SALIL Chowdhury has completed a hundred years. The entire nation knows him as a legendary composer. Today’s celebrated music directors like A.R. Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja regard him as their guru. The debt popular music owes him is true enough—but it is not his whole identity. His contributions are spread across literature—poetry, stories, drama—and cinema. It is also important to remember that in one phase of his life, he was an active political worker and organiser. He worked among some of the most marginalised sections of society. He was at the centre of militant peasant struggles.

THE second quarter (Q2-July-September) estimates of GDP released by the government on November 28 estimate real GDP growth of 8.2 per cent and nominal growth of 8.7 per cent with an implicit inflation rate of 0.5 per cent. This estimated growth is higher than 5.6 per cent for Q2 of 2024-25 but lower than the Q2 figure of 2022-23, 9.3 per cent. The government claims that due to GST reforms, good harvest and low food inflation the headline inflation rate is low.

The imperialist US under President Donald Trump has started a full-fledged campaign of tariff terrorism against not only India but also several other countries. Trump has imposed the highest 50% additional tariffs on Indian exports to the US. Brazil is the only other country to have been slapped with such high tariffs. At the same time, Trump wants India to sign an agreement for free trade with almost nil tariffs on US exports to India.Tariff means an entry tax on imports at the border, what we generally call import duty.

SOME words become heavy with meaning. For the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the word "terrorism" is one of them. When used carelessly, it stops being just a word for a violent act and becomes a label for an entire community. It becomes a lens that distorts how people see them, making their hopes seem suspicious and their pain seem less important.The recent heinous terrorist acts in Pahalgam and Delhi cannot be but condemned by all shades of opinions. It reminds us of a deep and painful process of tragic events in Kashmir since 1990. The loss of precious innocent lives is a tragedy.

THE Modi government has published a draft labour policy -- Shram Shakti Niti 2025. The policy document gives rise to a host of questions. What is the objective of this policy? What should be the labour policy? Is everything contained in ancient texts like Manusmriti? Is there a special Indian concept of labour? The labour department is responsible for resolving disputes through methods such as enforcement of labour laws, inspections, mediation between management and trade unions, reaching compromises, and adjudication. Laws were made to protect the rights of workers.