Anshuman Sahoo

Introducing the Red Queen: I was told by my teachers to always start with a story, and what’s better than one from my favourite childhood novel? Most of you might have read ‘ Alice through the Looking Glass ’ by Lewis Carroll; it includes a scene where Alice, in the strange land that’s designed like a giant chessboard, notices that everyone keeps running but never reach their destination. Why? Because when people ran there, everything else ran with them: the landscape, the competitors, and even the destination. When she asks the Red Queen about this, she gets this reply: “ Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! ” And needless to say, the mythical ‘twice as fast’ speed is practically impossible because when you start running twice as fast, everything else does the same – thereby nullifying the effect of your acceleration. This particular scene is really popula

ଦଶମ ଶ୍ରେଣୀ ସରଲା ପରେ ମୋର ଗାଁ ପାଖେ କିଛି ଭଲ ସୁବିଧା ନାଇଁ ଥିଲା ବୋଲିକରି ମତେ ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର ଯିବାକେ ପଡ଼ିଥିଲା । ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର ଗଲା ପରେ ଯାଇକରି ମୁଇଁ ଜାନଲି କି ମୁଇଁ ଯେନ ଓଡ଼ିଆ କହୁଛେ ସେଟା ଠିକ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ନୁହେଁ ସେ । ମୁଇଁ ବାକି ଲୋକ ମାନକର କଥା ବୁଝି ପାରୁଥିଲି, କିନ୍ତୁ ମୋର କଥା କେହି ବୁଝି ନାଇଁ ପାରୁଥିଲେ। ଦୁଇ ତିନ ଦିନ ଗଲାପରେ ଆଉ କେତେଜଣ ସମ୍ବଲପୁରୀ ସାଙ୍ଗ ଜୁଟିଗଲେ ତ ମୁଇଁ ବୁଝଲି କି ଏଟା ଖାଲି ମୋର ସମସ୍ୟା ନୁହେ ସେ, ସବୁ ପଶ୍ଚିମ-ଓଡିଶାବାସୀର ସମସ୍ୟା ଆଏ। *** ବାର ଶ୍ରେଣୀ ପଢ଼ି ସାରଲା ପରେ କଲେଜ ଲାଗି ଦେହରାଦୁନ ଗଲି, ତ ସେଠି ଭି ଗୁଟେ ସମାନ ସମସ୍ୟା ଦେଖଲି। ଉତ୍ତରାଖଣ୍ଡର ପ୍ରାୟ ଲୋକ ଗଡ଼ବାଲି କହେସନ, କିନ୍ତୁ ରାଜଧାନୀ ସହର ଦେହରାଦୁନରେ କେହି ଗଡ଼ବାଲି ନାଇଁ ବୁଝନ। ସମସ୍ତେ ବହିଲେଖା ହିନ୍ଦୀ କହେସନ, ଆଉ ଯେନ ଲୋକ ମାନେ ନିଜେ ପାହାଡ଼ି ଆନ, ସେମାନେ ଭି ନିଜର ଛୁଆ ପିଲା ମାନକେ ଗଡ଼ବାଲି ଛାଡ଼ିକରି ବହିଲେଖା ହିନ୍ଦୀ ଶିଖାସନ। *** କେତେ ବରସ ପରେ କାମ ଲାଗି ଦିଲ୍ଲୀ ଯାଇକେ ପଡ଼ଲା, ତ ସେଠି ଭି ଏନତା ଗୁଟେ ଜିନିଷ ଦେଖଲି। ବିହାରି/ଭୋଜପୁରୀ ଲୋକମାନେ ବାହାରେ ଭୁଲରେ ଭି ବିହାରୀ ଭାଷା ରେ କଥା ନାଇଁ ହୁଅନ। ଦିଲ୍ଲୀ ଲୋକ ମାନେ ଭୋଜପୁରୀ ଲୋକ ମାନକେ ଅସଭ୍ୟ ଜଙ୍ଗଲୀ କେତେ କଥା କହେସନ ବୋଲି ବିଚରା ବିହାରୀ ମାନେ ନିଜକେ ଭୋଜପୁରୀ ବୋଲି ପରିଚୟ ଭି ନାଇଁ ଦିଅନ।   *********** ଉପରେ ଯେନ ବ

“ Their morals, their code; it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. You'll see- I'll show you. When the chips are down these, uh, civilized people? They'll eat each other... ” -         The Joker Difficult times are excellent mirrors that destiny holds up close to our face and the COVID-19 crisis has been no exception. The distress has been tough and accompanied by several other difficulties across the globe. However, the one good thing that this has done is drive us closer to realism. Realists were never more relevant, and critical studies were never closer to being apt! In the latter half of the last century, when the Critical Legal Studies (CLS) claimed that ‘law is politics’ , outrages were seen from various walks of life. Experts accused it to be reductionist. Scholars dismissed it as unfounded hypotheses. And political actors laughed it off to be fanatic. But there were traces of truth i