no one speaks, really, of their own crimes. Seventy-five years on, the ruling political elites of all communities – Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims – and the governments of both nations show a complete unwillingness to acknowledge their own misdeeds.. NB: I salute Amarjit Chandan for fearlessly upholding truth and humanity. Thank you Amarjit sb. Dilip AMARJIT… Read More It is time for Punjabis to atone for the sins of 1947
NB: The title of my WordPress blog ‘After the truth shower’ originates in this poem, which was written one evening in 2010. I posted it on Blogger on October 12, 2012, after unsuccessfully attempting to publish it. It was written for my close friend Rabindra Ray (Lalloo), who passed away in January 2019. Here it… Read More My friend
NB: The Iranian government has distanced itself from the attack, but a Iranian government-supported newspaper has hailed the attacker as a hero. Religious ‘hurt sentiment’ has become a precursor to contract killing. Religious leaders who call for murder are themselves satanic; does the Divine Creator requires his or her dignity to be defended by mere… Read More The Disappeared: How the fatwa changed a writer’s life
Narendra Dabholkar (1945-2013) ‘Remember Gandhi. Remember what we did to him’: last threat to Narendra Dabholkar PUNE: Well-known rationalist and anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar was on Tuesday shot dead by two unidentified assailants while on a morning walk near Omkareshwar temple here. The 67-year-old activist was shot from close range and died on the spot. Police said the… Read More Four Indian intellectuals who were murdered for their ideas (2013-2017)
Pankaj Mishra and Ali Sethi In a remarkable document from the 13th century, a Sufi writer records his epiphany about the prophet Muhammad granting permission to music in India. Quoting an enigmatic utterance of the prophet (“I sense the breath of the Merciful coming from Yemen”), he speculates that the “Yemen” in question is not just the… Read More On the anniversary of partition, let’s consign the pitiless logic of Hindu v Muslim to the past
NB: This was the first review of my novel, Revolution Highway, published in 2010. It also reviews Hari Kunzru’s My Revolutions (2007); and was written by Anjum Hasan. It appeared in Caravan in January 2011. More reviews are available here. My thanks and best regards to Anjum and all the other reviewers. DS Dilip Simeon,… Read More You Say You Want a Revolution
NB: I first posted this remembrance of my schooldays in 2018 (it was written in 2008). I dedicate it to my late parents as well as to all my schoolmates, especially those, like my friend Umang, who are no more. Salute! Dilip From Recess: The Penguin Book of Schooldays Palash Mehrotra (ed); New Delhi, 2008 This is… Read More Of Bagpipes, Horses and Golden Orioles (2008)
NB: This post was taken from a HuffPost article in 2017 (the link is void now) and posted by me on Blogger on July 17, 2017. Maliha was a student of mine at the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University. I might add that she was an excellent scholar. I would like to share this with… Read More Dear Bharat Mata, I’m Your Pakistani Daughter And I Love You. By Maliha Khan
By Beena Sarwar and Priyanka Singh un ka jo farz hai wo ahl-e-siyasat jaanenmera paigham mohabbat hai jahan tak pahunche Let politicians do what they think they mustMy message is that of love, let it reach where it can – Jigar Moradabadi On a muggy Friday afternoon three weeks ago, three men from Pune walked… Read More On the eve of 75th independence anniversary, peace pilgrims from Pune bring message of love to Pakistan
Mukul Kesavan on Salman Rushdie and the violence on free thought NB: In case we forget what’s happened in India between 2013 and 2017: Four Indian intellectuals who were murdered for their ideas (2013-2017) In the decades since Khomeini’s fatwa overset Salman Rushdie’s life, his critics have sometimes suggested that he isn’t really a free speech icon because… Read More Bloodied pen
