Home » Archive

Articles Archive for October 2010

Ancient Indian History, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Indian History »

[12 Oct 2010 | 43 Comments | 1,539 views]
Dear Salil, I read lots and lots…

…but still could not find anything to support your contention that “many…jain/buddhist temples (were) destroyed to build hindu temples” (pl read the beginning of this discussion here; emphasis added, throughout)
*** CAUTION: Long Post ***
Below, I have made an attempt at addressing each of your points (in bold blue) one-by-one. I have also made serious efforts to provide references wherever possible. Pl do point out if I have missed something.  You will recall that in the first response to my tweet asking you to name three Jain/Buddhist temples destroyed to build …

A Hindu Identity, An Indian Identity, British Rule in India, Quotes »

[11 Oct 2010 | 31 Comments | 673 views]
“Our English schools are flourishing wonderfully…”

A thought-provoking excerpt for the week (emphasia added):
Our English schools are flourishing wonderfully. We find it difficult, indeed, in some places impossible, to provide instruction for all who want it. At the single town of Hoogly fourteen hundred boys are learning English.
The effect of this education on the Hindoos is prodigious.
No Hindoo, who has received an English education, ever remains sincerely attached to his religion. Some continue to profess it as matter of policy;but many profess themselves pure Deists, and some embrace Christianity.

It is my firm belief that, if our …

Development Related, Indian Economy, Personal, Politics and Governance in India »

[10 Oct 2010 | 6 Comments | 645 views]
Send @ least 1 email today…

Thanks to Sandeep for alerting me to this post by Sh Rajeev Chandrasekhar, published yesterday. In the post (emphasis added), Sh Chandrasekhar mentioned how 421 million fellow Indians continue to live in abject conditions (almost a third of our population) even as the country registers a growth of 8.5% and how the private wealth of 49 Indians on Forbes list is nearly 31% of India’s GDP.
He asked a simple question:
…So, where is the money going? Why are we so complacent about people’s lives? Why is there no debate or Bharat …

Ancient Hindu Political Philosophy, Ancient Indian History, Hindu Dharma, Political Ideology, Politics and Governance »

[9 Oct 2010 | 5 Comments | 328 views]
Understanding Raj-Dharma, Part 2

Several months ago, while idly surfing the web, I stumbled on a somewhat oddly titled monograph*. It read: “Passage to Hindu State: DharmaRajya and RajaDharma” – A Socio-Political Study of the Mahabharata”
It was a serendipitious discovery. I can hardly claim to be an authority on ancient history or the socio-political traditions of the Vedic period but I feel that Dr Nagarajan‘s work deserves serious study – and wider dissemination.  The main focus of his research has been to develop a socio-political constitution for this sub-continent from the point of view …

Elections Results, Analysis and Related, Politics and Governance in India »

[7 Oct 2010 | 11 Comments | 280 views]
Just as I was beginning to feel hopeful…

…comes the news that almost half of the candidates* standing for the Assembly elections in Bihar * have pending criminal cases against them…

Worse, “Several of these criminal charges are serious charges, like Murder, Criminal Intimidation, assault, wrongful restraint, etc.”
Some of the more “note-worthy” candidates include Rajesh Kumar Raushan urf Babloo Deo (RJD) who has “7 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307)” against him;  Shankar Singh (LJP)  with “17 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307) and 12 charges related to Murder (IPC Section-302) against him and Manoranjan …

Global Terrorism, Media Related »

[6 Oct 2010 | 3 Comments | 210 views]
From Terrorists to Militants to Foreign Fighters

I wonder whats next? Misguided Tourists?
This is what I am talking about…

Screenshot of Google World News webpage taken at around 1.16am IST
Related Posts:
Very very bad militants
My name is whatever…and I’m not a terrorist
Bad Militants…
The missing “T-word”
Somewhat Related: Why the “War Against Terror” cannot be won by guns alone
Also read: Why terrorists are called “militants” in India