I first came in contact with Himmat Shah in the second half of the 1970s during one of my routine visits to  Ahmedabad , my maternal hometown. I do not recall the exact year, but at that time I was working in  Delhi  with the  CPI -owned People’s Publishing House (PPH) as its assistant editor, editing books and writing occasional articles for small periodicals. Himmatbhai — as I would call him — worked at the People’s Book House (PBH), the CPI’s bookshop on  Relief Road  in Ahmedabad.

A few days ago, I met a veteran Gujarat-based economist, the author of several books offering a critical evaluation of the state’s economy, poverty, and  gender discrimination . Also present was a retired Gujarat-cadre bureaucrat with an economics background, known for his popularity in the cities and districts where he served during his heyday.

I usually avoid being interviewed. I have always believed that journalists, especially in India, are generalists who may suddenly be assigned a “beat” they know little—sometimes nothing—about. Still, when my friend  Gagan Sethi , a well-known human rights activist, phoned a few weeks ago asking if I would join a podcast on  civil society  and the media, I agreed.

I have in my hand a representation addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gujarat, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stop “atrocities on teachers and education in the name of election work.” The representation, submitted by Dr. Kanubhai Khadadiya of the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), Gujarat chapter -- its contents matched  what a couple of teachers serving as Block Level Officers (BLOs) told me a couple of days esrlier during a recent visit to a close acquaintance.

A  new report  by a firm describing itself as a "digital real estate transaction and advisory platform,"  Proptiger , states that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has been the largest contributor to housing units among India's top eight cities currently experiencing a real estate boom. Accounting for 26.9% of all new launches, it is followed by  Pune  with 18.7% and  Hyderabad  with 13.6%. These three cities collectively represented 59.2% of the new inventory introduced during the third quarter (July to September 2025), which is the focus of the report’s analysis. 

India’s ambition to transition to a resource-efficient and waste-free economy is hindered by fragmented regulation, weak enforcement, and uneven infrastructure, according to a new  213-page report  by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

By Rajiv Shah    A recent, well-attended meeting of Gujarat civil society activists in  Ahmedabad , held to discuss the impact of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has decided to file a petition in the  Supreme Court  against the controversial exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) across the country. Announcing this, senior High Court advocate  Anand Yagnik , who heads the Gujarat chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said that a committee has already been formed to examine the pros and cons of SIR. “While the SIR exercise began in Gujarat on November 4 and is scheduled to continue for a month, we will file a supporting petition in the case against SIR in the  Gujarat High Court  or the Supreme Court after observing how it proceeds in the state,” he said. Yagnik’s announcement followed senior advocate  Shahrukh Alam —who is arguing the SIR case in the Supreme Court—urgi...

  As the world prepares for  COP30  in  Belém , a new global report has raised serious alarms about the continued expansion of coal-based industries, particularly in India and China. The 2025  Global Coal Exit List  (GCEL), released by Germany-based NGO  Urgewald  and 48 partners, reveals a worrying rise in  coal-to-chemical projects  and  captive power plants  despite mounting evidence of climate risks and tightening international finance restrictions.

  By Rajiv Shah   A few days ago, I attended a press conference for the release of a study examining the impact of automation on women workers in Ahmedabad’s construction sector. Conducted by  Geeta Thatra  and  Saloni Mundra  for  Aajeevika Bureau  and  Work Fair and Free , the study immediately caught my attention—particularly a passing reference in the presentation to how  Marxist theory  tends to reduce women’s oppression to class relations and economic structures such as private property, production, and wage labour.

  Recently, I attended what I would call a veterans’ meet — a gathering to recall the  Emergency  imposed by  Indira Gandhi , whose resistance is said to have begun in  Ahmedabad  on  October 12, 1975 . At that time,  Gujarat  was one of the two states described as an “island of freedom.” It was ruled by  Janata Morcha  chief minister  Babubhai Jashbhai Patel . The other such “island” was  Tamil Nadu .

This blog continues  my story , “A revdi-funded dream? Tax breaks, hype, unease: PwC reveals GIFT City’s fragile foundations.”  Ironic though it may seem, what PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) recently observed about the lack of a talent pool in Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s dream project, the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), had already been predicted by another global consultant — McKinsey & Company — not days or months ago, but more than two decades earlier in what was then described as a feasibility study.

