Category Archives: Art of Resistance

Following the dictum “Cultural revolution must precede political revolution”, we are striving to create the scope for an alternative cultural space, which can offer resistance to all forms of coercion, and can also serve as a medium for conducting non-violent, horizontal dialogical exchanges.

A Snarky Ballad of a Certain Rabble

This satirical poem delivers a sharp, biting critique of a dominant socio-political religious faction in India—depicted as a loud, opportunistic “rabble” cloaked in religious symbolism yet driven by greed, division, and authoritarianism. Through mock-heroic verse, vivid imagery, and scathing humor, it satirizes their manipulation of faith, incitement of violence (e.g., “cow cops,” pogroms, “Love Jihad”), suppression of dissent (notably referencing the murders of freethinkers like Gauri Lankesh and Kalburgi), and collusion with media, courts, and corporate interests. The poem also lambasts the distortion of heritage—cherry-picking myths and demolishing sacred sites in the name of “progress.”

The critical analysis beneath the poem unpacks its thematic layers—religious hypocrisy, institutional complicity, cultural vandalism—while interpreting its formal elements: mock-epic structure, colloquial tone, sharp wordplay, and rich metaphor. It positions the text as a potent Foucauldian counter-discourse, exposing how power constructs and enforces narratives, and encourages readers to resist hegemonic truths through satire and intellectual dissent.

Thy Hand, The Great Monarch

“Thy Hand, The Great Monarch” is a scathing satirical poem that critiques an authoritarian Indian leader, portrayed as a self-aggrandizing “titan” ruling through delusion, paranoia, and hypocrisy. Drawing on Alexander Pope’s The Dunciad, Nirad C. Chaudhuri’s Thy Hand, Great Anarch!, and V.S. Naipaul’s India: A Wounded Civilization, the poem constructs a discursive narrative of India’s descent into a “Duffer Zone” of mediocrity, where populism, cronyism, and majoritarianism erode democratic values. It accuses the leader of orchestrating violence (e.g., Gujarat riots, Pehlu Khan’s lynching), enabling economic exploitation (e.g., Rafale, DHFL scandals), and undermining constitutional principles through policies like demonetization and CAA-NRC. The poem’s psychological portrait aligns with Adorno’s Authoritarian Personality, highlighting traits like conventionalism, aggression, and anti-intraception, while Foucault’s concepts of panoptic surveillance and biopolitics frame the leader’s control mechanisms. Through vivid imagery and historical parallels (Mussolini, Hitler), it calls for resistance against a regime of deceit, urging a recall to reclaim India’s diverse soul from theocratic and neoliberal decay.

Spect-Actors of the Dust and Debris: A Play

The play, perhaps set in a dystopian, satirical India, employs a fluid theatre troupe in Khalasi Tola to present a radicalized performance that critiques and “plays out” systemic corruption, authoritarianism, and social injustice. Drawing primarily on Brecht’s alienation effect and Boal’s Legislative Theatre, it thematically intertwines real-world issues—such as the DHFL scam, the 2002 Gujarat riots, Adani-Ambani cronyism, and pseudo-science—with activated characters that blur the lines between fact and fiction, engaging interactive spect-actors in the process.

Oligarchs, Jokes, and a Pinch of Democracy: An Agit-Prop

This agit-prop is a sharp, satirical theatrical performance set in a dystopian 2025 Mumbai comedy club, blending the traditions of Charlie Chaplin, Bertolt Brecht, and Dario Fo to mount a fierce critique of India’s current political and media landscape. Using the techniques of “total theatre” and “epic theatre,” the play breaks the fourth wall and demands audience engagement, creating a space where humour becomes rebellion. Anchored by Akash Banerjee’s scathing monologues and featuring an ensemble of comedians like Munawar Faruqui, Vir Das, and Kunal Kamra, alongside journalists such as Ravish Kumar and Dhruv Rathee, the performance employs alienation effects and direct address to spotlight the nexus of politics, propaganda, and profit. The stage becomes a visual battleground of symbols: a Modi impersonator lies in a hospital bed gripping a vial of sindoor, surrounded by forged degrees from “Entire Political Science” and “WhatsApp University”; demonetized ₹500 notes bear the mocking stamp “Black Money Not Found”; a Pegasus spyware phone labeled “Snoop Mode On” links to a rigged EVM; and a “Godi Media” mic is manipulated by puppets of corporate moguls. Even the audience is not spared—projected as part of the performance, they are handed placards reading “Truth is Anti-National” and “Laugh or Be Hacked,” implicating them in the spectacle. With dark comedy and biting wit, the agit-prop exposes the erosion of democracy, the complicity of the media, the surveillance state, and the stranglehold of oligarchic power, urging spectators to become participants in resistance rather than passive consumers of spectacle.

