Book review: Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire Author: Alex von Tunzelmann Henry Holt & Company 401 pp Released: 2007 Alex Von Tunzelmann, a British scholar in her path breaking book Indian summer, the secret history of the end of an empire is
READ MOREIndia’s commitment to non-alignment and reluctance to join the Western bloc made its relations with the United States (US) fragile and ambiguous. Suspicions, political mind-sets and mistaken ideologies are residues of the cold war period that further increased the hollowness of this relationship. On the other hand, New Delhi always struggled with the challenges of
READ MOREPakistan to all intents and purposes, was indeed carved out on the underpinnings of religion from its womb called Hindustan in which Islam was said to play a unifying role. But Pakistan that emerged has been ethnically and linguistically an amalgam of complex states. Pashtun’s and Punjabi’s are scattered along length and breadth of country
READ MOREWhy should the US claim that India is its friend and partner in South Asia and yet initiate processes that are not India-friendly, particularly when other friends and allies of the kind from the West on the one hand, and East and South-East Asia on the other, have experienced an entirely different American treatment all
READ MOREThe Supreme Court of India, some time ago, appointed a three-member Commission led by Justice Santosh Hegde to look into the problem of extrajudicial executions in Manipur. The Commission did not include a single woman despite the fact that violence against women by the state machinery is a significant problem in Manipur. The “Extrajudicial Execution
READ MOREMyanmar, earlier known as Burma, was a Buddhist kingdom until 1885 when the Burmese were defeated by the British-Indian troops. Burma was ruled as a province of British India until 1937 when it was given the status of a state under the British crown. Britain granted independence to Burma in 1948. The country has an
READ MOREPeace is not just the absence of war. Peace is the pervasive presence of justice and respect for the universal values of human liberty, dignity and mutual tolerance in a society. A historical background The tiny teardrop-shaped island once called Ceylon, washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean and carpeted by undulating swathes of
READ MOREKarachi – once a vibrant metropolis – is the largest city of Pakistan and home to more than 23.5 million people. The city has an area of 3,527 square kilometers, and is known as the commercial capital of the country. The cosmopolitan city boasts 68% of the revenue share of the country in various sectors.
READ MOREYe daagh daagh ujaalaa, ye shab-gaziida sahar, Vo intizaar tha jiska, ye vo sahar to nahin, Yeh woh sahar to nahi jiski aarzoo lekar Chale the yaar ke mil jayegi kahin na kahin – Faiz Ahmad Faiz This stain-covered daybreak, this night-bitten dawn This is not that dawn of which there was expectation This is
READ MOREThere has been much debate recently and it is among those everlasting historical debates that become victims of twisted discourse and are then molded to fit into biased narratives. The debate now is the one about the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The recent change of nomenclature of an important road hitherto named as “Aurangzeb Road” in
READ MOREEuropean integration is an example of the consolidation of ethnic diversity under one roof. This consolidation was not done on the cast of extinction or humiliation of one group and promotion of other, but a guarantee of respectful and dignified life of individuals as well as existence of different groups. On the other hand, the
READ MOREBook Review: Bangladesh Maritime History by Ghulam M. Suhrawardi. The publication of this book fills a void in a section of Bangladesh’s multifaceted commercial and social history. Without improvement of maritime transport, it can be assuredly stated, trade and indeed civilizations in various regions of the world would not have developed. This book, in effect,
READ MOREThe problem of growing intolerance in India was discussed in the Parliament in this Winter Session as a pressing national concern that tampered with the fabric of peaceful co-existence, which is a vital determining characteristic of the Indian state. In modern Indian politics, the word ‘intolerance’ can be construed as an umbrella term that encompasses
READ MORERomance scored an undeniable victory over reality as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi left Bangladesh on June 7 with his mission amply fulfilled so far as India was concerned. However, on the other hand, the captivating siren notes of engaging friendship and high hopes threatened to subside into whimpering hopelessness for Bangladesh in the
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