..in which the “Prince” reminds us that regardless of who we want to be known as – and what we achieve, we will always be known by our caste, language, religion etc etc.
Thanks to the “Prince”, I learnt yesterday that Sam Pitroda is from a “backward class”

This next generation leader and PM-in-making is supposed to represent the “Youth” and promises to lead India into the 21st century. Really?
Sad, embarrassed and ashamed of the crisis in leadership that plagues India.
As a friend remarked, we must be the “only nation in …

That the “Aryan Invasion” theory stands thoroughly discredited today is probably no news for most readers of this blog. But when I recently stumbled on this article by Jayasree, I realised there may be a lot more that is yet to be discovered and explored here – particularly with regards to the unifying strands between the Saraswati-Sindhu settlements, the Vedic age and the later day culture of Bharat/India (In this context, please also read excerpts from a speech by Dr Subramaniam Swamy on “Defalsify India’s History“). As Shri Krishen Kak …

I woke up this morning to this statement by David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain. Speaking at a conference in Germany, he said (emphasis added):
Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism

He went on to say:
Let’s properly judge these organisations: Do they believe in universal human rights – including for women and people of other faiths? Do they believe in equality of all before the law? Do they believe in democracy and the right of people to elect their …

In the context of recent happenings in the Kashmir valley and the debate in blogosphere on nationalism, identity and history, please read these extracts from “People are the Nation“ by Sh M G Vaidya (emphasis added):
…My question: what was newly created on 15August 1947? A new ‘State’ or a new ‘Nation’?…So, then, what is a ‘nation’?
I quote French thinker Ernest Renan: ‘It is not soil any more than the race which makes a nation…A nation is a soul, a spiritual principle. Two things which are really only one go to …

On the eve of Deepavali, please read and think about these excerpts from Radha Rajan’s thought-provoking article on Ayodhya and why its reclamation has a direct bearing on the Hindu identity (emphasis added):
From “Ayodhya – Deciding Battle for the Hindu Nation“:
Nations, nation-states, religions and civilizations in their entirety have been irretrievably wiped off the face of the earth by Islam and the Church; while there is no vestige of pre-Islamic and pre-Christian religions in Rome, Greece, America and Africa, the Hindu nation, even after the combined onslaught of Islam, the …

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 …

in Londonistan and elsewhere…
This thread was triggered by a startling report in the Daily Mail published on Sunday. Titled “Britain goes halal…“, it mentioned how famous British institutions were regularly serving Halal meat without informing patrons, customers or the general public. Excerpts:
A Mail on Sunday investigation – which will alarm anyone concerned about animal cruelty – has revealed that schools, hospitals, pubs and famous sporting venues such as Ascot and Twickenham are controversially serving up meat slaughtered in accordance with strict Islamic law to unwitting members of the public.
All the …

I am grateful to Sh Krishen Kak for giving me permission to publish his article titled, “MOTHER INDIA and MODERN INDIA – The Mother Tongues or a National Language?”. The article first appeared in Eternal India (India First Foundation), June 2010:77-90. This is a slightly revised version.  Please read on and share widely (emphasis mine).
*** CAUTION: Long Post ***
MOTHER INDIA and MODERN INDIA: the Mother Tongues or English? by Krishen Kak

Each and every window in the house of language opens to a different …

This weekend, please find a selection of articles from the North-East, touching on some of the topics previously discussed here. More “Notes from North-East” next week. Stay tuned.
The first extract on Majuli, the world’s largest riverine island in the world and its “Satras“:
Majuli was one of the nerve-centres of the Neo-Vaisnavite Movement during its heydays. It was at Majuli (then known as Dhuwahat, Ahom territory) that Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva met his foremost disciple and apostolic successor, Madhavadeva for the very first time, in the 16th century. This event, referred to …

From Buddhists allege NSCN-IM threat (emphasis added):
…“The people in Wangnong and nearby villages (in Arunachal Pradesh) have been passing sleepless nights. They are all Buddhists. An armed militant group belonging to the NSCN(IM) has ordered them to convert to Christianity,” said Ven Aggadhamma, the highest religious leader of the Buddhists in Changlang and Tirap districts.Aggadhamma said that on May 13, a group of armed men came to the village, gathered the village head and other senior members of the village and ordered them to embrace Christianity. “These persons came to …