Argentinian Retirees Continue Their Fight for Dignity

Pablo Meriguet |

Every Wednesday, dozens of retirees go out to protest the economic policies of Javier Milei’s government, which has opted for repression against the elderly.

For several months now, Argentine retirees have continued a young anti-neoliberal political tradition in Argentina: they have been demonstrating in front of the National Congress every Wednesday against the economic policies of Milei’s project, which have greatly impacted their lives.

The recent tradition dates to the 1990s, during which several retirees came out on Wednesdays to demand pension increases during the neoliberal government of Carlos Menem, who froze pensions. Now, this time around in their protests against Milei, new sectors have joined the demonstrations: soccer fans, children of retirees, students, etc.

Repression against retirees

It seems that the government in turn, is inaugurating its own sad political tradition: repressing the elderly who demand a more dignified life. Last May 14, the forces of law and order organized an operation with dozens of vehicles and once again violently repressed the retirees who were marching around the Congress, just like the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Social media shows how the police repressed the elderly, which has caused much indignation among the Argentine population. It has been reported that at least four protesters were arrested after clashes with the police.

One of the protesters rebuked a policeman: “You think you are big and you are going to beat me. You are beating us.” Another protester said: “[The police] take us to the sidewalk, and there they throw pepper spray at us. Every Wednesday, they do the same thing. The police and Bullrich [the Secretary of Security] should be in jail.”

One of the injured was Nico Caropresi, president of the Movement of Excluded Workers, who, according to Juan Grabois, was assaulted while trying to help a pensioner who was being attacked: “Nico literally put his body to defend the retirees, and specifically Father Paco, from the police beating. He endured the pepper spray and the [police] blows. This is what a popular leader does. Nico is not the only one, but he is one of the best.”

Grabois added that former president Cristina Kirchner was at the Homeland Institute at the time and she came down and greeted the popular leader. “If it were not part of the national tragedy, it would be cinema. The problem is that it is not fiction. It is reality. And these people are taking us to places that are very difficult to return to. It is up to us, each one of us, from our trenches, to leave everything to defend what is left of social justice until the executioners of the people are gone,” Grabois declared.

Neoliberalism impoverishes retirees

Following economic adjustment policies, including Milei’s obsession with reducing inflation (in accordance with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund), the elderly have seen their purchasing power plummet.

This also related to the increase in water, gas, and electricity prices following the elimination of subsidies by Argentina’s extreme right-wing government. Milei’s administration also removed a variety of medicines from the list of free drugs, forcing retirees to now have to pay for them, which has left many unable to buy their prescriptions.

Two-thirds of retirees receive the minimum income, which corresponds to USD 300 per month. Thus, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) stated that the number of poor elderly people doubled during the first semester of Milei’s government.

A few weeks ago, Milei announced that he would not extend the pension moratorium for retirees, which, for now, allows those over 65 years of age who did not contribute the necessary years to Social Security to have access to a minimum retirement. After Milei’s refusal to have the state cover this item, it is expected that many more elderly people will fall into a very precarious economic situation. Estimates say nine out of ten retired women will no longer receive this support from the state. Women who, for many years, were unable to contribute regularly due to unemployment and unrecognized care tasks they did at home.

For now, it does not seem like Milei will give up his political program, even if it means suffering and uncertainty for thousands of elderly people. At the same time, the retirees have shown an enormous capacity for resistance, so it is unlikely that they will give up their struggle anytime soon.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch

 19 May 2025

‘No Repression Can Stop us,’ say Panamanian Workers

Pablo Meriguet | 

The Panamanian workers’ strike enters another week and is gaining more support despite police and judicial pressure from the Mulino government, say the demonstrators.

Panamanian worker on the streets as part of the national strike. Photo: SUNTRACS

After more than 20 days of road blockades, industrial strikes, mass mobilizations, and rallies against the neoliberal government of José Raúl Mulino, Panamanian labor unions, student associations, and Indigenous groups continue to fight against the economic measures of the government.

They are demanding:

1. The annulment of a social security law that increases working hours and reduces the pensions received by the elderly.
2. The termination of the security agreements signed with the US military, which protestors say expand its influence and surrender Panamanian territory for US military bases, a concession made in response to threats from the Trump administration to retake control of the Panama Canal.
3. The permanent closure of the country’s largest copper mine, which the government seeks to reopen after it was shut down after massive mobilizations a couple of years ago.

