Shuddhshar always strives to finding new ways to satiate the intellectual appetite of its readers. Towards that end, we have added an Op-Ed section—the latest addition to Shuddhashar’s repository of intellectual tools. We aim to build a constellation of columnists from diverse backgrounds who would, from their unique perspectives, produce commentaries on contemporary sociopolitical issues and events that demand rigorous scrutiny, constructive criticism, and sober reflections. We also encourage our readers, especially those who live under the yoke of a repressive state apparatus, to use this platform to speak truth to power by penning columns and engaging in lively discussions in the comments section.
As the next general elections draw near, Bangladesh’s ruling party and its opponents once again find themselves on a collision course. What consequences could outside intervention have under the circumstances?
In international politics, condemnation is as much about decoupling the truth from its context as it is about demanding justice and channelling solidarity.
The long-simmering ethnic tensions in Manipur have recently erupted into deadly clashes. There is, however, no clear path forward towards peaceful co-existence.
Can Suvendu Adhikari outshine Mamata Banerjee’s heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee and become the next dominant figure in West Bengal politics?
Erdogan secured another election victory by posing as the nation’s protector. His win, however, bodes ill for democracy and human rights around the world.
A whistleblower makes a bombshell claim that the United States and its adversaries are running secret programmes to retrieve and back-engineer vehicles of non-human origin. Is he telling the truth?
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s electoral victory in May 2023 bears witness to several features about contemporary strongman leaders in the non-western world – among others, Narendra Modi in India, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. First, they are popular. Second, their popularity, at least in large part, builds on the successful manipulation …
Pakistan has plunged into unprecedented and deadly political chaos following the dramatic arrest of the former Prime Minister and Chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) party. Imran Khan, for now, is free, but what future awaits him? Given Pakistan’s volatile situation, it is pertinent to offer some likely scenarios that might unfold in the coming …
Regardless of how we judge the variety of political actors in India and Pakistan, it should not pass under the radar that the governments in two of the most populous states in Asia are currently in differing ways trying to imprison and/or disqualify the most important opposition leaders ahead of the forthcoming elections in 2023 …
They have turned even policy failures such as the infamous demonetisation into political capital, while policy moves such as the aberration of Kashmir’s special status are popular way beyond the usual suspects of BJP supporters. Despite everything, BJP is still India’s largest political party, a juggernaut that will take the joint strength of all its …
Unpacking the Karnataka election: Key takeaways and the road ahead Read More »
As a nationalist doctrine and movement, Hindu nationalism — or Hindutva — grew in parallel with the portrayal and solidification of Hinduism as a single, coherent, organised religious system. The former informed the construction of the latter, and a selective interpretation of the latter undergirded the former.1 In contrast with Nehruvian secularism, which is grounded …
