ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

ColonialismSubscribe to Colonialism

The Politics of Sedition

Sedition laws need to be viewed in light of their political, and not merely legal, uses and abuses.

In Search of a Knowledge Society

Making India Great Again: Learning from Our History by Meeta and Rajivlochan, New Delhi: Manohar, 2020; pp 299, `1,495 (hardcover).

Inner Contradictions of a Hindu Nationalist

Competing Nationalisms: The Sacred and Political Life of Jagat Narain Lal by Rajshree Chandra, New Delhi: Penguin, 2021; pp xxv + 211, `599.

a ghazal in english

rain is a step away from pain in english
look, i have lost my thoughts again in english

through the soft air of that last poetry class
she asked me to write a refrain in english

‘Study Farsi and Sell Oil’

Focusing on two texts—Ismat Chughtai’s “Dust of the Caravan” and Ashapurna Devi’s The First Promise (Prothom Protishruti in Bengali)—this article studies the mechanism and consequences of Farsi’s loss of administrative signifi cance, consequent interiorisation and “feminisation”—the shift from a masculine to a feminine accomplishment—in light of the 19th-century discourses of home and abroad.

Gandhi and the Development of Public Health Infrastructure in Interwar Bombay

The fight for independence from the colonial yoke gained momentum in the early 20th century. Anti-colonial sentiment reached its peak in the interwar period as a result of the mass movements initiated by Gandhi, and his ideas of “non-violence,” ‘boycott’ and ‘swadeshi’ had a significant impact on the minds of the native population. This essay examines the impact of Gandhian ideology on the development of public health infrastructure in Bombay city during the interwar period. It highlights the contribution of the medical professionals and students in Bombay, challenging the colonial authorities and constructing a national identity through the lens of public health infrastructure.

Seeking Political Alternative: Perspectives on Peasants Activism in Ambedkar’s Newspaper Janata

This paper will focus on the anti-Khoti peasant agitations held in rural Konkan by consulting Ambedkar’s newspaper Janata. Through the writings of Janata, we get a clearer picture of how political activism in Konkan in the 1930s was conducted under Ambedkar’s leadership. Janata thus highlights and marks the peculiarities of anti-caste peasant activism. It also demonstrates how Ambedkar’s ideas and activism influenced the Dalit self and were simultaneously influenced by the interlocutors within and outside the Dalit community. This paper will also focus on the fascinating developments in organised Dalit politics of the 1930s. Janata’s writings mainly help track the strengths and weaknesses of Dalit radicalism in Konkan.

Currying Coloniality

Mirch Masala’s invocation of M K Gandhi celebrates independence from an external colonial state while also manufacturing consent for the modernising initiatives undertaken by the postcolonial state.

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