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
Will love, compassion, and care hold similar velocity to counter-mobilise rightwing Hindutva? Ajay Gudavarthy Democracies across the globe are undergoing a deep churning and we do not know, as yet, if this will eventually settle down into a more inclusive social equilibrium challenging old and conventional understanding of social change, or remain stuck as a… Read More India’s Silent Emotive Majority
An initiative by Kabir Project to take the power of the mystic song to children and young people, Shabad Shaala is coming to Delhi in partnership with Manzil Mystics. This is a chance for the youth of Delhi (15-30 years) to learn bhajans, kaafis and baul-gaan from the great gurus of folk tradition, and also engage in reflective and… Read More Shabad Shaala in Delhi : An Initiative by the Kabir Project
There are claims that the roots of democratic institutions can be found in ancient India. Studies have shown that such institutions have existed not only in India but also in other parts of the world. No one society can claim it was the ‘mother’.… There were two mutually contradictory strains in Western thought about India… Read More Was India the Mother of Democracy?
Hindu society must think about its own role in the creation of this Hindutva edition of Ramkatha. The electoral and behaviour of a large section of the community has led its leaders and cultural representatives to believe that its sensibilities have been so debased that it will have to accept Adipurush as its Ramayana. Adipurush has presented Hindu society… Read More ‘Adipurush’ speaks the language of Hindutva supporters. Why are they opposing the movie?
He invites respect, not rivalry. He is seasoned in politics and experienced in governance Rajmohan Gandhi As has been said a million times, a year is an eternity in politics. Any one of a hundred different things can upend the calculations of the smartest visualiser of the 2024 election scene. All, however, will agree that Karnataka has… Read More Message from Karnataka: Mallikarjun Kharge must take centre stage
Jesudas and his son Edwin are skilled craftsmen, known in the Carnatic music universe of Chennai and elsewhere for the mridangams they give life to, though they still face occasional communal biases Ashna Butani The sounds of Carnatic music on the radio fill a cramped room painted blue in a small lane of Mylapore. Photos… Read More The mridangam makers of Mylapore
Irrespective of the present company he keeps, Jaishankar is a quintessential product of that real or imagined Khan Market fraternity. His newly accredited centrality in the Modi regime tells us as much about the external affairs minister as about the continued indispensability of the KMG to any ruler wanting to govern this difficult land Harish… Read More The ‘Khan Market Gang’ is Back With a Flourish in Modi’s Naya Bharat
A new film on a Muslim woman from the southern Indian state of Kerala who raised three Hindu children has brought attention to the family’s unusual story. BBC Hindi’s Imran Qureshi spoke to the siblings who inspired the film. When Jafferkhan first watched Ennu Swantham Sreedharan (Yours Truly, Sreedharan), he says he was moved to… Read More Kerala: Muslim woman’s Hindu children inspire an Indian film
After the truth-shower 