Whatever the merits of Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s latest suggestion on Jammu & Kashmir, there is no avoiding the conclusion that India has accepted the Pakistani position that the State is disputed territory. This is a dangerous development, but in fairness to Dr. Manmohan Singh it must be said that it … Read More
Europe’s civilian revolt against the stranglehold of the Catholic Church was won by resurrecting its Pagan heritage as exemplified in Greek philosophy and Roman law. The resultant duality of religious and secular authority provided space for individual liberty, science, and material progress. Hindu society, despite civilizational stresses from hostile invasions, … Read More
Like many who followed the poignant story of young Gudiya on a television network last fortnight, I felt the script reminiscent of a predetermined finale. What struck me most was the fact that the programme, slated to help a young woman in a terrible predicament, actively pandered to the orthodoxies … Read More
When the Muslim votebank frowns, politicians get into a frenzy. Reacting with alacrity to Muslim ire at Census revelations of the community’s steep growth rate, the UPA government reverted Commissioner J.K. Banthia to his parent cadre for not consulting the Union Home Ministry before releasing data on religious demography. Congress … Read More
In a modern marriage, Swami Dayananda Saraswati once observed, two individuals come together as nouns, but after the ceremony, one becomes an adjective, most usually the woman. Metamorphosing from say, ‘Saraswati’ to ‘Saraswati Ramakrishna,’ she is reduced to an adjective qualifying the noun ‘Ramakrishna.’ Yet there are times, the sage … Read More
As Canada gears up to permit its Muslim population to follow the Sharia in some areas of private life, Western civilization faces its first major ideological challenge since the Reformation paved the way for separation of Church and State four centuries ago. Canada has long prided itself on the success … Read More
“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
