By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan   In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

By Atanu Roy*  A recent visit to a government-aided Bengali-medium school in Birbhum district of West Bengal proved to be an unsettling experience. Conversations with students from primary and secondary classes revealed significant gaps in language proficiency and basic computing skills, far below what should reasonably be expected at those levels. What initially appeared to be an isolated problem soon pointed to a deeper structural issue within the state’s school education system.

By Sudhir Katiyar, Mallica Patel*  The sudden dismantling of MGNREGA once again exposes the limits of progressive legislation in the absence of transformation of a casteist, semi-feudal rural society. Over two days in the winter session, the Modi government dismantled one of the most progressive legislations of the UPA regime—the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

By Dr Jayant Kumar*  Rural employment programmes have played a pivotal role in shaping India’s socio-economic landscape . Beyond providing income security to vulnerable households, they have contributed to asset creation, village development, and social stability. However, persistent challenges—such as seasonal unemployment, income volatility, administrative inefficiencies, and corruption—have limited the transformative potential of earlier schemes.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  Oxfam ’s latest report, known for unsettling complacent minds across the world, is once again before us. Released as a warning on the opening day of the World Economic Forum being held from 19 to 23 January, the report strips bare the reality of global economic development. A fundamental question confronts us: is economic prosperity measured through GDP actually succeeding in keeping the ordinary inhabitants of this planet alive with dignity? What does Oxfam’s report say on this?

By Vikas Meshram   A quiet yet powerful social movement is unfolding in the Banswara district of southern Rajasthan—one that seeks to prepare tribal society for contemporary challenges without severing its roots in tradition. Through a series of social reform meetings organised under the banner of the Krushi avm Aadivasi Swaraj Sangathan of Vaagdhara, tribal communities have come together to collectively address long-standing social problems and chart a new path forward.

By Raqif Makhdoomi*  Recent unrest in Iran has generated sharply divergent interpretations among governments, analysts, and commentators. While some international actors and media outlets have described the events as anti-government or pro-democracy protests, others frame them as an externally influenced effort to destabilize the Islamic Republic. These competing narratives reflect broader geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran’s political system, regional conflicts, and energy resources.

By Nava Thakuria*  Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027.  However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

By Harsh Thakor*  Gabriel Rockhill ’s new book, ‘ Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? ’, presents a challenging thesis that has sparked debate within left-wing intellectual circles. The work investigates the historical and financial foundations of a strand of thought often labeled “Western Marxism,” arguing that its development was significantly shaped by institutions aligned with Western capitalist and foreign policy interests during the Cold War.