In the backdrop of the economic crisis which continues unabated in the US and Europe, interest in the work of Karl Marx is witnessing a revival. The three volumes of Capital is Marx’s masterpiece, which contains his political economy critique of capitalism. In order to make sense of what is happening to capitalism today, it is worthwhile to revisit and engage with the issues raised by Capital.
A political review of award winning Bengali film, Koni (1986) and how the Indian Left can learn important lessons from such a film is analysed by pragoti editorial member, Maidul Islam.
In what has been termed a "success", workers at the Manesar plant of the Maruti Suzuki automobile company managed to wrest concessions from plant management setting in motion the planned creation of a new independent union. Newsclick India, an alternate media webzine managed to get exclusive information and images of protesting workers. The video is embedded below, courtesy Newsclick.
"The coming together of the workers and ‘reserve labour’ will set the stage for decisive battles against imperialist exploitation. The beginnings of this have been seen in Latin America throughout the past decade and more recently in Europe and the Arab world", argues Prasenjit Bose, in a paper presented in a Conference on "Accumulation, Immiserisation and Development" in JNU on March 7, 2011.
P.K.Anand, a student activist studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University writes a heartfelt note on the reasons why he participated in a workers' rally in New Delhi and mobilised his fellow students in solidarity with them.
I received this message as an email from a friend. I cannot but agree with him entirely. (Image courtesy Reuters)
A look at the different interpretations and positions over the recent protests in Iran.
Pragoti commemorates May Day 2009 with a request to readers to share their thoughts on the political significance of May Day this year in the current global conjuncture of imperialism in crisis.
Pragoti salutes the nameless and the ordinary whose valiance and courage in life and death will not be headlines in the chronicles of the Mumbai carnage. The immediate appeals to jingoistic nationalism and communalism by the hard and soft Hindu right, and the proposals to launch war and pass draconian laws, dished out by the mainstream media, is an attempt to ensure that the people are put through more of such terror. We stand committed to the struggles of the ordinary and the nameless people of India to fight terrorism and all political harbingers of terror.
Sixty five communist and workers' parties from fifty four countries congregated in Sao Paulo at the invitation of the Communist Party of Brazil for the 10th International meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. This is the first time that such a meeting was being held in Latin America. Fifteen communist and workers' parties from thirteen Latin American countries, the largest number to attend since Athens 1998, were present. Sitaram Yechury writes from Sao Paolo.