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Congress, Khilafat, and the Crucial Question of Defending India Under British Rule
This study examines how Congress, the Khilafat leadership, the Muslim League, and British authorities approached national defence during the crises of 1921 and the Second World War. It explains why opposition to colonial rule did not remove India’s need to resist foreign conquest. Statements attributed to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Lala Lajpat Rai are…
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Gandhi, Ahimsa, and National Defence: A Powerful Historical Reassessment
This article reassesses the historical controversy around Gandhi’s doctrine of non-violence, the Khilafat movement, Congress politics, and the demand for national defence in late colonial India. It explains why critics feared that absolute pacifism could weaken sovereignty, especially during a period of communal mobilisation and imperial uncertainty. The analysis distinguishes between legitimate scrutiny of political…
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Gandhi, Ahimsa, and Statecraft: A Hard Lesson in Idealism, Power, and Unity
This article revisits Gandhi’s philosophy of ahimsa through the lens of statecraft, national security, and Hindu-Muslim relations in colonial India. It explains why Gandhi’s moral idealism inspired millions while also creating serious political tensions when applied to questions of defence, communal bargaining, and organised power. The discussion examines 1920s debates around Muslim political aspirations without…
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Ramnath Goenka’s Defiant Stand: The Emergency Lesson India Must Never Forget
This long-form analysis revisits Ramnath Goenka’s confrontation with Indira Gandhi’s government during the 1975 Emergency and explains why it remains central to Indian media history. It examines how press freedom was threatened through censorship, surveillance, corporate pressure, bureaucratic harassment, and threats under MISA. The article highlights Goenka’s strategic use of legal and company procedures to…
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The Myth that Mohandas Gandhi Alone Delivered Freedom to India
A hundred and fifty-four years after his birth, the legacy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi remains contested in India. Much of this uncertainty stems from extensive propaganda that has obscured vital truths about Gandhi as an activist, leader, politician, demagogue, and unlikely saint. One of the most enduring myths is encapsulated in the single word: Mahatma.…
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How Gandhi became a Congress Leader in Four Years
In January 1915, a 46-year-old Mohandas Gandhi returned to India after two decades in South Africa. Despite his unconventional social activism there, he faced skepticism from Indians who saw him as a foreigner. This blog explores how Gandhi, within four years, transformed from an outsider into a national leader of the Congress. It delves into…