Dr Anirban Ganguly

Research Fellow at VIF (2009 - 2013).

Expertise: Civilisational and Cultural Studies, Indian Political Thought, Contemporary Indian Political History, Philosophy of Education

Contributions

Ignoring ICCR: Undermining India’s ‘Soft Diplomacy’

June 25, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

India’s premier and oldest agency for furthering her soft power, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is faced with an acute crisis of resources. The challenge is serious and yet it does not seem to have moved the powers that be. In te...

Tags: International Relations and Diplomacy, China

Nationalists not Marxists: Celebrating the Centenary of the Ghadar Revolution - 1913-2013

April 24, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

April 2013 announces the centenary of the Ghadar Party – one of the most riveting symbols of Indian defiance against colonial oppression. What makes the Ghadar movement an enduring symbol in the imagination of youth is the fact that it was waged in...

Tags: Historical and Civilisational Studies

Supporting War Criminals - Is Bengal’s Liberal Space Shrinking?

April 04, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

Something unprecedented happened over the last week end (30th March) in Kolkata. Sixteen Islamic organizations came together at the Maidan, the second largest public ground in the city, in protest against the ongoing War Crimes Trial in Ba...

Tags: National Security and Strategic Studies, Governance and Political Studies

‘Indophobia’ and Its Expressions

February 26, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

The hideous massacre of unarmed Indian Satyagrahis who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to show their displeasure at draconian laws adopted by the British government in India is much in the news these days. The British Prime Minister’s visit...

Tags: Historical and Civilisational Studies

Status of Indian Education - Present Trends and Past Systems: Some Reflections

January 29, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 is out and has already generated discussion on the state of education in the country. A quick survey of some figures seem to point to a mix of a movement forward – especially in terms of infrastruct...

Tags: Governance and Political Studies

VIF Papers

Alternate Perceptions of India: Arguing for a Counter Narrative

May 17, 2013 Dr Anirban Ganguly

Introduction Descriptions of India and of Hindus that have assumed a dominant position in the discourse on Indian civilisation and culture have mostly been those which have distorted the perception of India. Written and expounded with a cle...

Tags: Historical and Civilisational Studies, Indian Civilisation, Indian culture, India’s traditions

Amarnath Yatra: Occasion to Revisit the Indian Institution of Tirtha

June 19, 2012 Dr Anirban Ganguly

Pilgrimage – tirtha – is a unique Indian civilisational institution that has fascinated and propelled people over the ages. The current issue of further curtailing the period of pilgrimage to the sacred shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir is ...

Tags: Historical and Civilisational Studies, Kashmir, Amarnath Yatra