Another ceasefire violation along LoC, another terrorist attack, another dialogue with a great neighbour…and another peace initiative…As I read the news this morning, something triggered an urge to read Raashtrakavi Ramdhari SIngh “Dinkar”.

I was not disappointed. Courtesy Geeta-Kavita, “here is a great lesson in diplomacy and human relations from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Forgiveness of a weakling does not count. First have the power and capability to defeat the enemy, then only your offer of peace would carry weight. Virtues of forgiveness, kindness and tolerance are appreciated in society only if …

…this song was released today (as in this day and age)…

In case you are wondering what this is about, let me draw your attention to these lyrics towards the end of the song (see frm 3:43 onwards)
***
Main kaise Khuda haafiz kah doon
How can I say goodbye
Mujhko to kisi ka yakeen nahin
I just don’t trust anybody
Chup jaao hamari ankhon me
Hide yourself in my eyes
Bhagwan ki neeyat theek nahin
Even God cannot be trusted
***
Would there have been protests? calls for a ban? hartals? violence? Would the producer been forced …

Thanks to Dr Kalyananraman-ji for alerting me to this. In this  well-argued and researched essay titled, Colonial Constructs about Indian Languages, Shishir Thadani explains why there may be a lot more in common between “Indo-Aryan” and Dravidian” languages than what history texts tell us. Excerpts below:
*** Excerpts Begin ***
Most educated Indians know that most Indian languages are divided into two broad linguistic streams – i.e. the “Indo-European” and the “Dravidian”. Tied in with this linguistic classification is the theory that the North Indian languages came with “Aryan” settlers.
…To this …

Just finished reading Oh, But You Do Get It Wrong! by Aditi Banerjee …a commendable analysis of Wendy Donger’s prejudices and liberties with truth. I’m reproducing excerpts below. The full article is also available for download from my Docs and Slides widget on the Links page.
*** Excerpts from “Oh, But You Do Get It Wrong!” ***
…Defamation of Critics
The introduction to the interview begins with a misleading quote:
“[Doniger] has continued to infuriate the Hindutva brigade with her unorthodox views on Hinduism and its sacred texts, earning for herself the epithet: “crude, …

How the urban young are rediscovering Sanskrit:
…”Bhagini, shighram, shighram gachchami,” mutters someone, giving me a gentle nudge from behind. Translated, that means: move faster, sister. I’ve been told I’m slow before, but never in Sanskrit. The guy getting late for class, whose way I’m blocking, is tall, with an apologetic smile, a shaven head, a choti, and a forehead smeared with tilak. The rest of him is hip young Gen X Indian—cool T-shirt, stylish bracelet and frayed-edge jeans that end at his bare feet.
…There are others like him. Bangalore-based Sanskrit …

Thanks to Sanjay for pointing me in the direction of this wonderful website.
Practical Sanskrit: Simple Sanskrit, Great Ideas
It is an effort by fellow-blogger Shashi Joshi.
Well done, Shashi…and thank you on behalf of all lovers of Sanskrit.
Related:
The ridiculous extremes of pseudo-secularism
Is no one thinking about our classical languages?
Also read:
Left sees Red over Sanskrit (Sandeep’s Op-Ed in The Pioneer)
and the online daily Sanskrit news paper “Sudharma”

Back from a hurried and intense 5-day visit to Pune and Bengaluru. I am getting more involved in some exciting initiative(s) at Pune and foresee more frequent visits to the city…Updates in due course.
Bengaluru was at the kind invitation of Barun Mitra (Empowering India) and Zainab Bawa who hosted a round-table at CIS covering issues around Technology, Transparency and Political Activism. Expect updates on Zainab’s blog soon. Saw a number of people with whose name I was familiar – and others who are doing some tremendous work …

Dear Friends, last week Owen, a young student (in Edinburgh, UK) came across my blog and sent me the email below.
*** Email Extracts (emphasis mine) ***
I am a second year art student based in Edinburgh, UK.I have just come across your webiste. What a joy it is to look at.
I was wondering if you could be so kind to help me with a question.
I have read with interest the paper “Treatise on Indian Painting and Image-Making -The VIishnunudharmottara” (part III) by Stella Kramrisch. I was wondering if you could be …

*** GUEST POST by Sh RAJU MALIGER ***
In my previous article (pl. see A rebuttal to Abul Kasem – “Women in Hinduism” by R Maliger), I had refuted Abul Kasem’s derogatory views on women in Vedic culture. In this article, I would like to emphasize on how Vedas glorify Mother Goddess and women.
When we enter Hindu temples, it is a blissful scene to observe a female deity worshipped alongside a male deity. Common examples of such deities are Vishnu-Lakshmi, Radha-Krishna, and Shiva-Parvati. Vedas consider male and female of all …

