Monotheism

Published on 7th July, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror Declaration of faith is part of many religions. It means publicly stating one’s belief. In Judaism, which is the oldest Abrahamic faith, it is a reiteration of monotheism, the ‘Shema’. In Christianity, it means making the sign of the cross to show one accepts Jesus, who was crucified, is the saviour. In Islam, it is the ‘Shahada’, or stating repeatedly that there is only one true god and that is Allah. In Buddhism, the declaration clarifies one surrenders to the awakened one, his teachings and his congregation – Buddham sharanam gacchami, Dhammam sharanam gacchami, Sangham sharanam gacchami. ..

Published on 9th June, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror. WHO IS A HINDU? If you ask a Hindu extremist, he will say that Sikhism is very much a dharmic religion like Hinduism, under the umbrella term, Sanatan Dharma. However, if you speak to a Sikh extremist, especially in the UK and Canada, he will deny this, completely. This division has been especially amplified since the tensions between the Indian state and the Sikh community in the 1980s. In the West, most white people confuse Sikhism with Islam as beards and ‘turbans’ are seen as common. Extremists always follow simplistic, binary concepts. They cannot, and will not, ..

Published on 26th May, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror WHO IS A HINDU? What did communities that were not allowed entry into temples do? They decided to create their own gods. There was a community of landless labourers in Gujarat. Some were also cattle herders, some sold forest produce. They were also extremely talented artists, but were denied entry into temples. Therefore, they decided to create their own gods by painting their images on cloth. This led to a whole new art form: a form of mobile temples on painted cloth. They worshipped their own goddesses, Hadkai Mata, who rides a dog and protects people from ..

Published on 14th October, 2018, in Mid-day Two hundred years ago, the Europeans did not believe in the existence of multiple religions. They believed there was only one truth in the world and, therefore, only one religion. The Europeans believed the only truth was Christianity. For them, Jews and Muslims were heretics, who had misinterpreted the scripture, while the people of Africa, America, Australia, China and India, who followed polytheistic traditions, were infidels and idolaters who had to be converted to the truth of monotheism. It is only 150 years ago that the idea of multiple truths emerged. This was following an engagement of these ..

Published on 12th August, 2017, on OutlookIndia.com . Sex is a natural reality. Marriage is a cultural requirement. And celibacy is simply an assumption. We have to keep these three ideas in mind while exploring the mythology of singlehood. In most mythologies around the world, the sky copulates with the earth to give rise to all living creatures. The firstborn, usually male, separates the two, and establishes dominion over the earth. We find this theme in Greek, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Vedic and even Maori mythology. However, monotheistic mythologies have a problem with this theme. For, it suggests that creation needs two entities, not just the one. ..

Published on 23rd September, 2015, on www.dailyo.in. So I am confused. According to newspaper reports, Delhi High Court allegedly steps in to protect the rights of a male-to-female transgender. Simultaneously, the Supreme Court supposedly declares homosexuality a social evil while it shelves a film that speaks of the suffering of a gay Indian prince, even after the Censor Board passed it. What’s going on? Is the media confusing us? Or is the judicial system confused? Is it simply doing the ubiquitous Indian headshake on queer issues? Must I write this article? Will I be charged for sedition for doing what columnists are supposed to do? ..