Counterview

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   At 8 p.m. on November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on national television to announce one of the most consequential economic decisions in independent India’s history. With immediate effect, existing ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes would cease to be legal tender. 

By A Representative   The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), a pan-Indian network of progressive feminist organizations and activists, has issued a strong statement condemning a petition filed by Women’s Declaration International (WDI) India in the Supreme Court. The feminist collective is demanding the immediate repeal of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, and is pushing back against what it calls a "dangerous and false binary" being created between the rights of cisgender and transgender women.

By Jag Jivan*   Sanjit "Bunker" Roy, the Indian social activist, educator, and founder of the Barefoot College, died at 6:15 am on November 10, 2026. He was 81 years old. He passed away peacefully at his home in Tilonia, Rajasthan, surrounded by his wife, the noted activist and former civil servant Aruna Roy, and members of the local community. 

By Bharat Dogra  Recent times have witnessed a deeply distressing human tragedy. On one hand, the number of people affected by humanitarian crisis situations is being recorded at unprecedentedly high levels. On the other hand, the availability of funds to help them is falling far short of their needs, declining at a fast pace. This combination has led humanitarian aid organizations to warn that millions of lives are threatened. 

By Luiz Felipe Albuquerque   The different generations who lived through the three weeks between the first and second rounds will never forget their significance. It may have been the greatest mass educational process that Brazilian society has ever experienced.

By Stacey Githae, Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  “Water is life.” Across Africa, this is more than a popular phrase. Water determines whether families can maintain their health, farmers can produce food, children can attend school, businesses can operate, and communities can withstand climate shocks. Yet behind these simple words lies a deeper question: if water is life, does everyone’s life matter? Who decides who gets access to water—and who controls whose life? These questions may seem basic, but they remain unresolved, and more than half the world’s population still lacks access to clean water and sanitation, both basic human rights.

By Prof. Suresh Deman*  The revolution had conquered the state, but had it conquered the contradictions of power? This was the question that haunted Mao Zedong in the final decades of his life. It was also the question that distinguished him from many revolutionary leaders who, having overthrown an established order, came to regard the institutions of their own revolution as the final guardians of historical progress. Mao's distinctive proposition was that the Communist Party, notwithstanding its revolutionary origins, could itself become the site of new class contradictions. The party that had liberated the masses could, unless subjected to their continuing supervision, become separated from them.

By A Representative   The civil rights group, National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR), has issued a strong statement extending solidarity to the Adivasi and Gorkha families of the Torsa Tea Garden in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, who have been resisting displacement by the proposed Jaigaon Land Port project for over 100 days. In its statement dated 9th November 2026, NAJAR, a collective of lawyers, law students, and legal professionals under the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), condemned the demolition of the peaceful protest site by Bengal police on 2nd November and the arbitrary arrest of 11 residents, despite ongoing court proceedings and assurances against eviction.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Diwali is over, but our cities have been left toxic and unbreathable. How exactly is bursting firecrackers a form of celebration? There is nothing wrong with lighting diyas, exchanging gifts, celebrating in the spirit of togetherness, or sharing meals with those who cannot afford them. Cooking delicious food at home and enjoying the festivities is beautiful. But what we are witnessing today is not celebration; it is the destruction of our lonely planet. This toxic smog makes life miserable for those who are noise-sensitive and those suffering from respiratory issues.