Licensed Thieves & Shady Transactions: Sarcastic Posters Exposing the Systemic Rot in the DHFL “Scam”

This im/passioned collage of posters from many of the Indian citizens highlights the systemic corruption and financial abuse exemplified by the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) scam, portraying it as a symptom of a broader BJP-headed autocratic regime’s collusion with crony capitalists like Ajay Piramal and others like Ambani and Adani. India’s low score of 38 on the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index underscores the pervasive corruption that enables such financial heists. The misuse of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) of 2016, coupled with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) appointment of a complicit Committee of Creditors (CoC), facilitated the orchestrated plundering of DHFL depositors’ savings. Against this backdrop, sarcastic book covers and posters serve as powerful tools of resistance, exposing the roles of the RBI Governor and CoC members in alleged bribery, audit fraud, and data manipulation. These creative expressions are not only a critique of financial misconduct but also a broader condemnation of human rights violations, where systemic greed strips citizens of all senses of dignity and security. The narrative calls for justice through satire, urging accountability in a nation suffocated by regulatory apathy and political patronage.

The Shadow of Quora: Why Once in a Blue Moon Academia Faces a Singular Blockade?

Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA), a digital movement advocating for justice and transparency, thrives across platforms like WordPress, Google Sites, and YouTube, yet faces a unique blockade from Quora. This article explores Quora’s darker side—its inconsistent moderation, echo chambers, data breaches, and censorship—revealing how these flaws mirror OBMA’s broader fight against systemic oppression, including the Piramal Group’s influence in the #DHFL_Scam. From https://onceinabluemoon2021.in/ to its global digital presence, OBMA’s struggle underscores the tension between digital gatekeeping and the quest for free expression, urging readers to join the battle for a more open internet. #Seize_Cronies_Fairplay_for_DHFL_Victims #Restore_Freedom_of_Speech_and_Expression

Unveiling the Venom: A Lament Against Orchestrated Hate and Simulated “Truths” about Pahalgam and Abhaya

In a fiery lament dripping with anguish and defiance following the Abhaya incident in West Bengal and the Pehelgam Massacre in Kashmir, Unveiling the Venom shreds apart the orchestrated hatred and manufactured truths nurtured by India’s ruling regime. The author mourns martyrs of free thought, blasts the cynical use of religious fundamentalism to mask corporate greed, and calls out the leaders’ war-mongering hypocrisy, corruption, and simulated hyper-nationalism. Wielding history, philosophy, and satire like a blade, the piece demands accountability, exposes state-sponsored deceit, and reminds readers that real resistance is forged in questioning, not blind allegiance. A stormy anthem against an empire of lies.

“Stop Allergic Piramal”: A Self-Reflexive Note from a Ruptured Self

​In this narrative, the author intertwines personal anguish with systemic critique, portraying how financial betrayal manifests as physical ailment. After losing life savings in the DHFL crisis, the narrator experiences psychosomatic symptoms—itching skin, rashes, anxiety—symbolizing the deep scars left by economic injustice. The piece uses the metaphor of medication, specifically “StopAllerg,” to highlight how treatments may numb symptoms but fail to address underlying causes. This narrative serves as a poignant commentary on how corporate greed and institutional failures inflict both psychological and physiological harm on victimized individuals.

Not Just Victims — We Are the Verdict: In Solidarity with the DHFL Victims as a United Front

The article expresses solidarity with victims of the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) scam. It frames the victims not merely as passive sufferers but as active agents seeking justice against financial abuse, allegedly perpetrated through a nexus involving crony capitalism, political collusion, and corporate misconduct. The piece highlights the futility of legal battles ALONE, referring to the April 1st verdict of the Supreme Court of India. The article challenges the resolution process that favoured Piramal Group’s acquisition of DHFL. It criticizes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) for prioritizing corporate interests over small investors, particularly senior citizens and fixed deposit (FD) and non-convertible debenture (NCD) holders. The article calls for collective resistance, urging victims to unite in a non-violent, web-based movement to demand accountability and fair compensation, while condemning systemic corruption and judicial complicity.

অর্থনীতির অতিমারী, অর্থের-নেতির বি-কল্প-না

নিম্নবর্গের প্রতিদিনের রোটি-কপড়া-মকান-এর লড়াই সঙ্গে তাল মেলাতে পারে না প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক অর্থনীতি। তাই এই বইয়ে দেবপ্রসাদ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় সেই অর্থনীতিকে নেতিকৃত করেছেন। কথ্য ভাষায় লেখা ‘অর্থনেতি’ – তে উঠে এসেছে বাজার থেকে শুরু করে নিসর্গের সমস্যা। জিডিপির হার কি সকল শ্রেণির সুখে বেঁচে থাকার কথা আদৌ বলে? প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক অর্থনীতির সঙ্গে কি আদৌ যোগ আছে খেটে খাওয়া মানুষের প্রাত্যহিকতার? নিসর্গের বিপদের সঙ্গে পুঁজির বিকাশের সম্পর্ক ঠিক কী? এই সবটাই আলোচিত হয়েছে দেবপ্রসাদ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের “অর্থ-নী-নেতি” বিষয়ক কিতাব নিয়ে এক সংলাপে, যাতে যুক্ত হয়েছেন লেখক-পুত্র আখর বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। এ সংলাপ অনুষ্ঠিত হয় ২৮শে মার্চ, ২০২৫, “মান্দাস” প্রকাশনার বইঠেকে।