 Backed by generous subsidies (or so-called "revdis") channeled to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship project, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City, a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report claims it is “uniquely positioned to connect India to international markets and foster next-generation FinTech and IT innovation.” 

A few days back, I was a little surprised to receive a Hindi article in plain text format from veteran Gujarat Dalit rights leader Valjibhai Patel , known for waging many legal battles under the banner of the Council of Social Justice (CSJ) on behalf of socially oppressed communities.

I have been forwarded a report titled “Profit and Genocide: Indian Investments in Israel”. It has been prepared by the advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) and authored by Hajira Puthige. The report was released following the Government of India’s signing of a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with Israel.

  My interaction with critics and supporters of Mahatma Gandhi, ranging from those who consider themselves diehard Gandhians to Left-wing and Dalit intellectuals, has revealed that in the long arc of his public life, few issues expose his philosophical tensions more than his shifting stance on Varnashram Dharma—the ancient Hindu concept that society should be divided into four varnas, or classes, based on duties and aptitudes.

  A  new report , "Who Controls the Narrative? Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Expression in the Commonwealth", prepared by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA), and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, approvingly quotes Access Now, which has named India the “world’s internet shutdown leader,” with at least 116 recorded shutdowns in 2024.

The other day, P. Sainath was in Ahmedabad to deliver a lecture on the "Role of Media in Democracy: Prospects and Retrospect." An excellent speaker, he is not just a left-wing rural journalist but also an  erudite scholar . This was the second time I listened to him in Ahmedabad. The last time I attended his lecture was in 2017, when he  told me , on the sidelines of a function organised by an NGO, that he “differed” from Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s view that rural-to-urban Dalit migration would help annihilate casteism. Frankly—call it my inertia or whatever—I am not very familiar with Sainath’s recent writings, though from time to time I do read some of the very in-depth reports focusing on rural India on the excellent site he has been running for about a decade, People’s Archive of Rural India ( PARI ), which is, for all practical purposes, a virtual database for learning or understanding anything about how people live and work in rural India. Not that I wasn’t familiar with Sainat...

Maryam Namazie , a British feminist heading an organisation called Ex-Muslims International , has been frequently sending me e-mail alerts about the activities of her group. The latest one—about the organisation taking strong exception to the persecution of a feminist for wearing a "blasphemous" T-shirt in Morocco —was particularly striking. Namazie's organisation interests me also because it claims on its website that it has affiliations in several countries,  including India .

The other day, someone very close to me took me to a sub-office of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS), where I filled out a form for what has been loudly advertised as a free pass for senior citizens aged 65 and above.

Following my blog "AAP’s rising star in Gujarat or guardian of patriarchy? The Gopal Italia dilemma", I received an interesting comment from social activist Sudhir Kariyar, who works among tribal workers in Gujarat. The blog discusses how Italia, who won a by-election, wrote a letter to the Gujarat chief minister claiming that, on getting involved in love affair, young girls are being "lured" and "trapped" by wedding mafias across the state, urging the authorities to take legal action against this.

The recent ghastly incident in Ahmedabad's sprawling Maninagar (East) area, in which a 10th-class student of the Seventh Day Adventist School was stabbed to death by a boy from the 9th (or 8th?) standard, made me look up what kind of school it is. I found it to be part of the larger Adventist movement, which began in the United States in the 19th century within the Protestant Christian framework.

For some strange reason, I closely followed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during its formative years in Gujarat . I personally knew several of those who had initiated themselves into the new party in the state. These included child rights activist Sukhdev Patel , who was appointed as convener; well-known danseuse and cultural personality Mallika Sarabhai ; senior journalist Nachiketa Desai ; former BJP MLA Kanu Kalsaria ; and Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani . My interactions with a few of them suggested that they were all driven by a strong yearning to create an alternative to the BJP, particularly at a time when the Congress appeared to be losing political grip in Gujarat. All of them—except perhaps Kalsaria, who seemed more of a grassroots campaigner for environmental protection—had strong left-of-centre leanings, and were not politicians as we know them today. Having such ideological leanings, they often didn’t even agree with each other on different issues. Not without reason, the ...