Despite the government’s forecasts (and hopes), the strike seems to have grown more intense as the days have gone by. Groups of unionized workers, students, Indigenous people, agricultural workers, teachers, etc., have called for massive mobilizations in the last few days against the Mulino government, which has reported that at least 480 roads have been closed by the demonstrators.

The resistance of the striking workers has drawn many sympathizers into the streets to join the protests against the government. Road closures have become one way the demonstrators have found to pressure the government and the economic groups that sponsor it (especially the banana industry, the country’s main export product), thus hindering trade and the free transit of goods.

Comunidades de Río Indio realizaron marcha acuática en defensa del agua y el territoriohttps://t.co/Fi6jnFhm9c#DefensadelTerritorio #Protesta #PanamáHuelga2025 #RíoIndio #MarchaAcuática #NoAlEmbalseDelRíoIndio #NoALaReaperturaDeLaMina #FueraMilitaresGringos #NoALaLey462 pic.twitter.com/843E7i7s8S

— Radio Temblor Internacional (@RadioTemblor) May 20, 2025

In the border province with Costa Rica, called Bocas de Toro, the closures have been almost permanent, which has surprised those who doubted the resolve of the workers and Indigenous protesters.

Government represses and stigmatizes; workers affirm the strike will continue

The response from the Panamanian political and economic elite has been an absolute rejection of the strike as a method of protest. President Mulino posted on X: “In the last few days, I have met with members of the productive sector. We agree on something essential: Panama only advances when its people can work. That is the path on which we will continue to take steps, so that the country and its people advance!”

However, the workers’ unions clarified that they tried to dialogue with the government to prevent the social security law from being passed, insisting that it opens the door to the privatization of the system and makes it more difficult to obtain a decent retirement. Yet, despite their efforts, the government imposed the law without consulting with Panamanian civil society, so the only path that was left, they say, was to strike.

Given this reality, one of the unions organizing the strike, SUNTRACS (Single National Union of Workers of the Construction and Similar Industries), affirmed that it will continue to fight despite the government repression, which now includes suing the workers:

“More than 50 years of struggle. We have faced dictatorships, repression, persecution, and now lawfare against leaders. Today, we are being sued and lynched by the media because we are still on the right side: we are in the streets together with teachers, parents, students, Indigenous people, youth, Afro-descendants, and workers from all over the country. With our dignity high, no repression can stop us.”

Lawfare and arrests: repression increases

The National Police reported that they have arrested more than 200 people since the strike began. In fact, Mulino announced that he will open the highways of the country “at any cost”, which has been interpreted as a threat amid the already violent repression denounced by the demonstrators.

Former vice presidential candidate Richard Morales wrote: “Repressing children, shooting protesters in the face, and torturing teachers will not remedy anything. Mulino’s government is criminal by tradition. As Secretary, they repressed people until they murdered young Jerónimo Tugri. What he forgets is that they didn’t fear him, then or now.”

For their part, the leaders of the Ngäbe-Buglé Indigenous community told the press: “The heavily armed security forces have not only brutally attacked communities and leaders in Trinidad, El Piro, Ojo de Agua, Tolé, Viguí, El Prado and other areas of the region, but have also gone house to house, intimidating the population with high caliber weapons, throwing tear gas bombs, arresting leaders without measuring the consequences and affecting the population.”

Likewise, SUNTRACS denounced that several prosecutors and judges are filing a huge number of lawsuits against not only the leaders of the workers, but also against the lawyers who defend them. On May 17, the union reported that the house of one of the members of the legal team defending them was raided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, lawyer for SUNTRACS, wrote: “This morning, more than 20 units of the National Police, by order of the Primary Attention section, and by authorization of the judge of guarantees Oscar Jones, raided my residence. This is the x-ray of how the Public Prosecutor’s Office is doing. Crazy people using the repressive apparatus for intestinal hatreds.”

In addition to this complaint, SUNTRACS General Secretary Saúl Méndez, has complained about the prosecution and arrest of Jaime Caballero, an important union leader who is accused of money laundering. Because of the type of accusation, SUNTRACS is demanding his immediate release but also affirming that there is a systematic attempt to stain the name of the union and its political leaders in the media. Most media outlets have demonstrated alignment with the government in its campaign against the protesters.

