A+| A| A-
‘The Drought’
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s short story “Mahesh” reads almost like a presage to the problems faced by the disenfranchised today.
A rise in communal tensions and religious divisiveness has gripped India, with a bevy of violent clashes and processions maligning the celebrations of major festivals in recent months. Religious tensions boiled over in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, which saw a huge uprising of vigilante groups demolishing houses, causing great damage to public property, and disrupting public order.
In the continuing battle with COVID-19, this disturbing trend has disproportionately affected marginalised and disenfranchised communities who bear the brunt of not only the political but also the economic repercussions of such tensions. While caste and communal disharmony have been recurring issues in our diverse nation, the upsurge in communal tensions has bucked the trend of political polarisation globally. As political schisms increase against the backdrop of rising polarisation, the problems of the disenfranchised communities loom even larger in modern democracies.
Dear Reader,
Or
To gain instant access to this article (download).
(Readers in India)
(Readers outside India)
