IN the rich tapestry of world literature, carols, hymns, and lullabies occupy a place of pride. Lewis Carroll evolved his nonsense rhymes as a distinct tradition to add sarcasm to the repertoire of this genre. In our own country, Sukumar Ray, an exceptionally talented cultural personality and father of the film maestro, Satyajit Ray, made a distinctive contribution to this tradition through his own nonsense rhymes. One of his rhymes spoke out to power with biting sarcasm. The sharp piece brought out the poser, why are the rulers afraid of laughter?

AS part of its ambitious plan to develop ‘100 Model Villages across Tamil Nadu’, the Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF) and MALAR has been spearheading a series of grassroots interventions that merge scientific thinking with community development. The Science Festival at Thirunanthikarai is one of the most vibrant expressions of this vision — a living demonstration of how rationality, collective effort, and scientific temper can reshape rural life from the ground up.

SIX communities of Assam — Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia and the tea-tribes/Adivasi — have been agitating for decades for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The Koch Rajbongshi movement assumed an organised political form as early as 1968–69, and has continued for nearly six decades. The demands of Moran and Matak communities are even older, going back to 1947.

IT is a well-known fact that contemporary “mainstream” economics, the only kind which is taught to students over much of the world, does not capture the reality of capitalism. What is less recognized is that this “mainstream” economics, not just in its existing incarnations, but no matter what new incarnations it assumes, is incapable of capturing the reality of capitalism. Let us see why.

The BJP’s anti-farmer face always gets exposed despite its numerous farmer-friendly announcements, advertisements, and claims. This time, the BJP’s mask has been removed by power companies. An order was issued stating that if electricity is supplied to farmers for even one minute longer than 10 hours, the salary of the supplier employee will be deducted. The order was clear that if the supply exceeds 10 hours a day, the operator’s salary will be deducted. If electricity is supplied for more than 10 hours for more than two days, the junior engineer’s salary will be deducted.