The Indian Left needs a fresh discourse on ways to solve caste and communal conflicts and not to fall prey to identity politics
Outlook Lens
From Mumbai’s textile mills to today’s fragmented workplaces, Left trade unions in Maharashtra have shaped, lost, and are struggling to reclaim workers’ collective power. Rooted in militant mill-era organising, they faced a decisive rupture after the 1982 textile strike and the onset of liberalisation. Yet, through new alliances and contemporary labour struggles, Left unions continue to reinvent their relevance.
The global rise of the Right has made the Left not irrelevant but indispensable
After 100 years of this act, the four labour codes ushering another wave of reforms in the country are likely to be fully operational from April 1, 2026, as the ministry has begun the process for enforcing the rules under the notified law
The Left needs to shrug its Left-Brahmin configuration to emerge with newer forms of solidarity.
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India’s federation endured not because its design guaranteed balance, but because earlier governments exercised restraint
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The global rise of the Right has made the Left not irrelevant but indispensable
The future of the Left in India will be decided by the ability of the movement to rebuild and deepen its links with the working people.
Dalit thinkers argue that caste as a dimension of social oppression was sidelined in communist practice. Intellectuals within the communist fold acknowledge that this neglect may be central to the crisis the Left faces today
The Left needs to shrug its Left-Brahmin configuration to emerge with newer forms of solidarity.
The Maoist doctrine of agrarian armed struggle influenced sections of India’s Left since the 1940s and posed a major security threat to the State, only to crumble rather rapidly in 2025
The challenge before communists is to use the lessons gleaned from historical hindsight to advance the movement today
Despite the more secular stance of especially the most important of the Left-wing parties, the CPI(M), there has been a Muslim problem the Left has always struggled with
To secure the next century, the Left must fully embrace the idea that the fight for gender equality is not a secondary struggle; it must be the revolution itself
Factors like ideological rigidity, failure to adapt to a changing socio-political landscape, the rise of identity politics and Hindu nationalism and organisational weaknesses have led to the Left’s gradual decline in the country. Cramped rooms, high ceiling fans, dusty tables, plastic chairs and piles of files... the party’s offices across different cities now resemble spaces that are stuck in a time warp
The Indian Left needs a fresh discourse on ways to solve caste and communal conflicts and not to fall prey to identity politics
The Modi-Putin summit may not have produced dramatic outcomes, but it has reaffirmed the durability of a relationship that has weathered geopolitical storms
India’s federation endured not because its design guaranteed balance, but because earlier governments exercised restraint
The vision Indian People’s Theatre Association offered to Indian cinema continues to remain timeless—a commitment to art that invigorates citizens towards social betterment.
It is not the lack of civic sense, but caste pride that is responsible for the Indian cleavage
This Booker Prize-shortlisted novel walks a tight-rope between identity—real and imagined
This memoir is a beautifully crafted ode to the Himalaya as well as a cry from the heart about its continuing destruction
Social media caricatures and campus crackdowns often distort the idea of a “Comrade”. Here’s what the word truly means in lived political struggle
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Meitei groups protest at Jantar Mantar, submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister demanding urgent action on ethnic violence, displacement, and alleged state-backed armed groups in Manipur
US President Donald Trump has expanded a sweeping travel ban by adding five more countries to the full prohibition list and imposing tighter entry restrictions on several others, citing national security concerns and inadequate vetting systems.
Usman Khawaja replaced the unwell Steve Smith moments before the toss, guiding Australia through early trouble to reach 94-2 at lunch on day one of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide
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“Enjoy it on surface level first and then go deeper,” is the philosophy Chaar Diwaari carries about his music and it’s this unpretentious charm that has led his work to garner a global appeal.
The vision Indian People’s Theatre Association offered to Indian cinema continues to remain timeless—a commitment to art that invigorates citizens towards social betterment.
At a time when the country is choking on polluted air, unsafe water, a cost-of-living crisis, gendered violence, caste discrimination, and countless unresolved failures, it is stunning how the parameter of “love for the nation” is rerouted towards conveniently manufactured communal provocations.
But can their humble endeavours counter the narrative that the multi-crore Bollywood productions and the 24-hour news channels churn out?
The vision Indian People’s Theatre Association offered to Indian cinema continues to remain timeless—a commitment to art that invigorates citizens towards social betterment.
At a time when the country is choking on polluted air, unsafe water, a cost-of-living crisis, gendered violence, caste discrimination, and countless unresolved failures, it is stunning how the parameter of “love for the nation” is rerouted towards conveniently manufactured communal provocations.
But can their humble endeavours counter the narrative that the multi-crore Bollywood productions and the 24-hour news channels churn out?
Kerala Actor Assault Case: The survivor spoke after Dileep's acquittal in the 2017 case. She said not every citizen in this country is treated equally before the law.
Shailendra's lyrics exhibit the ability to stretch from the reflective to the hopeful, from the touching to the rallying, all in the width of the same song.
The director talks about cinema as a nourishing expression, ahead of the film’s screening at the 30th IFFK.
Parameswaran's comments are bizarrely ignorant of IFFK's strong history
The rebel Iranian filmmaker recasts the need for revenge through a darkly comic lens in his Palme d’Or-winning latest.
Five countries have already withdrawn from the 2026 edition in protest at Israel's inclusion.
As films confront caste with new clarity, the real test lies not in representation but in whether society is willing to face what the screen reveals.
Saali Mohabbat walks boldly into the feminist-crime space, with a quiet fury, even if its ideas don’t always cut as deep as its intentions. And while Chopra’s debut hits and misses some punches, it carries an emotional undercurrent that lingers.
With Dhurandhar, the propaganda machine seems to have pulled off its most unintended magic trick yet. In trying very hard to demonise the Muslim villain, it has accidentally made him cool. And the internet cannot resist a cool villain.
In 2025, the shift has been more genre-driven, with women helming horror-thrillers, feminist dramas and even superhero narratives—signalling both creative risk and audience appetite.
To his credit, Rajinikanth made the transition from cinema that was made for single screens and their unruly audiences to new-age films in which we see his young, VFX version
Jigar Nagda’s film arrives at a moment of acute relevance as India faces an environmental crisis with rising pollution levels and rapid depletion of natural reserves fanned on by government apathy and greed.
The relationship between leftist politics in Bengal and its cinema was layered and uneasy, mirroring the left’s own history in the state.
Kumar revolutionised not just on-screen performances with his naturalised style of acting as opposed to over-the-top dramatics, but also challenged the unwritten rules that shaped the nayak in a Hindi film and kept him distinct from the khalnayak.
Dileep's acquittal in assault case: Parvathy has now addressed the messages she has been receiving from the supporters of the survivor.
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