“How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms; by truth when it is attacked by lies; by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always and in the final act, by determination and faith.” – Archibald Macleish, poet Unbeknownst to most of us, … Read More
In September 2000, eminent Pakistani historian Mubarak Ali wrote an article, “How Many Qasims, Ghaznavis, and Ghoris Do We Need?” analyzing the valorization of Arabs and Turks who ravished the land that is now Pakistan, in school textbooks. Ali observed that Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni and Shihabuddin Ghori … Read More
A famous African adage avers that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. This, in a sense, is the crux of the current controversy over which School of historians should legitimately write history textbooks for secondary and senior secondary school … Read More
The sharp reaction to the film, Girlfriend, from both gay rights activists and cultural conformists highlights the surprising fact that modern Indians seem to perceive sexuality in terms of duality, rather than as a spectrum along which a range of experiences are possible. Gay rights activists have a right to … Read More
Even as political correctness makes candid discussion about Islamic fundamentalism virtually impossible, concerned intellectuals the world over are cautiously determined to analyze the concept of jihad and its implications for non-Islamic societies. Ever alert to such dangers, Muslim organizations and their fellow travellers are trying to whitewash the term that … Read More
Joseph K was submitted to the motions of due process of law and allowed to have his say before being snuffed out with banal savagery in Franz Kafka’s grimly prophetic The Trial. Reviving memories of the communist leviathan since consigned to the dustbin of history, Mr. Arjun Singh’s committee to … Read More
There is no denying that the knives are out in the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, and fire fighting by Parivar veterans will not put the genie back in the bottle. VHP supremo Ashok Singhal fired the first salvo in response to Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Manali musings that the … Read More
The BJP rank and file’s seething resentment against the nominations to the Rajya Sabha seems to have taken the leadership by surprise. Still in denial mode about the causes of the May 13 debacle, it sought to make amends with the half-hearted nomination of former Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie as … Read More
“The need of the moment is not one religion, but mutual respect and tolerance of the devotees of the different religions.” – Mahatma Gandhi The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s sudden decision to revoke the State’s anti-conversion law has brought the spotlight on the morality, if not legality, of religious … Read More
Over three decades after Dharampal’s classic, The Beautiful Tree, established that pre-Macaulay India had a literacy rate of around 73% and virtually every village had a school, the nation stagnates with a literacy rate of 65%. If memory serves me right, over the past two decades, we have managed to … Read More
