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Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Panahi's cinematic craft is matched only by his courage in confronting the Iranian regime. A great moment for a real dissident cinema.

It takes a lot more courage, and more than courage, to stand up to oppressive regimes that wear a mask of 'revolution'. In that, Soviet dissident writers and Iranian dissident filmmakers are the among most important voices of their times. More cheers to Jafar Panahi.

"Panahi has been imprisoned multiple times in Iran, most recently for protesting the detention of filmmakers criticising the authorities. This was his first visit to Cannes in 15 years, where his films have been shown in his absence due to a travel ban." bbc.com/news/articles/…

New publication: The Routledge Handbook of Subalterns across History is out. I am happy be in the midst of amazing contributors. My chapter titled "When the Subaltern Speaks Supremacy" looks at the discourses of 'subalternity' in relation to caste in TN. amazon.in/Routledge-Hand…

Just published: my article on #caste, #Brahmin governmentalities, and early #Buddhism is now available free for download Duke University Press (link below). read.dukeupress.edu/cssaame/articl…

One hour read, but with strong aftereffects. There is one question Kertesz asks - what does torturing someone morally do to the torturer? The novella answers - nothing.

Clint Eastwood turned 95 a few days back. youtu.be/enuOArEfqGo?si…

#FacultyPublication NLSIU Faculty, Dr. Karthick Ram Manoharan's chapter in The Routledge Handbook of Subalterns across History explores the uses and abuses of vernacular terms of backwardness and their implications for an understanding of a “subaltern caste.” It asks how do we

There are few statements that can attain the status of universal truths. But one of them is that Seven Samurai is the greatest film of all. Hayao Miyazaki 👇

Momijigari, 1899, the oldest available Japanese film. youtube.com/watch?v=ELJlQ2…

Both the Left and Right are nostalgic for ages/events which are not going to repeat again. I am nostalgic for songs. The fact that Bollywood cinema has stopped producing stuff like this is the real tragedy. youtube.com/watch?v=JtoMQC…

Political society is best studied from the comforts that civil society provides.

Other conflicts can't even compete! "All national conflicts generate waves of emotion, but Israel/Palestine generates tsunamis. Or, to switch metaphors, Israel/Palestine is a superconductor of emotional current. There’s nothing else like it." aeon.co/essays/why-doe…

Check out Frontline's beautiful special issue on Raj Kapoor.

This argument is derived from the 'woke' position that to write about an identity/culture you need to belong to that identity/culture. If not, you should write in a way that those belonging to that identity/culture approve. 'Wokes' start something, the Right takes over.

I am generally scared of flying. No matter how much hard data and statistics you provide, the fear of defying gravity always overpowers me. But I still fly -- as there's no other way. I also made peace with my fears and learnt to sleep on flights these days. Still turbulence (I