Namdeo Dhasal (1949-2014) was not important just because he happened to be Dalit, or because he was a Marathi poet. He was, arguably, one of the major world poets of the Twentieth century.
What is it that makes Namdeo a wonderful human being and an outstanding poet by any standards?
Bereaved --and bereft of Nirmal, I am bewildered, almost like a philosopher facing the obvious ... Thank you, Nirmal, for making me an intimate witness. Now I will recall even my quarrels with you with a tinge of wistfulness.
The armed bodyguard posted at my door since January 7, 2004 was finally taken off by the government of Maharashtra after three months. I had not asked for this protection...
Cricket sublimates, despite being a very mean game most of the time; and the same applies to democracy. Will our elections be cricket? And who will be the third umpire and the match referee this time?
Don't we owe a tribute--before we cast our votes--to 'parivar's and 'samghatana's, 'sena's and 'brigades' that assiduously work towards keeping our 'sentiments' alive? Must we not laud their cadres and storm-troopers for their sentimental zeal?
... and how he landed miniature painter Shrikant Pradhan in trouble with the Maratha Seva Sangh and the Pune Police.
What we have at stake in the floundering career of our Republic is the plural character of our polity pitted against a conformism imposed from above, i.e. by an elite conspiring and conniving to rule the vast mass of population.
Is Maharashtra's Home Minister declaring another Emergency of his own during this pre-election period? Will champions of civil liberties remain articulately silent and silently articulate in the face of this clear and present danger to democracy itse
This is the first time in my life that I am sitting down to write an article while a commando sits in my living room to protect me from possible assailants. <a href=pti_coverage.asp?gid=47 target=_blank> News Updates. </a>
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