Times of India

Published on 18th May, 2022, in Times of India. Orientalist academicians love describing the Shiva-ling as a ‘phallic symbol’ because it irritates the Hindu who prefer to see the object of their devotion as something spiritual, not sexual. For the Orientalist, i.e. Western and Westernised scholar, such descriptions are, at one level, a way of thumbing the nose at the religious establishment that views sex as sin. At another level, such descriptions are to reinforce Hinduism pagan polytheistic nature. In colonial times, Hindu reformers were embarrassed by this Orientalist description of the Hindu god. But they were caught in a conundrum between the abstract explanations ..

Published on 22nd May, 2021, in Mumbai Mirror. Buddhism speaks of the discourses given by the Buddha to thousands of monks, nuns and lay people at Jetavana. Jainism speaks of samavasaran, when the Tirthankara reveals Jain wisdom to all creatures, earthly and heavenly, who sit around him in a circle. Jewish folk speak of Moses speaking from atop Mount Sinai. Christians speak of Jesus delivering the sermon on the mount. Muslims speak of Muhammad giving his final farewell sermon after his first Haj pilgrimage after the conquest of Mecca. But Hindus? Do Hindu gurus give sermons? Yes, in the 21st Century. Following the Buddhist and ..

Published on 28th February, 2017, in The Times of India. Fantasy frightens us, especially female fantasy. How do we regulate it? We can control a woman’s body, lock her in the house, cover her face with a veil, but how do we control her mind. For in her mind, she can imagine a better man, a perfect man, which renders the real men in her life inadequate. Her body can be invaded and violated, but can her mind ever be truly domesticated? These questions emerge as we hear of censor boards denying certificates to films celebrating female fantasy, and of policemen and politicians physically attacking ..

Published on 27th February, 2016, in the Times of India. If you read the Vedas, which are nearly 4000 years old, the word 'asura' does not mean demon, or villain, but quite the opposite, a divine being. It's a title given to Indra, Agni, Rudra, Varuna, and to most Vedic deities. Vritra, the enemy of Indra, is however not called an asura. However, things change in the Puranas, composed around 2000 years ago. Here, asuras are the villains and enemies of the devas, or gods. Both devas and asuras are children of Kashyapa, born of different wives. Devas are called adityas, because their mother is ..