Colonialism

Focusing on two texts—Ismat Chughtai’s “Dust of the Caravan” and Ashapurna Devi’s The First Promise (Prothom Protishruti in Bengali)—this article studies the mechanism and consequences of Farsi’s loss of administrative signifi cance, consequent interiorisation and “feminisation”—the shift from a masculine to a feminine accomplishment—in light of the 19th-century discourses of home and abroad.

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Gandhi and the Development of Public Health Infrastructure in Interwar Bombay

Vol. 57, Issue No. 44-45, 29 Oct, 2022

The fight for independence from the colonial yoke gained momentum in the early 20th century. Anti-colonial sentiment reached its peak in the interwar period as a result of the mass movements initiated by Gandhi, and his ideas of “non-violence,” ‘boycott’ and ‘swadeshi’ had a significant impact on the minds of the native population. This essay examines the impact of Gandhian ideology on the development of public health infrastructure in Bombay city during the interwar period. It highlights the contribution of the medical professionals and students in Bombay, challenging the colonial authorities and constructing a national identity through the lens of public health infrastructure.

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Seeking Political Alternative: Perspectives on Peasants Activism in Ambedkar’s Newspaper Janata

Vol. 57, Issue No. 44-45, 29 Oct, 2022

This paper will focus on the anti-Khoti peasant agitations held in rural Konkan by consulting Ambedkar’s newspaper Janata. Through the writings of Janata, we get a clearer picture of how political activism in Konkan in the 1930s was conducted under Ambedkar’s leadership. Janata thus highlights and marks the peculiarities of anti-caste peasant activism. It also demonstrates how Ambedkar’s ideas and activism influenced the Dalit self and were simultaneously influenced by the interlocutors within and outside the Dalit community. This paper will also focus on the fascinating developments in organised Dalit politics of the 1930s. Janata’s writings mainly help track the strengths and weaknesses of Dalit radicalism in Konkan.

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Subaltern Collaboration and the Colonial State

Vol. 57, Issue No. 37, 10 Sep, 2022

Dwaipayan Sen

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Currying Coloniality

Vol. 57, Issue No. 33, 13 Aug, 2022

Amulya Anita Gurumurthy

Mirch Masala’s invocation of M K Gandhi celebrates independence from an external colonial state while also manufacturing consent for the modernising initiatives undertaken by the postcolonial state.

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Power and the Politics of a Hindu Upper Caste in Colonial Goa (1740–1961)

Vol. 57, Issue No. 33, 13 Aug, 2022

Parag D Parobo

The relationship between the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and the Portuguese state has not drawn much scholarly attention. This paper examines the transformation of the numerically marginal, yet most highly placed GSBs in the Portuguese Goa. It focuses on the amicable and conflictive strategies of the community with the Portuguese imperial agents, the colonisers of Portuguese origin and the Goan Catholics. It studies internal contradictions, the caste networks and institutions in the context of competitive conditions in the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. These processes, the paper suggests, are critical in understanding the cultural and political prospects of the scribal communities; they help trace a complex history of language practices, the kind of influence their position and skills enabled, and the formation of a Hindu polity.

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Where Boundaries Bleed

Vol. 57, Issue No. 24, 11 Jun, 2022

Smita Gandotra

Colonialism and Knowledge in Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India edited by Javed Majeed, London and New York: Routledge, 2019; pp 274, £36.99.

Nation and Region in Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India edited by Javed Majeed, London and New York: Routledge, 2019; pp 238, £36.99.

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