Three generations. That's the architecture of cultural warfare. The first generation fights. They die holding the line, bodies stacked against the doors of temples, manuscripts clutched in burning hands. The second generation preserves. They hide, they record, and whisper stories to their children in the dark in a
You think you're being noble when you choose restraint. When someone mocks your gods, you bite your tongue and respond with measured dialogue, careful not to offend, eager to prove you're civilized. You think this makes you better than others. It doesn't. It makes
Falling at the behest of intentional prevarication, it necessitates us to rethink Hindutva’s strategic and moral posture. Have you ever wondered - why do most ‘liberal’ leaning people around the globe openly denounce religious fanaticism and ethno-religious groups, yet always protect the interests of Abrahamics? The answer is simple
There are two schools of thoughts prevalent in India today. That borrowing from other cultures is either treason or enlightenment. Either modern Indian society must hermetically seal itself against Western influence or prostrate itself before modernity's altar. But can't we take something foreign and make it
Editor's Note: The following piece is presented in the author's own words to honor a young Indian's sincere expression of cultural concerns. These views represent the author's personal perspective. We value providing space for heartfelt community voices on matters of spiritual and
There is a quiet rot eating at the edges of everything Hindu in India. Temples are stripped bare by state apparatchiks while mosques swell tax-free. Kashmiri Pandits rot in refugee camps while their exodus is called "communal tension" instead of ethnic cleansing. But Hindu society still nods along
There was a time, admittedly naïve, when I believed the university classroom to be a sanctified space: a repository of intellectual equanimity, a site where the “guru” remained an embodiment of integrity and pedagogical fairness. Coming from a modest background, I had always imagined Delhi University to be the luminous
The sneakiest trick the British ever pulled was convincing Indians that their weakness was virtue and that their inability to fight back was spiritual sophistication. Nowadays it's hotly debated whether Gandhi gave India independence or not but what we can be sure of is that he gave the
Whenever we think of Nazi Germany, there are two things that immediately spring to mind - a failed painter from Austria and another symbol that defined the Third Reich - a hooked cross, better known as the Hakenkreuz. But the modern world has a different name for this symbol -
How long is 'long enough'? We speak of "getting over" loss as if grief were a mountain to be climbed once and left behind. This is perhaps the first lie we tell ourselves about grieving death - that it is a problem to be solved. Like
Editor's Note: The following piece is presented in the author's own words to honor their sincere expression, and to amplify a voice often unheard in mainstream discourse. These views represent the author's personal perspective. We value providing space for heartfelt community voices on matters
Last week I saw someone on Twitter explaining why Hinduism needed to "do better." The thread had maybe twenty likes. The person's bio listed pronouns and a podcast nobody listens to. And hundreds of replies were taking it seriously. Actually engaging & at times apologizing. I
Theology
Hakenkreuz is a German literary concoction, from one of the most hateful ideologies to exist in the fabric of human society. As one sits down to understand the origin of this symbolism, it translates to a “hooked cross”, or a cross with bent arms. However, one doesn’t need to
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.
Theology
Imagine sitting down to order your favourite meal at your beloved restaurant. You take in the smells and the sounds, mouth watering while waiting for the arrival of your comfort food. And then, it finally arrives. Just taking in the aroma of the hot fare makes you feel better already.
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
Dharma
शिवो हरिर्हरिः शिवः। Śivo Hariḥ Hariḥ Śivaḥ I first heard about the supposed rivalry between Shaivas (worshippers of Shiva) and Vaishnavas (worshippers of Vishnu) a couple of decades back. A colleague at work mentioned, quite matter-of-factly, how in some parts of India, people frowned upon the
Thought
In the lively world of global activism, the #FreePalestine cause stands out as one that really pulls at the heartstrings. Here in India, where we've always rooted for the underdog—remember our own freedom struggle? —people have taken to the streets with real passion, flags flying and voices
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
Dharma
I write this article for all the women, who carry the force of the divine within them quietly without realising it, and for the men who have not realised the divine Feminine. Hinduism has never oppressed women, but rather worshipped the immense power she holds. The Vrata aspect:- I
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