This is a follow-up to my news story in Counterview about why Morbi, India’s ceramic hub, has become a major cause of concern for health rights organisations. The other day, Jagdish Patel, who heads the People’s Training and Research Centre (PTRC) – an organisation that has been working with occupational hazard victims, especially those suffering from deadly silicosis, for the last few decades – called me.

It was a pleasant surprise to come across a short yet crisp article by the well-known Gujarat-based scholar Gaurang Jani , former head of the Sociology Department at Gujarat University , on a remarkable grand old lady of Vedcchi Ashram —an educational institute founded by Mahatma Gandhi in South Gujarat in the early years of the freedom movement.

 A new study by the Gujarat-based health rights organisation, Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), warns that most workers in Morbi district’s ceramic industry—which produces 90% of India’s ceramic output—are at high risk of contracting silicosis, a deadly occupational disease.

It was the mid-2000s when my children wanted me to take them to the municipal market on CG Road — Ahmedabad’s posh upmarket area — where they said Kentucky Fried Chicken had opened a shop. I was reluctant, but eventually had to drive them in my Maruti Frontie car from Gandhinagar , 35 kilometres away, where we lived. After finding a suitable place to park, we went in search of the high-profile restaurant. After roaming here and there, and even asking other shopkeepers in the market area, we still couldn’t find our supposed destination. So, we decided to return to our car and drive to some other place for lunch. Suddenly, a stray dog jumped on me, catching hold of my pant. While I managed to free myself immediately — with people around shooing away the dog — I sustained a few scratches on my leg. I immediately rang up a doctor in Gandhinagar, who advised me to take an initial injection in Ahmedabad right away, which I did. I took three more shots on my return to Gandhinagar. I have ne...

  In a passionate defense of Urdu’s rich heritage and its rightful place as a language of India’s heart, in an article shared on his  Facebook wall , former Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju delves into its origins, evolution, and cultural significance, describing it as a uniquely Indian language with a dual character—both aristocratic and rooted in the common man's experience. Titled "What is Urdu," the piece challenges the notion that Urdu is a foreign language, asserting its indigenous roots and its deep connection to the Indian populace.

A few weeks back, a prominent environmentalist, Himanshu Thakkar, sent me a message stating — and let me quote: “There is one issue that you can research and write about, this is a suggestion. The Narmada dam is called Sardar Sarovar Dam and they have also put up that huge statue at the dam site. But to the best of my information, Vallabhbhai did not advocate such a dam. Did he?”

This one was a shocker for me. I was talking with the principal of a government-supported school, and this person told me that the district education office (DEO) of Ahmedabad insists on having details of the high school examinations conducted in his school in a video format—and only on compact discs (CDs)!

  Taking a fresh look at the last Lok Sabha elections, a new paper published in "Indian Politics & Policy" (Vol. 5, No. 1, Summer 2025), a research periodical of the Washington DC-based think tank Policy Studies Organization, has claimed that the 2024 polls brought the politics of caste and inclusion to the forefront as never before.

I was recently forwarded a memorandum submitted to the Governor of Gujarat, dated November 8, 1998. It instantly transported me back to a time when I was settling into Gandhinagar as the Times of India correspondent. The document was sent to me by Lankesh Chakravarti, a well-known Gujarat-based activist who has long led campaigns against superstition across the state, staging demonstrations and skits to raise awareness among ordinary people. The memorandum documents what it calls an "attack by an armed Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) mob on NGOs and social organisations campaigning against atrocities on Adivasi women (dakan or witch-hunting) at Shamlaji (District Sabarkantha, Gujarat) on 3rd and 4th November 1998."

  In a comprehensive analysis published in "Indian Politics & Policy" (Vol. 5, No. 1, Summer 2025), a research periodical of the Washington DC-based think tank Policy Studies Organization, author Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and Director, South Asia Programme, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has raised questions over the fairness of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in conducting Lok Sabha elections. Titled “Assessing the Integrity of India’s 2024 Lok Sabha Elections,” the  analysis  acquires significance as it precedes recent controversies surrounding the ECI’s move to revise electoral rolls.

