Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
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Articles
The Imposter In My Bed
Published on 4th October, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. A common theme in mythology around the world is where a man enters his bed and makes love to a woman who he thinks is his wife. However, it turns out to be another woman who tricks him by taking the form of his wife. Likewise, there…
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Articles
Did Karuppu Swami Live 12,000 Years Ago?
Published on 27th September, 2020, in Mid-day. So, the government has appointed a committee to delve into the “true” history of India, starting from 12,000 years ago, since the Ice Age, which Hindutva historians assume is the “pralaya” of the Puranas. The committee has only “upper” caste men. No one from below the Vindhyas, no…
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Articles
What Does Haraam-Khor Actually Mean?
Published on 20th September, 2020, in Mid-day. ‘Haraam’ is an Islamic concept, which means sin, a breaking of rules, God’s rules specifically. It is the opposite of ‘halal’—following God’s rule. But then, what does ‘khor’ mean ‘Khor’ comes to eat, someone who consumes. So, ‘aadam-khor’ is someone who eats Adam’s children—in other words, a man-eater.…
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Tax collection: Old View to New
Published on 18th September, 2020, in Economic Times. Ancient Greeks, like ancient Hindus, valued the idea of city-states and decentralised power. But exposure to Middle East introduced monotheism, the idea of empire, with central control, allegedly for deficient governance. This journey of history is reflected in mythology as polytheism moves towards monotheism. Nearly 6,000 years…
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Articles
Was The Buddha Nepalese?
Published on 13th September, 2020, in Mid-day. Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet and its subsidiary Google, and has achieved great global success. We, Indians, want to identify him as Indian, although his entire achievement has been in America. Freddy Mercury was born in India, and denied his Indian roots all his life. But,…
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Articles
What They Don’t Tell You About Advaita
Who is a Hindu? What they don’t tell you about Advaita Published on 30th August, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Advaita Vedanta is the de facto philosophy followed by Hindutva. The reason for this is not spiritual. It is political. Advaita Vedanta says the whole world is a manifestation of the one and only God (brahman)…
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Articles
Human Sacrifice to Riots: Political Tools of Control
Published on 22nd August, 2020, in Economic Times. In Meso-America, the Aztecs sacrificed humans to their gods. This was deemed barbaric by Spanish conquistadors who arrived there in the 16th Century. It became the reason to label them savages, justify their conversion into Christianity and market the conquest of their land as a civilizing mission.…
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Articles
Menstrual Taboos Are Not Unique to Hinduism
Who is a Hindu? Menstrual taboos are not unique to Hinduism Published on 16th August, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. In Kerala, there is the story of a group of boys who found a rock bleeding. Those who touched it died instantly. The rest were told to wear women’s clothes and take it to the village,…
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Articles
Gender Fluidity In Hinduism
Who is a Hindu? Gender fluidity in Hinduism Published on 2nd August, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Greek mythology focuses a lot on same-sex love: love between men and men, women and women and between men and boys i.e. inter-generational love. Hindu mythology focuses on transgenders — men who turn into women and women who turn…
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Articles
Fat Buddhist Monks
Published on 26th July, 2020, in Mid-day. This is a story of two fat, Buddhist monks. One story comes from China and the other comes from Thailand. Many people link them with the Buddha, but they come from various local traditions that were absorbed into Buddhism. The first is the popular Laughing Buddha. In China,…
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Articles
Middle Eastern Mythologies
Published on 12th July, 2020, in Mid-day. The Middle East includes Mesopotamia (Iraq), the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris. To its East is Persia (Iran); to its South is Arabia; to the West is Levant (Near East); and to the North is Anatolia (Turkey). Egypt is also included in the Middle East due…
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Articles
How Hindutva Threatens the History of Hindus
Who is a Hindu? How Hindutva threatens the history of Hindus Published on 5th July, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Hindutva history makes the history of Hindus fragile — people whose temples were destroyed by Muslims and who need Hindutva politicians to help them recover. It gives power to Hindutva politicians but strips Hindus of power…
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Articles
Sacred Footprints And Footwear
Published on 5th July, 2020, in Mid-day. In the Mahabharata, there is the story that the sun-god invented the footwear, and the parasol, to protect people’s feet from getting burnt on the ground heated by the summer sun. Sages were angry with the sun as their wives were complaining and were planning to take away…
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Articles
Let Me Sleep And Dream
Published on 28th June, 2020, in Mid-day. A long time ago, in the rivers and ponds of Europe, there lived a special creature called Ondine. She, one day, fell in love with a human. He was a handsome man; but not the most faithful of men. When she discovered he was unfaithful, her heart broke.…
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Articles
Being J. K. Rowling Today
Published on 14th June, 2020, in Mid-day. As long as JK Rowling tweeted against Trump, she was the darling of the liberals. Then, she expressed her views on transgenders, in December 2019, in a tweet that created an outrage. Suddenly, the creator of Harry Potter series was an evil oppressor. The wicked witch. A TERF…
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Articles
View: Fake News & Politics & Economics Of Faith
Published on 13th June, 2020, in the Economic Times. The Knights Templar was an order of warrior knights that existed nearly 900 years ago. It owed its allegiance to the Christian Church. In its 200-year history, it also established one of the first banking institutions in the world, before it was brutally suppressed by French…