Many of us who were born in independent India and taught social sciences in universities until recently had taken academic freedom for granted (“‘Be with us again, in freedom, Sharjeel and Umar’: A JNU teacher’s message for her jailed students”). We had often forgotten that others suffered so that we could live in a better country and enjoy the freedoms that we hold dear to our heart and are considered essential for our academic pursuit.

Some of us fought for freedom during the Emergency and encouraged our students to put in practice what we taught them in classes or made them read about the basic values of democratic societies.

With the emergence of communal fascism in the country, academic freedom has become virtually absent. Fighting for the freedom of thought and expression has not only become difficult but necessary. We need to stand up for the heroes of our time, Umar and Sharjeel, and also celebrate their fight. – Apurba K Baruah

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This was a touching write-up. I enjoyed reading every word of the article. – HG Jayalakshmi.

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Brilliant review (“Ramachandra Guha: In praise of Dr Umar Khalid, from one historian to another”). It is very sad that Dr Umar Khalid has been denied bail once again. – Nagaraj NP

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How courageous is Ramachandra Guha. It is unfortunate that this country is fast becoming a fascist regime. – A Rajamohan

India and Venezuela

This is an insightful assessment of India’s spineless stance on the American annexation of Venezuela (“A school in West Bengal is a testament to why India must speak up for Venezuela”). It uncovers the mask of the “Vishwaguru” who hides under the table whenever anybody mentions the name of Donald Trump. This is a sham on our legacy. – Santosh Kumar

Independent journalists are anti-national

Dear independent journalists, you are just anti-Indian (“Over 50% drop in communal riots in 2025, but violence shifted to more systemic forms: Study”). You are not addressing the truth but want to satisfy those who are against the government. For example, those denied burial in tribal areas of Chhattisgarh were tribals not Christians. You should address the main discourse and punish missionaries who convert poor people

Similarly, Muslims don’t gel with Indian culture. Hindus have been oppressed by earlier government for vote politics.

As independent journalists, you must address the root cause and support nation building. But you want financial support from Europe and western countries. – Sunil Nair

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This biased writing is no different than the Islamic State’s propaganda in Syria or Hamas in Palestine (“Assam’s agenda for Muslims goes national”). This is evident to every patriotic individual from the article and the intent of this anti-national mentality is easily perceived. – Tipparaju Venu Prakash Rao

Honouring Shanta Gokhale

Ipshita Mitra’s latest review left me viscerally moved (“‘The Way Home’: Everyday tensions of social belonging and personal truth in Shanta Gokhale’s stories”). What a finely attuned response to a sublimely talented writer! I love the way she has inhabited the subtexts of the stories and their philosophical underpinnings. I am also inspired by the candid projections of her own humanity into Shanta Gokhale’s understated and deeply nuanced depths. It is a joy to encounter such dialogic flow that reaches the heartspace.

Thank you for honoring the legendary Shanta Gokhale with your review, and for creating an illuminative invitation to her book’s offerings. – Shabnam Mirchandani