Articles by Mahesh Gavaskar

Bollywood’s reaction to the conviction of Salman Khan over the 2002 hit-and-run case shows the corrosion to artistic sensibility it has undergone under the influence of affluence. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s decision to go alone in Maharashtra has opened up the political field and forced the traditional champions of Marathi pride to rethink their political strategy. Will this gambit by Modi’s resurgent BJP work, or will it be defeated by a reassertion of Marathi asmita?

A vibrant discourse in the social sciences in Marathi is conspicuous by its absence. The causes are many but primarily it is the professional ineptitude of most academicians writing in Marathi coupled with abysmal institutional support that is responsible for the sorry situation. With the exception of two research and academic bodies, the many organisations established by the Maharashtra government have either become defunct or have ceased to function effectively. Given the increasing number of students of higher education in Marathi, there is a large market waiting to be served.

Gandhi's approach to history is civilisational - normative and value-centric. It is a blend of cosmological and historical time, which strongly resists the fullfledged secularising tendencies within historical interpretations. This essay revisits Gandhi's Hind Swaraj, which depicts a "clash of civilisations" between values and since it deals with normative systems it maps the political terrain differently. The attempt here is to reinterpret Gandhi in the time of modernity.

The article, ‘Linguistic Diversity and Disparate Regional Growth’ (August 16, 2008) made for disappointing reading. The central premise of the article linking economic growth with languages is not only fallacious, but can also be gravely misleading.