TRICKY POLITRICKS

  For the last eight years, India has been experiencing high octane politics. Since 2014 the political discourse has been dominated by a single ideology of polarisation. While the ruling side has been unapologetic about its practices, the opposition has failed miserably to convince people of the consequences of the authoritarian practices. However, the issue arises with the silence of the majority despite the process of marginalisation not only being executed in open but rather showcased. As a citizen of democratic India, not many can stay without scratching their heads and questioning ‘where did we go wrong’? The answer, to the surprise of many, is nowhere. Every now and then, authoritarian right-wing strongmen, in other words, tyrants get support from their citizens, all thanks to the mistakes of their so-called liberal opposers. In this article, we will be looking at those mistakes, the sex appeal offered by strongmen and tyrants and the conditions that make people turn against ...

  India has been high on tensions among various communities for decades. Millennials in the country must have witnessed communal riots and religious extremism of kinds that might seem implausible for a country otherwise known for its unity in diversity. But as it is a saying in the film industry, the show must go on, as entertainment is a must for the industry. Appallingly, it is not very different in politics. The recent spectacle presented in the state of Karnataka is nothing but politics of hate being presented with one novel masala. As outrageous as this juxtaposition between the ongoing row and entertainment might seem to many people out there, the fact is that religious fanaticism and hatred are entering innocent classrooms in Karnataka. Call me biassed, but the idea of religiously charged teenagers sounds much more outrageous to me than mere rhetoric.  It’s patriarchs vs patriarchs The ongoing Hijab row, as it is being called by the media, is cluttered in itself. Genera...

  As Russian personnel and tanks marched into Ukraine on February 24, the world order was not only shaken but devastated. Kremlin’s steps have dissembled what the west called Pax Americana. Laying the foundation of a new era that, apparently, will be led and established by strongmen vouching for ‘traditionalism’ and hard power, in many ways, taking us back to the pre World War II era. The unravelling of events in Europe is a reality check reminding us that we live in the real world with dynamic situations in which geopolitics has come to assert itself. The protection that was guaranteed by globalization and alliance building might not be able to afford security for us. With the dawn of the multipolar order and the rise of China, the hegemony of the United States is coming to an end. This opens the door for other powers to create their own sphere of influence and exercise restraint against smaller countries. As the geopolitical order is churning, we will look at the path which took ...

  As the results of assembly elections in the states of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh have been out with the BJP bagging four of the five states and the Aam Aadmi Party forming the government with a record-breaking majority in Punjab, some tropes are bound to follow with the not so surprising results. Formation of a committee by Sonia Gandhi to scrutinize the reasons for the demeaning defeat, primetime shows with absurdly creative headlines discussing for the billionth time how the Modi-Shah duo is unbeatable and the usual frustration and agony of the minorities still looking for a viable option to stand against the BJP juggernaut. By now even the political pundits of tea stalls would have started getting bored with the no masala elections being delivered by the political dispensation. Courtesy: Onmanorama Though, these election results were pretty soothing for the channels banking on their exit polls to be the most accurate, for a political nerd what lies in t...