Counterview

By NS Venkataraman*  Observers of India, both domestic and international, often note the nation’s deep political divisions and contentious debates. Media coverage, particularly in India and parts of the West, frequently focuses on political confrontations and inflammatory statements by politicians, overshadowing significant developments in economic, industrial, social, and cultural domains. This disproportionate focus contributes to a skewed perception of the country's progress, despite substantial advancements occurring across various sectors.

By Bharat Dogra*  In a hamlet of Mahuari village, in Hussainabad block, several woman had collected around a small contractor who had been assigned the work for constructing several toilets in their village (located in Palamau district of Jharkhand). They had heard complaints that the toilets were being constructed in a very hurried and poor way. They knew what poor construction meant, as they had seen elsewhere—the toilet work was declared to be completed but the toilet could not be used or its use lasted for only a short time.

By Harsh Thakor*  James Baldwin stands as a towering figure in the struggle against racism and the fight for the emancipation of Black people. Born on August 2, 1924, amidst the rising tide of racial injustice in America, Baldwin’s life and work remain a beacon of hope and defiance. As the world celebrates his birth centenary year, Baldwin continues to inspire as a global symbol in the battle for justice, a literary genius, and one of the most profound voices of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

By A Representative  Sustainable urban development was in focus on the latest episode of the "What India Needs!" podcast. Dr TV Ramachandra, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Science and an authority on environmental sustainability, joined media entrepreneur and author Shutapa Paul to discuss the pressing issues related to industrialisation, its impact on India's green cover, and the urgent need for sustainable urban planning and resilient systems to combat climate change.

Counterview Desk  JNUTA statement on 'continuing brazenness of the JNU administration':  *** The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) notes that the Honourable High Court of Delhi, in an order dated 10.12.2024 on the contempt petition CONT.CAS(C) 626/2024, has observed that, in its prima facie view, JNU has violated the Court’s order dated 26.08.2019 in W.P.(C) 9185/2019. This matter pertains to the appointment of Chairpersons without adhering to the principle of rotation in the order of seniority. Accordingly, the Court has issued a notice to the University to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated.

By A Representative  The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has issued a strong condemnation of recent raids conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the residences of labor rights, student rights, and anti-displacement activists across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. The raids took place early on the morning of December 20, reportedly targeting individuals associated with trade unions and social justice movements.

By Rajiv Shah  An interesting feature I noticed during my recent visit to restaurants in the United States was the prevalent culture of tipping. While tipping is common in India too, especially in restaurants, hotels, and other service sectors, one rarely finds an open display explicitly welcoming tips. This is quite unlike the United States, where boards or signs encouraging tipping are often prominently displayed.

By Harsh Thakor*  Nishtha Jain’s documentary Farming the Revolution provides a compelling portrayal of the historic farmers’ movement in India, chronicling the 16-month-long protest against the Modi government’s contentious agricultural laws. The film captures the scale and resilience of the movement, during which thousands of farmers, predominantly from Punjab and Haryana, occupied highways and state borders to oppose laws they viewed as threats to their livelihoods.

By Aishwarya Singhal  A century ago, fish populations consisted of larger, longer-living species that contributed significantly to marine ecosystems through predation and resilience against environmental changes, such as marine heatwaves. Today, however, the number of these large fish has sharply decreased, affecting not only fish populations and marine ecosystems but also global food security.

By Nava Thakuria*  Curtain came down for the second Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival 2024 on Sunday evening at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra premises of  Guwahati in northeast India. The closing ceremony also witnessed the presentation of Pragjyotishpur LitFest literature awards to veteran Nepali writer Bidyapati Dahal and Suprakash Bhuyan (promising writer’s category) in gracious presence of  learned academician Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury with many others. Dahal, a Sanskrit scholar who has immensely contributed to Nepali and Hindi literature, expressed his gratitude to the organizing committee for the honour and commented that it has given him the motivation to create more literary works in the coming days. On the other hand, Bhuyan who is a thought-provoking story writer regularly contributing for prominent Assamese literary magazines like  Prakash, Gariyoshi, Prantik, Satsori, etc stated that the award has made him more responsible to his literary act...