PRESO POLITIcO/ cuando los gobernantes se quedan sin argumentos se embrutecen y usan todo el aparato del Estado para matar, enjuiciar, desaparecer etc. Critican otros sistemas y el que vive Panamá es peor. @cafecnn @ @teleSURtv @CNNEE pic.twitter.com/clpcAt0La6

— ASOPROF (@ASOPROF30) May 18, 2025

In this context, the International Labor Organization requested information from Mulino’s government on the repression of the demonstrators, according to the Secretary General of the National Confederation of Independent Union Unity (CONUSI), Marcos Andrade.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch

20 May 2025

 

Genocide in Real Time on Our Screens: Story of Fatem in Gaza

Newsclick Report | 

Hassouna was killed the day after the selection of ‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’, the documentary film on her made by Iranian film maker Sepideh Farsi, was announced in Cannes.

This is the story of Fatma Hassouna—Fatem—who died on April 16 at the age of 25 after Israel’s targeted attack with two missiles on the building where she and her family lived.

Fatem lived in the Al-Touffah neighbourhood in the northern part of Gaza City. Her entire family, including her sister Ala who was five months pregnant, died in this attack. The Israeli forces may have thought that by killing her, they would erase the images that she, and many others, have been transmitting about the slow genocide that continues in Gaza. Instead, the Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi’s documentary on her, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, which was screened in the Cannes film festival, broke through the conspiracy of silence that shrouds the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Since the invasion of Gaza by Israel, Fatem had been documenting daily life for the enclave's residents, opening a window into Gaza. This broke the conspiracy of silence that Israel has imposed on Gaza by not allowing international journalists to visit Gaza.

According to Forensic Architecture based at Goldsmiths University in London, “Our analysis indicates that Fatma Hassouna's home was targeted using precision guided munitions (PGMs), equipped with guidance and control systems—including GPS and a delay fuse—designed to detonate at a specific coordinates and floor level.

The missiles dropped by the Israeli military specifically targeted the Hassouna family’s apartment on Floor 2. She was killed just days before her wedding. Ten members of her family were also killed. She is among the more than 200 journalists who, according to UN agencies, have been killed in the ongoing genocidal offensive in Gaza.

Why did Fatima Hassouna document Gaza and its citizens? It was to bring to life its people, how they lived, what they felt, and above all, how they met the violence that had become a daily part of their lives. To show that Gazans felt joy, laughed, wept, and lived like resilient people despite the ongoing catastrophe in their lives. Her camera captured how humanity cannot be killed, even when extreme violence becomes a part of everyday existence.

As Sepideh Farsi held up her photo—that of a young woman with a radiant smile—the audience in the Olympia Hall in Cannes on April 16, rose as one to honour Hassouna’s memory. During the opening ceremony of the festival on May 13, the president of the Cannes competition jury, Juliette Binoche, paid tribute to Hassouna.

Also, the day before the opening of the festival, an open letter was published in Vanity Fair and Libération, bringing together more than 300 cinema figures (including Pedro Almodovar, David Cronenberg, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Ruben Östlund, etc.), condemning the "silence" over Gaza.

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, is the documentary on Hassouna made by the Iranian film maker Sepideh Farsi, who currently resides in France. The film was presented in the official selection of ACID (Independent Film Association for Distribution), running parallel to the festival and is set to be released in French theatres on September 24. Hassouna's death occurred the day after the film's selection at Cannes was announced.

According to ABC Net, Australia, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that Hassouna’s death occurred in its “targeting a Hamas member” who was inside the house. Speaking about Hassouna’s killing, Sepideh said, "I don't know how to describe people who give such orders, to eliminate a young woman who is just taking photos. Are these images really that disturbing? I guess so…”

Le Monde writes about the film:

The film also tells the story of the growing friendship between the two women. Le Monde writes, “Farsi must have always feared for her friend's life, pushing away the possibility, believing in miracles, while sensing that this friendship film would also become a cinematic tombstone…

Before she was murdered, everything had already been taken from "Fatem," "the big things and the small things." Food, carefree moments, the future. Like all Gazans, she had lost dozens of loved ones, killed under Israeli army bombings. Yet, "Fatem" still managed to smile. This is a common trait of great documentaries about war-torn populations devastated by death: They are also great movies about life. Because, before disappearing, "Fatem" appears and lingers before our eyes, in this film that seeks to eternally record the thoughts and life of a young Gazan, connecting us to what will always be missing from the informational realm: intimacy, the impression of touching one life and, through it, all others.”

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is the story of a young girl who, strangely enough, lives: She writes poems, dreams of traveling. It is from this little pixelated window, emblematic of the prison she finds herself in, "Fatem" tells her story...

Her friend, Asmaa Abdu, writes in Electronic Intifada,

“My dearest friend Fatima Hassouna has been martyred. Writing this feels unreal – as if I am waiting for her familiar voice to echo in my ear. We had a playful way of saying “hello” to each other. And Fatima had the most magical of laughs. She could disarm you instantly.

