Category Archives: Analysis

RBI’s Interest Rate Manipulation

Finally after a gap of 4 years the Indian central bank RBI raised its interest rate – the repo rate – by mere 25 basis points to 6.25% yesterday. RBI cited a concern for rising price inflation in the form of oil price shock as a major reason for hiking the interest rate. They said, […]

Against the Grain and the State

James C. Scott has rewritten the history of the “civilization” in his recent book Against the Grain. He turns the mainstream narrative of civilization on its head with the help of evidences coming from various fields of sciences. In doing so, he rewrites the history of man himself. In rewriting  the mainstream narrative, Scott has […]

Rape, Reservation and the Rule of Law

Why would women falsely accuse men of rape? Why would a dalit (someone from the lower-caste) falsely accuse those from the upper-caste for mistreatment? There are far too many abuses in India, of women and dalits. Does it not make sense to provide to them special reliefs? The concept of “the rule of law” originated […]

Movie Review: Newton

Newton is very important but largely ignored recent movie depicting the reality of the state atrocities in the tribal areas of India in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh etc., and the Maoist movement which emerged as a response to these atrocities. The movie is a story of a young and honest bureaucrat Newton (Nutan […]

The Decline of the State

In my last article we saw how the state arose during the middle of the seventeenth century in the Western Europe by conquering its rival institutions like Church, Nobility, Empires and Independent City-States. After rising to power, beginning in the nineteenth century, it consolidated its position and became a God like creature- an end in […]