  While the suspension of 25 members of Parliament (MPs) for creating “ruckus” in the Lok Sabha may have created a flutter in Delhi among political observers, those who are in Gujarat are not surprised. In fact, the event is being described as nothing but Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to follow the so-called Gujarat model.

It is natural to feel a sense of loss when an economist of the stature of Meghnad Desai—Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics and a British Labour Lord— passes away. However, such moments also offer an opportunity for a more objective assessment of his life and legacy. Desai was a figure admired both by civil society activists in India and those close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—a rare duality.

  On a blistering summer evening in Nagpur, nearly a thousand men in brown trousers, white shirts, and black caps stood in formation as a saffron flag was raised, marking a graduation ceremony for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers. This vivid scene, described in a recent FT Weekend Magazine article, “A hundred years after it was founded, India's Hindu-nationalist movement is getting closer to its goal of a Hindu-first state,” captures the enduring presence of the RSS, a century-old Hindu-nationalist organization.

The Gujarat government’s reported decision to discontinue the ₹50,000 financial assistance provided to students from Nomadic and Denotified Tribes (N&DTs) pursuing diploma engineering courses has drawn strong criticism from social activists and concerned journalists across the state.

I have been forwarded a Guardian story which surprisingly suggests that, despite generating huge revenues from its controversial Carmichael coal mine in Australia, the Adani Group continues to report losses even three years after commencing operations, which began amidst strong opposition from powerful environmental groups.

This is about Sumit Chakravartty, who passed away in Kolkata last Saturday. One of the most unassuming colleagues during my Patriot-Link days in Delhi, which lasted from 1979 to 1993, Sumit, as we would address him, was perhaps the most polite and soft-spoken among all others.

   The other day, I received a message from education rights activist Mitra Ranjan, who claims that a whopping one lakh schools across India have been closed down or merged. This seemed unbelievable at first sight. The message from the activist, who is from the advocacy group Right to Education (RTE) Forum, states that this is happening as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which floated the idea of school integration/consolidation.

   The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)’s notification on July 11, 2025, relaxing the 2015 mandate for Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) systems in coal-based thermal power plants (TPPs), has drawn sharp criticism for creating a hazardous health divide and undermining India’s environmental commitments. 

  Is the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, seeking to bail out Boeing in its preliminary report released recently despite  the top MNC's whistleblower concerns ? It would seem so, if the Ministry's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB's) preliminary findings into the catastrophic crash of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registration VT-ANB, which went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025, killing all 241 on board and 19 on the ground, is any indication.

   A recent article by noted economist Indira Hirway, titled “The Hoax of Decline in Poverty in India” and published in  The Wire  on July 8, 2025, casts serious doubt on official claims of a dramatic fall in poverty rates in India. Hirway critiques the recent estimates by economists C. Rangarajan and S. Mahendra Dev, which assert that extreme poverty declined from 29.5% in 2011–12 to 9.5% in 2022–23, and further to 4.9% in 2023–24—a near 25 percentage-point drop over a decade.

  As Delhi nears the second anniversary of the catastrophic Yamuna floods on July 13, 2023, the city remains ill-prepared for another potential disaster, with experts warning that systemic failures and unchecked development continue to threaten the river’s health. The 2023 floods saw the Yamuna inundate its floodplains and reclaim lost channels, surpassing the 1978 flood level at the Delhi railway bridge by a significant margin. 

 India’s ambitious net-zero target by 2070 hinges critically on the success of its soon-to-be operational Indian Carbon Market (ICM). As per the CRISIL–Eversource Capital report, the ICM, structured under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023, is designed to create economic value out of emission reductions through a market-based carbon trading framework. But can a market-based solution work for India’s development context—and what are the risks?

   Researchers from the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) have attributed the failure to address inhalant misuse among teenagers to "existing domestic policies." While the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act 2015 penalizes the sale or provision of narcotics, psychotropic drugs, alcohol, and tobacco to minors (under 18), it notably omits inhalant misuse. Even the Gujarat Juvenile Justice Rules 2019, formulated for the Act's enforcement, also fail to "recognize the issue," the researchers highlight.