Doubts like whether we are inherently communal as a people, and all this talk of unity in diversity, anekta mein ekta, taught to us in civics classes in school are just a veneer we put on, just like the algebra and the periodic table we learnt and forgot as our skins thickened. Whether the idea of secularism drilled into us by the freedom fighters, our forefathers, and our Constitution is just an artificial construct which started to develop cracks after being forced to stand on a shaky foundation for over 70 years. Questions arose in the mind about whether the insistence that we are a peace-loving, democracy-cherishing people is only for podium speeches and seminar lectures, when in reality we long for an authoritarian regime bent upon making us all ‘One’. Whether deep down we feel press freedom and human rights violations be damned as long as direct benefit transfer and the stock market are chugging along nicely.
Denne historien er fra June 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra June 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee