The ideals that the Self-Respect Movement fought are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago.

31-10-202522 STORIES

In this issue

New books on the shelves

A novel set in COVID times, a biography of M.S. Swaminathan and much more.

How idealism became pragmatism

Every movement begins with a dream and ends with a negotiation. The Self-Respect Movement’s political afterlife proves no cause stays pure.

They broke the chains, not the ceiling

While the women leaders of the Self-Respect Movement transformed society in profound ways, full empowerment of women remains far from fully achieved.

The century of self-respect

A hundred years later, the Self-Respect Movement’s ideals of equality, women’s liberation, and the annihilation of caste are finding new geographies.

Karthick Ram Manoharan

Editor’s note: The other freedom fight

Periyar knew self-rule without self-respect meant servitude in disguise. A hundred years later, his point still stands—loudly.

A.B. Vajpayee: A charismatic RSS ideologue

This engaging biography gives a colourful account of the multilayered relationships within the Sangh Parivar and deals with a turbulent time in India.

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