Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

This mysterious iron pillar in India has been exposed to the elements for over 1,600 years. So why hasn’t it ever rusted?

Can an iron structure stand tall for 1,600 years without rusting, despite being exposed to the elements? By Poonam Binayak, CNN It seems implausible, considering the supposed lack of technology at the time of its construction. Yet, inside New Delhi’s UNESCO-listed Qutb Minar complex – a collection of historic monuments and buildings built in the early 13th century… Read More This mysterious iron pillar in India has been exposed to the elements for over 1,600 years. So why hasn’t it ever rusted?

Dilip

Israel is banning Al Jazeera, America is banning TikTok. We know why

What the two laws have in common is desire to silence Israel-Gaza war critics Seth Stern The White House rightly said it was “concerning” when Israel’s parliament laid the groundwork to shut down Al Jazeera within its borders in April. On Sunday, Israel made its move. The Foreign Press Association called it a “dark day for democracy”. If the… Read More Israel is banning Al Jazeera, America is banning TikTok. We know why

Dilip

Hunt for grand victories and impact on democratic culture

Bharat Bhushan The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)‘s preoccupation with grander victories in every election seems to be feeding the worst standards of democratic conduct. Does pressure on Opposition candidates to stand down suggest narcissism, or does it reflect an element of nervousness? Take the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat. It has been a pocket borough… Read More Hunt for grand victories and impact on democratic culture

Dilip

Munitions India Ltd Exported Ordnance to Israel as Gaza Was Reduced to Rubble

The Modi government licensed a shipment in January 2024, the very month the ICJ ruled that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged … to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the [Genocide] Convention.” R. Ramachandran New Delhi: The Adani group’s drone… Read More Munitions India Ltd Exported Ordnance to Israel as Gaza Was Reduced to Rubble

Dilip

Police let violent mobs attack UCLA students. This is what lawlessness looks like

UCLA watched the chaos unfold in the middle of the night and did nothing until it was far too late.. But something else is sliding past popular attention: the meaning of the events at UCLA. Vigilantes staged an assault on unarmed civilians and the state let it happen. This has occurred many times before in US history, particularly… Read More Police let violent mobs attack UCLA students. This is what lawlessness looks like

Dilip

How Israel Violates International Law in Gaza: Expert Report

An independent expert report lays out how Israel systematically violated U.S. and International Law in Gaza, concluding that Israel launched indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian areas due to “extremely relaxed rules of engagement.” By Steve France / Mondoweiss ust days after the Biden administration showered the Israeli military with billions of dollars more in lethal… Read More How Israel Violates International Law in Gaza: Expert Report

Dilip

Industrialized Militaries & Climate Emergency / Why Arms Races Never End

First posted October 02, 2019 It may not come as a surprise that the largest industrial military in the history of the world is also the single biggest polluter on the planet. Murtaza Hussain Over a century before we reached the brink of ecological catastrophe, Rabindranath Tagore had a glimpse of where we might be headed.… Read More Industrialized Militaries & Climate Emergency / Why Arms Races Never End

Dilip

Sunset of the Century

Rabindranath Tagore (Written in Bengali on December 31, 1899) THE LAST SUN of the century sets amidst the blood-red clouds of the West and the whirlwind of hatred. The naked passion of self-love of Nations, in its drunken delirium of greed, is dancing to the clash of steel and the howling verses of vengeance. The… Read More Sunset of the Century

Dilip