Religions
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Breaking Out Of the Indra-Jaal
Published on 17th October, 2020, in Economic Times. The concept of Indra’s net, or Indrajaal, comes to us from the Atharva Veda. It speaks of Indra capturing his enemies with a net, pinning them to the ground, and smiting them…
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Axe Of Parasurama
Published on 11th October, 2020, in Mid-day. Parasurama is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, also one of the most controversial ones. This is why we do not see many temples dedicated to him. If we do, we find them along…
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View: Is the Corporate Pantheon Truly Diverse?
Published on 2nd October, 2020, in Economic Times. The corporate world is assumed to be masculine, one that needs to be forced to acknowledge the feminine and the queer through policies. But while the corporate world struggles to be inclusive,…
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Can Gay Marriage Be Part of Hindu Culture?
Published on 27th September, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Hindu culture forbids divorce. Yet Hindu personal laws permit divorce. Hindu culture allows gods, and men, to have many wives. Yet Hindu personal laws forbid polygamy. Does it mean Hindu personal laws…
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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…
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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,…
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Dark secrets of the sewers of Harappa
Who is a Hindu? Dark secrets of the sewers of Harappa. Published on 13th September, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Indians have an uncomfortable relationship with the sanitary system. We have permitted and even justified manual scavenging. A place where the…
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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.…
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From ‘Shri’ Ram To ‘Siya’ Ram
Published om 6th September, 2020, in Mid-day. While laying the foundation stone of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on August 5, 2020, it was clear that no other Hindutva leader, other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was in the photograph that…
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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…
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Was Harappa a Jain Civilisation?
Published on 30th August, 2020, in Mid-day. The Harappan civilisation thrived in the Indus Valley 4,500 years ago, roughly around the time the pyramids were being built in Egypt. It is famous for its grid-like cities. Here, we find a…
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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…
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The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita
The essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Understanding the significance of sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna Published on 22nd August, 2020, in Economic Times. The Bhagavad Gita informs us that the world is made of two intertwined entities: the material (prakriti) and…
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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…
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Sarna, the Harappan Tree Goddess
Published on 16th August, 2020, in Mid-day. One of the things in the about-4,000-year-old Harappan seals is the value placed on trees. There is the peepal tree and the babool (acacia) tree that have been identified. The peepal tree is…
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Was Ram Born In Ayodhya?
Published on 6th August, 2020, in Mumbai Mirror. Devdutt Pattanaik, the author of The Book of Ram, answers some commonly asked questions. ♦ Was Ram actually born in Ayodhya? Hindus believe he was, just as Muslims believe Mecca is where…