What work could I undertake during these years, that would fulfill my life, that would enable me to pay back the debt owed to my motherland, and to serve my fellow men ever so little...
You think decolonization is about knowing the right history. You've read the books. You know Macaulay's famous minute. You can quote Sitaram Goel on temple destructions. You've memorized the talking points about how the British systematically dismantled gurukuls and placed temples under government control.
Dharma
We keep buying stuff. Bigger houses, faster phones, fancier cars. But there's a void that Amazon Prime can't fill, no matter how fast the shipping. That part of you—the one that feels connected to something bigger—isn't impressed by your corner office or
Editorial
What happens when one civilization says 'we contain multitudes' and another says 'there is only one truth, and it's mine'? The first gets called "tolerant" right up until the moment it refuses to disappear. Then it becomes an obstacle. A problem to
Editorial
There's this thing Hindus do. It's cringing. That involuntary full-body recoil when someone mentions anything remotely dharmic in mixed company. The quick glance around to see who's watching before you touch your parents' feet. The way "spiritual" is acceptable but "
Editorial
You think your secularism is the thin line between civilization and chaos, between modernity and medieval darkness. You've been taught that without this precious imported ideology, India would spontaneously combust into communal violence, that 1.4 billion people would tear each other apart over gods and temples and
Thought
When Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi landed in Delhi, he didn't just come for diplomatic talks with the Indian officials. He also made a pilgrimage to Darul Uloom Deoband—the theological equivalent of kissing the ring. The Taliban, ideologically spawned from Deobandi seminaries in Pakistan, was coming
Editorial
You know what's beautiful about Indian "liberalism"? The sheer consistency of its inconsistency. This species— the Enlightened Indian "Liberal"—has mastered the art of geopolitical contortionism. They twist themselves into pretzels as they navigate foreign policy. They're experts at assuming "principled
Dear fellow Indians, let me tell you a story you think you already know. You think India gained independence in 1947. You think we're a sovereign nation making our own choices. You think democracy is working for us and that our Constitution protects us, that our institutions serve
Editorial
You thought you were smart. You navigated the labyrinth of Indian bureaucracy and the soul-crushing competition. You aced your entrance exams, and you landed on Western shores with a shiny new H-1B visa. You were the golden child, the escapee, the one who made it. And then, in a elegant
Editorial
We are told that India threw off the colonial yoke in 1947, built a vibrant democracy, and developed an independent press that speaks truth to power. We love telling ourselves this story. It makes us feel good about our post-colonial journey, our intellectual evolution, our hard-won sovereignty. Except—It'
Thought
We are told that as Hindus, we must focus on universal brotherhood because all paths lead to the divine. Thus we should not create animosity where there is opportunity for dialogue. Which means not discussing documented temple demolitions. No dates, no locations or archaeological evidence shall be mentioned because it
Editorial
I had not expected that grief would be so disorienting. The experts speak of 'stages'—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance—as if loss was a metro line with clearly marked stops. They do not mention that you will Google 'how to feel normal again' at 3