But the silence remains and the void caused by her absence is too vast to comprehend.

Fatima was a photographer and a filmmaker. More importantly – for me – she was an extremely warm human being. She was strong and – in a good way – stubborn.

I knew Fatima from childhood. But life – as it often does – had pulled us apart for many years. It wasn’t until Israel launched its genocidal war against Gaza that we became close again. This happened unexpectedly during a film project. Fatima was behind the camera, and I was there with a pen in order to write articles. Our reunion – despite the chaotic circumstances – rekindled something profound. Our shared grief and resilience made our friendship deeper.

Fatima was deeply committed to her craft. She never simply documented a moment. She became part of it.”

20 May 2025

West Bengal: AIITEU, CITU Condemn Extension of IT Sector Working Hours

Newsclick Report | 

The unions are demanding a 35-hour work week and recognition of the right to disconnect as a basic right.

Image Courtesy: aiiteu

New Delhi: The All-India IT and ITeS Employees Union (AIITEU) in West Bengal has condemned the increase in working hours for employees in the tech sector, especially in West Bengal.

In a press statement, the AIITEU and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), noted that the Bengal government’s Department of Information Technology & Electronics, had officially notified that, effective July 1, 2024, normal working hours for IT companies in the state shall not exceed nine hours, with a weekly cap of 48 hours.

“This policy was introduced after industry consultation, purportedly to align with demands for greater flexibility and competitiveness,” it said adding that “despite this regulatory cap, there is alarming evidence-via employee testimonials and social media reports-that certain companies, notably Genpact, have unilaterally imposed a 10-hour workday for their Indian operations, exceeding the state-mandated daily maximum.”

The unions have urged all employees to join them in demanding a 35-hour workweek and the recognition of the right to disconnect as a basic right.

Read the full release below:

AIITEU WB and CITU Condemns Extension of IT Sector Working Hours and Demands Restoration of Employee Rights

The All-India IT and ITES Employees Union (AIITEU) WB, CITU expresses grave concern and strong opposition to the recent developments concerning working hours in the Indian IT sector, particularly in light of the new policies implemented by both private corporations and state governments.

Background and Recent Developments

- The Government of West Bengal, through its department of Information Technology & Electronics, has officially notified that, effective July 1, 2024, normal working hours for IT companies in the state shall not exceed 9 hours per day, with a weekly cap of 48 hours. This policy was introduced after industry consultation, purportedly to align with demands for greater flexibility and competitiveness.

- Despite this regulatory cap, there is alarming evidence-via employee testimonials and social media reports-that certain companies, notably Genpact, have unilaterally imposed a 10-hour workday for their Indian operations, exceeding the state-mandated daily maximum. Employees have reported this change as detrimental to work-life balance and not accompanied by a proportional increase in compensation.

- Reviews and feedback from Genpact employees corroborate these claims, with multiple sources highlighting increased work hours, poor work-life balance, and inadequate compensation adjustments.

Though there is no official confirmation from Genpact's official website or recent financial reports declaring a mandatory 10-hour workday policy as of May 18, 2025 but some social media posts claims that the Genpact HR has started communicating their employees about a 10 hours/ day Work shift.

Social Media Sources of the News

1. X Post Confirmation: The earlier X post from May 14, 2025, by @imaskingnation remains the primary source mentioning a new Genpact policy requiring 10-hour workdays (9 hours active work plus a lunch break) with a 5% variable pay increase (e.g., ₹250/month for ₹5000 variable pay). This post tags UN Human Rights, Labour Ministry, and others, suggesting employee dissatisfaction, but no official response from Genpact or the tagged entities was found.

2. Employee Reviews (AmbitionBox): Recent reviews on AmbitionBox (updated March 30, 2025) explicitly mention a shift to 10-hour workdays in some Genpact processes, with employees noting a negative impact on work-life balance. One review states, “In Genpact they have extended The shift by 10 hours in total. The cab facility is extremely bad. There is no work life balance.”

Another review mentions, “Pathetic Salary Work life balance was really good but the company suddenly introduced 10hours working hours, so you work more and get paid less.” These reviews align with the X post and suggest the policy is implemented in at least some teams or locations, though not necessarily company-wide.

Analysis of Corporate Practices

Corporates are increasingly pushing for longer workdays to maximize surplus value. This is achieved by:

- Extending the working day (absolute surplus value), thereby increasing the total time employees produce value for the company.

