Examining the Philosophy of the Thirukkural - Part 2
“ஒத்தற்கு எனிதாய் உணர்தற்கு அரிதாகி வேதப் பொருளாய் மிகவிளங்கித் - தித்திப்போர் உள்ளுதொறு உள்ளுதொறு உள்ளம் உருக்குமே வள்ளுவர் வாய்மொழி
Punarnava: Why Hindu Civilisation Needs a Second Awakening
Nalanda Had No WhatsApp and Still Beat Oxford by 1,000 Years. What Happened? "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it." — Bal Gangadhar Tilak But swaraj — self-rule — was never only political. The word means sva (self) + raj (governance). It always included the governance of the
The Law That Never Was Yours
A man in rural Maharashtra tries to register a land dispute. The process requires affidavits in English, even though he himself speaks Marathi. The form references sections of an Act passed in 1908. The Act was never designed to give him justice but to file him — to classify his grievance.
Letter From A Former Khalistani
As a Sikh kid growing up in California, it’s safe to say that a large part of my time has been spent playing a juggling act between my Indian and American sides. I assimilated just enough to fit in with my American friends, while still holding on to my
The Suit and the Salt March
There are two Indians whose statues stand in foreign capitals. Whose biographies fill Western shelves. These two men receive the world's admiration. One despised his own villages, wore Savile Row, and believed civilization flowed in one direction; from London to India. The other preached that the oppressed should
How the Left Made Islam Criticism-Proof
There is a question that sits quietly at the edge of Indian “intellectual” discourse, rarely asked aloud in polite academic circles but increasingly impossible to ignore: how does a political tradition that champions atheism, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the dismantling of religious authority find itself in sustained, structural alliance
Waqf: The Real Story
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 led to several controversies, protests and violent eruptions. The leaders of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) claimed, “The Muslim community views this Waqf Amendment Bill as a direct attack on the community. It is evident that the BJP’s politics thrive on communal
Critically Examining the Philosophy of the Thirukkural
The aim of the sinless One consists in acting without causing sorrow to others, although he could attain great power by ignoring their feelings. The aim of the sinless One lies in not doing evil unto those who have done evil unto him. If a man causes suffering even to
Nationalist Is Another Word For Shut Up
Pakistan was not the result of a territorial dispute. Its founders didn't argue about where to draw a line on a map. They argued about whether two communities could share a future, concluded they could not, and built a country on that conclusion. Pakistan was designed, from its
Composite Culture is Surrender
"All religions are essentially the same." You've heard it. Maybe you've even said it. Sounds enlightened but it's not. It's merely intellectual surrender dressed up as wisdom. Composite culture means that you don't defend anything because defending requires
Delete the Gods, Delete the System
It happened in Greece. It happened in Rome. Now it's happening in India. Two generations. That's all it takes. Delete the gods, delete the operating system. Hindu gods ran everything. Not in some vague spiritual sense. They were the actual infrastructure. You couldn't start
The Croissant Delusion. A Letter From Pondicherry
I sat in a cafe on Rue Suffren, paying ₹450 for a cappuccino that tasted like disappointment with foam. The menu was in French, and around me, Indian tourists were busy photographing yellow buildings like they had discovered Versailles. This was during a recent forced transit through Pondicherry or as