Dear All: This post was triggered by RealityCheck’s response to Praveen Swami’s remarks on the MahaKumbh. In discussions of Haj subsidy, many of you must have heard arguments along the lines of “..but the government subsidises Kumbh Mela too“. Although demonstrably false, this argument continues to be rehashed – sometimes even by well-known columnists. The latest to join this group is Praveen Swami. Below, excerpts from a brilliantly written counter-piece by RealityCheck on the specious logic of Praveen Swami:
Praveen Swami after a flying recap of the Salman Rushdie affair, lands …

Video of the extempore talk I gave on the “Political Philosophy of Hindutva” at the Ilford Hindu Centre in London, at an event that was presided by Dr Koenraad Elst on 8th Jan ’12. Comments and criticisms welcome.

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As I stress towards the end of the seminar (and in the slides), this is work in progress. So suggestions, corrections and modifications will be garetfully acknowlegded and incorporated.   Thanks. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
Related Posts:  Hindutva and Liberalism, “Sukhasya moolam Dharmah”
Why I am a proud nationalist,
Understanding Raj-Dharma – Part I and Part 2
Somewhat Related: “People are …

Dear All: Following up from the successful (& hugely interactive!) live chat on “Illegal Infiltration and Impact on Demographics” that we had on 6th Jan, below are details of the “Republic Day Special”  live text chat on the “Role of Youth in Today’s Politics…and “ What can You and I do to bring about Systemic Change?”. Some of you will recall that we had a discussion on this topic almost 2 yrs back…A lot has changed since then..and I felt it would be useful and informative  to have another discussion …

Dear All: Following the series of interviews on my blog of young, aspiring, independent politicians, I am pleased to carry below an interview with Nehaa Patil, Lok Sabha candidate from Bengaluru North constituency. Many of you may have already joined Nehaa’s campaign page on facebook…She now also has a website where you can join as a volunteer, contribute and express your support. Nehaa’s initiative is commendable and deserves full support. She – and others like her – are showing the way that change can come to India..
All we need are a …

A few weeks ago, I got an email in my inbox about a very intriguing initiative called “Easyblood”. I had a look at the website and decided to find out more…Here is what I learnt after a brief chat with Souvik. EasyBlood (www.easyblood.info) is an online network cum directory of voluntary blood donors across India. It is an initiative of an NGO set up by Souvik and Bhaskar in Jamshedpur. Souvik and Bhaskar are not your typical jholawallahs – They both gave up lucrative jobs in Banking and Consulting to set up “People …

Earlier today, I was reminded of this news-item from June ’11:
Mystery surrounds an American agency carrying out a survey in different parts of India to know the Muslim opinion on some sensitive issues like placing Sharia over the Indian laws, Islam’s role in mainstram Indian politics, and whether Islam is under any serious threat.
…Kerala Police chief Jacob Punnose says the survey had communal overtones and hence a case has been filed against TNS India for asking communally sensitive questions.
“We have decided to file a case of 153(a) under Indian Penal …

Dear All: It is my pleasure to publish this guest post by Amitabh Soni on “A restorative Historical Account of Victorian Holocausts“…and how these Holocausts though bigger than Hitler’s Holocaust were kept a secret by the holier than thou British establishment. Read on…
*** A restorative Historical Account of Victorian Holocausts by Amitabh Soni ***
Over the past few months I have been reading horrid accounts of British Imperialism in India.  I think, the greatest achievement of British Imperialism, was to tone down the “dislike” of the Indians towards them to such drastic …