- Introducing advanced tools and automation (relative surplus value), which should ideally reduce working hours due to increased productivity. However, the reality has been mass layoffs and increased pressure on remaining employees to work longer hours, contrary to the promise of technological progress.

Introduction of AI and sophisticated tools in IT industry

Introduction of sophisticated tools was supposed to generate increased by making workers more productive (e.g., Increase in relative surplus value through better machinery), which should reduce the work hours. But in actual scenario, we have seen severe retrenchments in the name technical progress and on the other hand increased working hours for those workers who managed to escape the pink slip.

West Bengal IT department Recent Notice Regarding the IT Work Hours

The West Bengal Labour Department has indeed increased the daily working hours for the Information Technology (IT) sector to 9 hours per day, effective

from July 1, 2024, while maintaining a maximum of 48 hours per week. This change, reported by multiple sources, was introduced to align with industry demands for greater flexibility in a 5-day workweek, allowing IT companies to bill clients for 45 hours per week (up from 42.5 hours under the previous 8.5-hour daily limit).

Genpact’s 10-hour policy likely builds on the state’s 9-hour IT regulation but it doesn’t state anything, about possible leveraging overtime allowances or specific client-driven requirements.

International Context

Similar trends have been observed globally, with employees at major tech firms like Google organizing strikes against increased workloads and deteriorating working conditions, demonstrating that this is a systemic issue within the industry. Workers of Google INC. unitedly observed continuous strike under the banner of Alphabet workers union in the United States of America.

Why Corporates Push for Longer Hours?

Capitalists or Corporates can increase surplus value in two ways:

1. absolute (extending the working day) and

2. relative (increasing productivity to reduce necessary labor time).

Extending the working day directly boosts absolute surplus value by increasing the total time workers produce value, with the surplus portion growing as a

result.

Our Demands

In response to these developments, the AIITEU WB and CITU makes the following demands:

1. Immediate Rollback of Extended Working Hours:

We demand the restoration of the 7+1 hour workday and a 35-hour workweek as the standard, in line with international labor norms and the health and well-being of employees.

2. Enforcement of Overtime Compensation:

In cases where extended hours are unavoidable, employees must be compensated with overtime pay as per the law. Any hours worked beyond the statutory limit must be strictly voluntary and paid at premium rates.

3. Right to Disconnect:

The right to disconnect from work-related communications outside of working hours must be recognized as a fundamental right for IT and ITES employees.

4. Withdrawal of Anti-Worker Labor Codes:

We call upon the Central Government to immediately withdraw all orders and labor codes that facilitate increased working hours and undermine employee

protections.

5. Transparent and Inclusive Policy-Making:

Any change in working conditions must be made in consultation with employee representatives and trade unions to ensure that workers’ voices are heard and their interests protected.

Extending the working day is a crude but effective tool for intensifying the exploitation of workers. It highlights the antagonistic relationship between capital and labor, as capitalists push for longer hours while workers fight for shorter ones to preserve their health, dignity, and family life. The introduction of advanced technology should lead to reduced working hours and improved working conditions-not the opposite.

AIITEU WB and CITU stands united with all the IT and ITES employees in their struggle for fair working conditions, dignity at work, and the right to a balanced life. We urge all employees to join us in demanding a 35-hour workweek and the recognition of the right to disconnect as a basic right.

Cheenangshuk Das, General Secretary, All India IT and ITES Employees’ Union (AIITEU), West Bengal.

20 May 2025

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INDIA

ARYAN NATIONALISM

History as Political Tool: Muslim Rulers Deleted From Curriculum

Ram Puniyani | 

This began with Covid-19 under the pretext of “reducing the burden on students”, followed by ‘rationalisation’, which meant deletion of portions that caused discomfort to Hindu Nationalist ideology.

The new education policy 2020 is being implemented gradually. Apart from other things, it has focused on Indian knowledge systems and Indian traditions. The changes that pertain to History have deleted the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rule from the text-books. A good seven centuries of history stands relegated into absentia. This is a pretty long period by any standards.

“While NCERT had previously trimmed sections on the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate --  including detailed account of dynasties like Tughlaqs, Khaljis, Mamluks, and Lodis and a two-page table on Mughal emperors' achievements  -- as part of its syllabus rationalization during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022-23, the new textbook has now removed all references to them,” says and article in The Economic Times.

