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When the journey is the destination
When social change is protracted and long it produces a situation that has no closure. There is apparently no end to it. No classic ‘arrived state’. No final shining land of perpetual sunshine, timely rain, green fields or whatever our imagination tells us is waiting for us. In such a situation, the journey itself acquires…
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Freedom of Expression or Freedom to Blaspheme?
Freedom of expression must not be confused with freedom from the consequences of expression. Exercising freedom and abusing it are not the same. The latter forfeits the former. Just because we are free to express ourselves, it doesn’t free us from the responsibility for what we express. We are responsible for what we say and…
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Tyranny of the Few
Headlines scream out at you: ’80 killed in terrorist attack on two Pakistani mosques.’ ‘Lal Masjid threatens to give the call for jihad.’ ‘Clash with security forces leaves 16 students dead.’ And all this accompanied by pictures of women in burqas wielding lathis longer than themselves. Talk of women power!! Another one: ‘Flaming jeep drives…