The Frontline Years: Selected ArticlesThe present volume puts together a selection of EMS's Frontline columns. It is a testimony to the variety of his interests, his erudition, and his ability to communicate complex questions of history, politics and Marxist theory in simple and elegant prose. EMS discusses, among other things, the roles and contributions of Congress leaders from Dadabhai Naoroji and Ranade to Gandhi, Subhas Bose and Nehru, to Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh; he discusses the thoughts and relevance of Marxist theoreticians including Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Mao Zedong and Stalin, as well as Nelson Mandela; he writes on religion, philosophy and art; he discusses important questions of the Indian polity including planning and centre-state relations; he comments on the Indian Communist movement (including on the decision not to join the United Front government at the centre in 1996); and he writes about the radical experiments in Kerala. |
Contents
Publishers Note | 9 |
Is the CPI M Stalinist? | 25 |
Different Paths One Goal | 39 |
Philosopher and Society | 52 |
World Socialism Today | 69 |
The Legacy of Engels | 74 |
Triumph and Tragedy | 90 |
Criticism and SelfCriticism | 103 |
What Secularism Means | 130 |
Options Ahead | 146 |
The Ongoing Struggle | 162 |
From Congress to Coalition | 178 |
Empowering Women | 194 |
Netajis | 208 |
Planning Basics | 212 |
Eight Decades of Indias Communist Movement | 227 |
Common terms and phrases
activities adopted backward basis beginning bodies bourgeois British capitalism capitalist countries carry caste Central Centre century China Christian clear combination Committee Communist Party communities complete Congress Constitution continued criticism culture decades demand democracy differences District economic Economic Policy elections Emergency Engels Europe existence fact fighting followed forces former freedom Front give Government groups hand headed Hindu imperialism independence India industries Jan Sangh joined Kerala latter leaders leadership leading Left Lenin liberation major Marx Marxist mass materialism means Minister movement Muslim Narasimha Rao Nehru noted opposed Opposition organized panchayats participation people’s philosophy planning policies political position practice principle progressive proletarian question relations religion religious reservation revolutionary rulers ruling Russia secular democratic socialism socialist countries society Soviet Union struggle subsequently theory unity women