetry as a private aesthetic exercise. Instead, he pulled it toward social reality, ideological restlessness, and human struggle. His major collections—Ek Choti-si Larai (1980), Rang Khatre Mein Hai (1987), and Nirupama Dutt Main Bahut Udas (1993)—reveal a poet constantly engaged in dialogue with India's changing political landscape. Within deceptively simple language, Vikal embeds deep ideological tensions and sharp critical perspectives.

By Palla Trinadha Rao  In recent years, digital governance has become central to public administration in India. Governments increasingly rely on Management Information Systems (MIS), geo-tagging , mobile applications, online attendance systems, Artificial Intelligence-based monitoring , and digital reporting platforms to improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

By A Representative   A 15-year-old boy from Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh has been rescued and reunited with his family following the intervention of child protection authorities and local administration, according to a statement issued by Legal Defence for Human Rights (LDHR).

By Ram Puniyani  The Bharatiya Janata Party’s rise to power in West Bengal, amid allegations of electoral manipulation and institutional silence, has generated deep anxiety among the state’s Muslim minority. Reports of detention centres being planned in districts for alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators, alongside symbolic assertions of majoritarian politics, have further sharpened fears among vulnerable communities.

By Dr. Prem Singh*  Despite centuries of reformist efforts, from Gandhi and Ambedkar to contemporary activists, the caste system remains deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. One of the primary reasons for this persistence is the religious sanction provided by Brahminical scriptures, which have shaped not only social structures but also cultural and artistic expressions.

By Vikas Meshram   Banswara , located at the southernmost tip of Rajasthan , is home to Ghatol block's Delwara Lokiya gram panchayat. In the village of Mahuwal, which falls under this panchayat, lives Baksu Bhai, an ordinary farmer. His family of six includes himself, his wife, and their children. For their livelihood, they have four bighas of agricultural land and a small grocery shop in the village. Together, these two sources of income could barely meet the family's basic needs. The farming depended on the seasons and the rains, and the shop was constrained by the village's limited purchasing power.

By Ravi Ranjan *    When we examine the constructed frameworks of history, power, and society, we find that the entire civilisational journey of humanity has been shaped by the narratives of victors. In this dominant discourse, "success" has been accepted as the supreme goal and the only truth of life. Behind this relentless pursuit, the purity of means, moral backbone, and fundamental human dignity have repeatedly been sacrificed. In our contemporary post-capitalist and market-driven age, this crisis has deepened further, where a cruel, mechanical, and consumerist standard of success is actively devouring humanity.

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...