Dissent, Diversity Run Deep in Karnataka and in Indian Philosophy: A Conversation

Rahamath Tarikere and Chandan Gowda talk about philosophy, culture, resistance and syncretism in some traditions in Karnataka. Tarikere worked as professor of Kannada literature at Kannada University, Hampi from 1992 until his retirement in 2021. His extensive publications, which include literary and cultural criticism, travel writing as well as short essays on wide ranging matters,… Read More Dissent, Diversity Run Deep in Karnataka and in Indian Philosophy: A Conversation

9th March 2023 Dilip

India’s Urdu Press: A Bitter-Sweet Bicentenary

C. .M NAIM Last year, Urdu institutions in India celebrated a landmark in the history of that language—the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jam-i Jahan-Numa, the first modern newspaper in Urdu. It debuted on 27 March 1822, carrying a name that was clever and most befitting. It referred to the fabled “world-revealing goblet” of… Read More India’s Urdu Press: A Bitter-Sweet Bicentenary

4th February 20234th February 2023 Dilip

Seventy-five Years After Indian Partition

Literature once filled in archival gaps by saying the unsayable. Now a younger generation is devising new modes of telling the story and finding new stories to tell. By Parul Sehgal Before it was an edict, and a death sentence, it was a rumor. To many, it must have seemed improbable; I imagine my grandmother, buying… Read More Seventy-five Years After Indian Partition

30th December 202230th December 2022 Dilip

What today’s peddlers of Hindutva don’t understand about Hinduism

Mrinal Pande Writers are incurable fabulists. But lying sleepless in the dark encourages one to mull over the inflexible image of Hindutva, which is today less of a religion and more of a war cry against all non-Hindus. As elections in crucial states draw close and electoral rallies become vast, frenzied affairs, Hindutva is placed… Read More What today’s peddlers of Hindutva don’t understand about Hinduism

19th December 2022 Dilip

T. M. Krishna on Bharat Jodo Yatra

NB: For any mass campaign to focus on love and harmony is a welcome change from the atmosphere of communal animus and the non-stop sneering which has become the hallmark of Indian politics under the Modi government. Thanks are due to everyone involved in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. DS The Bharat Jodo Yatra began on… Read More T. M. Krishna on Bharat Jodo Yatra

19th December 202219th December 2022 Dilip

Events of December 6, 1992 assaulted both secularism and Hinduism

First posted December 05, 2017 Pratap Bhanu Mehta The 25th anniversary of that fateful day in Ayodhya when the Babri Masjid was demolished brings a sense of foreboding. The psychological and historical significance of that day is complex. But when all is said and done, it has to be admitted that the worst of our… Read More Events of December 6, 1992 assaulted both secularism and Hinduism

6th December 2022 Dilip

Bengal Imam who lost son to communal clashes calls for peace / Students Across India Rise Up To Protest Citizenship Act And Police Brutality

First posted December 15, 2019 His appeal to the protesters not to cause discomfort to ordinary people or harm public or private properties has been circulating on social media since Sunday morning. NB: This gentleman deserves our respect, gratitude and admiration. I would like to salute him and ask that we all learn from him. His… Read More Bengal Imam who lost son to communal clashes calls for peace / Students Across India Rise Up To Protest Citizenship Act And Police Brutality

2nd December 20221st December 2022 Dilip

Book review: Sumit Guha’s new book on the history of caste

First posted June 13, 2014 ‘A persuasive and a totally new way of thinking about a difficult subject, a truly significant achievement‘ Beyond Caste: Identity and Power in South Asia, Past and Present (2013) by Sumit Guha Reviwed by Tirthankar Roy EPW vol – XLIX No. 24, June 14, 2014) Three building-blocks structure this book.… Read More Book review: Sumit Guha’s new book on the history of caste

25th November 202225th November 2022 Dilip

How the RSS, Golwalkar & Hindu Mahasabha glorified caste: Devanur Mahadevan

Sabrangindia Laced with quotations from Golwalkar and Savarkar of the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha themselves, this work, now available in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English, sharply critiques the far right’s worldview on caste exclusion and discrimination [Devanur Mahadeva, The RSS- The Long & Short of It is available in English; Price Rs 199. To obtain a copy… Read More How the RSS, Golwalkar & Hindu Mahasabha glorified caste: Devanur Mahadevan

22nd November 2022 Dilip

Sarbpreet Singh: The Curious Connection Between Sikkim’s Lake Guru Dongmar & Guru Nanak

First posted on November 12, 2019 I am back in Gangtok after many years. As I grew up here, I call it home. During a whirlwind book tour in India to talk about my new book, The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia, I decided to take a few days off to go home. It is raining… Read More Sarbpreet Singh: The Curious Connection Between Sikkim’s Lake Guru Dongmar & Guru Nanak

5th November 2022 Dilip

After the truth-shower

Philosophy, history, literature, current affairs, and other stuff. Posted by Dilip Simeon

Tag: Indian culture