Hardnews - March 2018

In this issue

The cover of Hardnews Magazine's March issue looks at the shifting geopolitics of South Asia. As India re-evaluates its stance and toes a new line on China, a detailed story reflects on why New Delhi must pause to reflect on the possible outcome.

The Business Of Encounters

The UP police claim that it has seized over ₹146 crore from ‘gangsters’ in the state in a matter of 11 months deserves closer scrutiny as allegations mount of arbitrariness in seizing properties

4 mins

Inside The Zu-pta Web Of Corruption

A closer look into the Gupta family’s network in India may open a Pandora’s box

3 mins

Cases 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000: What Is Happening To Netanyahu

Everything you need to know about the cases against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

6 mins

India's Botched-up Id Project

The SC verdict in the ongoing case to ascertain the constitutional validity of Aadhaar will have far-reaching consequences

4 mins

An Agricultural Emergency

The Long March from Nashik to Mumbai not only presented a snapshot of the crisis that engulfs the agriculture sector but also proved yet again  the futility of farm loan waiver

4 mins

Indian Women Grow Their Own Future

Associations of women farmers who manage, and may own, family land and grow food rather than cash crops, are changing parts of India and earning new respect

7 mins

Riding On China, Maldives Challenges India

India’s failure to counter China’s enlargement in South Asia does not bode well for its neighbourhood policy

5 mins

The End Of Darkness Is Nigh

I’VE STARTED FEELING cheerful again.

3 mins

What Are You Going To Do, Mrs Graham?

IMAGINE THIS SCENE. There is a reporter sitting in the first class section of a plane, and he has a box of papers secured by a seat belt in the seat next to him, which he has bought an extra ticket for. 

4 mins

A 'Softer' Islam, For A Moderate Modi

DESPITE BEING UNDERRATED and under editorialised by the Indian media, there is nothing that anyone can really take away from the importance of the event organised by the Indian Islamic and Cultural Centre (IICC) to provide a forum for the visiting King of Jordan, His Majesty, King Abdullah II, to expound his views on the moderate nature of Islam and the imperative to fight radical Islam.

3 mins

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Hardnews Magazine Description:

Eight years ago, Hardnews was conceived as a reaction to the dumbing down that was taking place in the mainstream media. Newspapers, magazines and television were celebrating trivia and giving precedence to lifestyle and fluff. It was (and continues to be) a phase of terrible political and social decline, with stunning mediocrity and celebrity success replacing aesthetic refinements, deeper intellectual pursuits and cultural high points. The big picture had become shallow and metro-centric. Hence the urge and need for hard news.

Hardnews had no pretensions to compete with what was called the “jute press” of the yore or the new money that is showing up in scores of TV channels or media outlets, since it does not have the funds to match their reach. Unmindful of its obvious limitations, it has, however, tried to give expression to old-fashioned public-spirited journalism that is angry, adversarial and irreverent. Search of truth is the lodestar for us, even if at times it is seen as unpopular and controversial.

Hardnews believes that tough, unsparing oversight of the government and other political and economic power centres is critical for the deepening of democracy. It believes fervently in giving ‘mainstream’ space and voice to those people who are shouted down, who constitute the silent scaffolding of the pluralist, secular Indian ethos at the vast margins.

Hardnews is entirely owned and run by media professionals and has no support of a corporate house or a political party. Central to its existence is the search to find ways and means to sustain an independent media in these difficult times.

Hardnews magazine and its new website are put together by media professionals who are conscious of smart design elements, responsible, original and quality writing. Many reckon it is one of the best-designed magazines in the country.

We have had a galaxy of eminent writers, including Indian, South Asian and western academics, policy-experts and seasoned journalists. In the coming days, we hope to network with a global network of veteran and new, old and young writers, journalists, thinkers, academics,artists and activists and others who are fighting injustice at different levels. It will explore new, in-depth intellectual limits, and push the threshold beyond the comfort zones of political, social and cultural conformity — stuff that no one wants to touch.

Hardnews is the South Asian partner of Le Monde Diplomatique, Paris and Newsline Magazine, Pakistan