Tag: History
The Maulana Who Loved Krishna
By C. M. Naim First posted January 15, 2012 Hasrat Mohani was not just a maverick when it came to publicly championing the radical thinking of Tilak. He also wrote verses expressing deep love for Krishna, and often went to Mathura to celebrate Janmashtami. He was a true maverick. In 1908 he published an anonymous… Read More The Maulana Who Loved Krishna
The compass we lost
Note: The two links below are recordings of public lectures given by me under the kind auspices of The Raza Foundation (October 4, 2019), titled The Compass We Lost; and ANHAD Collective, titled Love at Work, Mahatma Gandhi’s Last Struggle (January 14, 2017). Dilip Simeon: The Compass We Lost <— link to AV Love at… Read More The compass we lost
MN Roy was to Marxism what Vivekananda was to Hinduism. He separated spirit and form
DENNIS DALTON When Michael Borodin baptized Roy into Marxism in 1919, Roy came from Indian nationalism to the new faith with the zeal commonly found amongst fresh converts. ‘Marxism is a wonderful philosophy, is it not?’ he exclaimed to a fellow comrade in 1923. ‘It has made of history such an exact science. Roy’s first… Read More MN Roy was to Marxism what Vivekananda was to Hinduism. He separated spirit and form
V.D. Savarkar and Gandhi’s murder
First posted September 20, 2012 By A.G. NOORANIIf only Savarkar’s bodyguard and his secretary had testified against him in court, he would have been convicted for Gandhi’s murder On July 12 Swapan Dasgupta made an interesting disclosure in the evening on television. L.K. Advani had told him that according to Morarji Desai, V.D. Savarkar was complicit… Read More V.D. Savarkar and Gandhi’s murder
Bollywood film accused of trivialising Holocaust with Auschwitz scenes
NB: The mind-numbing historical illiteracy and moral vacuity of some of our artists and members of the intelligentsia is embarassing, were it not also predictable. Adolf Hitler is much admired amongst many educated persons, Mein Kampf is freely available even though Rushdie’s Satanic Verses is banned. The ideological icon of India’s current ruling dispensation –… Read More Bollywood film accused of trivialising Holocaust with Auschwitz scenes
RIP Bhiku Daji Bhilare: the man who saved Gandhiji’s life in 1944
Subhash Gatade First posted August 06, 2017 For a section of people – whose number is diminishing fast – it is a moment of nostalgia when idealism was in air and sacrificing oneself for the cause of emancipation of humanity was looked at with respect, whereas for a larger section which is being intoxicated with… Read More RIP Bhiku Daji Bhilare: the man who saved Gandhiji’s life in 1944
The Censorship Files: The Battle of Algiers (1966)
By Philippe Clifton, William Gao, Oskar Zimowski WHO: Gillo Pontecorvo, Saadi YacefWHAT: The Battle of AlgiersWHEN: 1966 – 1971WHERE: The Republic of FranceWHY: For depicting a pro-Algerian perspective of the Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers (1966) is a historical film depicting the resistance efforts of Algerian national groups against French colonial authorities between 1954 and… Read More The Censorship Files: The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths
Civil Disobedience, Nonviolence, and Satyagraha in the Real World http://www.markshep.com/peace/books/Myths.html General InfoReviewsSample Text I have been known as a crank, faddist, madman. Evidently the reputation is well deserved. For, wherever I go, I draw to myself cranks, faddists, and madmen.” Mahatma Gandhi is one of the least understood figures of all time—even among his admirers.… Read More Mahatma Gandhi and His Myths
Remembering Nirbhaya: July 23, 2012
posted in India by prempanicker During his 2014 campaign, Modi exhorted people to ‘Remember Nirbhaya when you go to vote’ 3871 DAYS ago today, a 22-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped in a Delhi bus by six savages. Contemporary events led me to revisit my journals, and my memory, from that time. And some events stand out, even after the… Read More Remembering Nirbhaya: July 23, 2012
After the truth-shower 