All references to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal rulers have been deleted from 7th standard text-books. In addition, references in other books to Muslim rule stand deleted. What also stands deleted is the reference to post-Mumbai (1992-93 violence), post-Gujarat violence (2002), the references to Nathuram Godse (Gandhi’s killer) being a trained pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, the ban on RSS in the aftermath of Gandhi’s assassination among others. While the Kumbh Mela finds a place, the stampede that caused the death of many devotees and at the New Delhi rail station stampede have no mention.

All this began with the Covid-19 period when the pretext offered was “reducing the burden on students”, followed by ‘rationalisation’, which meant deletion of portions that caused discomfort to the Hindu Nationalist ideology.

For, demonisation of Muslims and spreading hate against them, and the Mughals, have been presented as major villains of our history. Some earlier kings like Allauddin Khilji have also been on the hammer of the Hindutva narrative. So far, the demonisation of Muslims was structured around temple destruction by Muslim kings, which has been contested by rational historians. The spread of Islam by Muslims kings using their sword was another pillar of this. This point is totally off the mark as conversions to Islam took place due to social interaction with Muslim Arab traders to begin with. Later, many low castes embraced Islam to escape the tyranny of the caste system.

The ideology of Hindutva has gone to the extent of presenting this period as a dark period when the ‘Holocaust against Hindus’ took place. No doubt the era of kingdoms is full of war for political reasons. Kings always wanted to expand their regime and in the process many people were killed. To call it holocaust, is totally off the mark. Their (Hindutva) narrative actually takes off from the communal historiography introduced by the British to pursue the policy of ‘divide and rule’. In this, all the motives of kings are related to religion and kings are presented as symbols of religious communities.

The Hindu communal historiography took this further by claiming that Muslims and Christians were ‘foreigners’ who have ‘tormented’ Hindus. The Muslim communal historiography presented the other side of the coin where Muslims are regarded as rulers and Hindus as subjects. They presented that Muslims are the logical rulers of this land.

The later trajectory of this logic did assist the British to divide our composite land into India and Pakistan. Savarkar articulated that there are two nations in this country, and Jinnah went on to demand a separate country for Muslims, Pakistan. Pakistan fell into the trap of Muslim communalism right from the word go, and as far its text-books are concerned, they presented the beginning of Pakistan with Mohammad bin Kasim in the Eighth Century. Today, their history books have totally deleted any reference to Hindu rulers. The hate which Muslim communalism spread against Hindus peaked with their school texts removing all the references to Hindu kings and culture.

In a way, India, during the past three decades, has been walking in the footprints of Pakistan. The mirror image of Pakistan’s trajectory is being copied probably to the last comma. This point was highlighted by Pakistan’s poet Fahmida Riyaz. In the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, she wrote “Arre Tum bhi Ham Jaise Nikale, Ab Tak Kahan Chhupe the Bhai’ (Ohh! you have also turned out like us, where were you hiding so far).

Prior to Hindutva ideology coming to total control of Indian education, the RSS shakhas (morning drills) were spreading the communal version of society through multiple mechanisms like its shakha bauddhis, Ekal Vidyalayas and Shishu Mandirs. In due course, mainstream media and social media also came to its service.

As such culture is a continuously evolving process. During the period of History under the hammer of Hindutva, a lot of social changes took place. Apart from the architecture, the food habits, dress and literature, the synthesis in the field of religion, the noble traditions of Bhakti and Sufi tradition developed. It was during this period that Sikhism emerged and flourished.

Now this political ideology may have to change track. With Muslim rulers out of the way, how will they demonise Muslims now? Newer techniques may be on the way to substitute Aurangzeb or Babar, as now they will be defunct!

History is very central to the concept of nationalism. German social psychologist Erich Fromm points out that ‘History is to Nationalism what poppy is to the opium addict’. Since BJP came to power as NDA in 1998, the major thing they did was what is called “saffronisation of education”. Here history has presented the narrative of ‘glorious and brave’ Hindu Kings versus ‘evil and aggressive’ Muslim kings. The charge has been that so far History has been written by Left historians, who focused on the Delhi rulers and who were pro-Muslim. The point is that text-books did present the details of particular dynasties depending on the historical length of their rule.

History books in the decades of the 1980s had a good deal of presentation of Hindu as well as Muslim kings. The narration was not revolving just around religion but a holistic view of communities was presented-- trade, culture, literature among others.

Still, it is true that the ruler, ‘King-centric History’ is not what we need to build our future. We need to focus on diverse sections of society, the Dalits, women, adivasis and artisans, who do not find much place in such narratives.

 

The writer is a human rights activist, who taught at IIT Bombay. The views are personal.

21 May 2025