Dear All: Thank you for a very engaging and educative discussion on the earlier post on Marayada Purushottam, Sita Mata, Agni Pariksha and Vaali Vadh. I have been unusually busy for the past few days and have barely had a chance to read all the comments properly. I will try and respond to them in due course.
This post was prompted specifically by Patriot’s question at comment #8 to the earlier post. In that comment, Patriot wrote:
I have not said Ram is all good or all bad – in fact, it …

Today is the first day of Chaitra and the beginning of the New Year for some of us. Chaitra is also the first month in the Indian National Calendar that follows the Shaka (Saka) era.
Read this post from 2008 for a more elaborate description of the meaning and significance of Gudi Padwa.
Happy Gudi Padwa and Happy Ugadi to all…Enjoy the day…

***

Picture of Gudi Copyright and Courtesy CusineCuisine.com;      Picture of Ugadi lunch, Copyright and Courtesy The Indian Food Court.
See also: The Hindu Calendar System
Related Post: Happy New Year !!

I am experimenting with a different reading format this weekend…dispensing with extracts…(and) instead letting you *pick and choose* from a few links on different topics…
Pl. let me know what you think of this…As some of you may have immediately noticed, it does save me time!
Comments/ suggestions and feedback welcome.
***
First off this weekend, read why Spiritual Kids may be Healthier.
Next a profile of Sh Narendra Modi from The Atlantic (which had also carried a profile of Sh Lalu Yadav some weeks ago) – not particularly flattering.
Read Matthew Omolesky’s exploration of ”the contemporary meaning of Miltonic freedom …

Many of you must have wondered about this…I did too. Then late last year, I came across this fascinating Yahoo! groups discussion on the subject…Some excerpts below
*** What did we have before Tea or Coffee? ***
ANIL KURNOOL: What was the hot beverage that we (natives of Bharatha) consumed, before the advent of Teas and Coffees into this land by wandering nomads of Europe?
Why is it that Tea is consumed mostly in northern parts of this continent, while coffee is preferred in the southern parts?
***
RAVI: While not being an expert or having any …

Many many years ago when my hair was still mostly black, I remember reading somewhere that parallel lines are those that never meet but are identical in terms of direction (slope) etc.
As I read about incidents of the past few days, I was reminded of this definition. But first a flashback…
Clad in all-enveloping burqas, the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, or Daughters of the Nation, have sought to impose their version of Islam on the city of Srinagar. They have closed restaurants where they found unmarried couples together, smashed alcohol bottles and ordered Internet cafes …

Start this weekend by reading Kanchan Gupta on pink chaddis, double standards and pub culture.  
Then read why Ram Kumar believes offence is the best form of defense.
…and end the day with some politically correct terms to stay out of trouble, courtesy GreatBong.
Bonus: Dear Mr Muthalik by RealityCheck
Excerpts from all the articles below, as always

This weekend, have a read through Godse’s statement that he made in November 1948 as he stood trial for Gandhi’s assasination.
Then, read Shovana Narayan’s essay on evolution of Nataraja…
and finally, a remarkable story of public service – which should be a lesson for all of us.
As usual, Excerpts from the articles below 

        Back in the good old days when Satyajit Ray often made the most sublime neo-realistic cinema, one Ms. Nargis Dutt caustically charged him with selling Indian poverty abroad. Yet, Satyajit Ray”s films did not feature Calcutta”s slums but the villages of Bengal. There was an undercurrent of poverty in his major films like Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Pratidwandhi but there was human irony. No romanticizing poverty yet ultimately a resounding affirmation of human dignity. Who can forget the immortal scene in Aparajito where a guilt ridden Apu, a poor …

I am going to miss the til-laddus and the kites
.
Next year, I plan to do something about it

In the meantime, Happy Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Maghi and Bhogali Bihu to all my readers.
Enjoy the day…
Related Posts:
Happy Makar Sankranti
and other Hindu Festivals

Excerpts from an article in The Hindu on how classical languages may forever be lost (emphasis mine)
…I have been observing with extreme bemusement the debate over the classical status of Indian languages, since the issue was first raised in these pages in 2006 in the case of Kannada. Yes of course, it is dangerous to introduce invidious distinctions among languages, and yes of course, the scholarship upon which these distinctions are founded is often empirically thin and theoretically weak. But with respect to the core problem of the debate, I am reminded …

*** CAUTION: Long Post ***
About a month ago, I came across a “History” site meant for kids which had this “Ramayana Project for Kids“. Under “Some points for discussion”, it mentioned:
The Ramayana is …an Aryan story, and they show the people of southern India as bad monkeys – not even human.
How should we feel about this? Should we not perform the play? Should we try to show that Hanuman and the monkeys are people too?
In response, I wrote the following letter to Dr Carr who was managing this project and …