Reflections

The intolerance debate has been raging for some time now; high time we tackled this bear by the horns, challenged it and defeated it. But, in order to do that, it is essential we understand the nature of the problem facing us.  It was as I was making this effort of trying to understand intolerance that a striking possibility occurred  : that we might actually be getting far more tolerant than we thought! PROLOGUE This first occurred to me when I noted how Dilip Kumar and other Muslim actors had to change their names in order to broaden their appeal. We have moved a long way since then; now not only do film stars not change their names, but can confidently go ahead without a care for their names. Modern India can now showcase famous names across trades and professions showing that professional discrimination has been steadily decreasing to what I hope is now near-zero. This latest question occurred to me on reading some period literature of the late 1800s an...

BOOK REVIEW : THE SECRETS OF THE DARK by ARKA CHAKRABARTI Welcome to the mystical and mysterious land of Gaya, a land unlike any you will ever have encountered in your readings. This is a land of strife, of mystery, of intrigue, of politics, of East and West, of secrets, of prophecies and of an unrelenting hunt for the truth against all odds. This is the land, the land of Gaya, the Land where Agni is born and rises up to be a fine man, a man any mother would be justifiably and immensely proud to call her own. This is the story of Agni, a story unlike any you will ever have read... the story of a man prophesied to ... fame... or is it infamy? THE CHARACTERS : Agni : Who is he? Evil, or Good? Destroyer, or Saviour? Whatever else he may be – this man doesn’t know the meaning of the word “give up”. He just doesn’t! Vrish : Wish everyone had a friend like Vrish... doesn’t agree with Agni; but goes along all the same Princess Lysandra : Women, fighter, Prin...

Today is Dussehra : The day we commemorate the victory of good over bad, of good over evil; in keeping with the spirit of this Holy Day, let me revisit that period when we Indians won over the Evil Raj; our own modern Victory of Good over Evil. Let me try once again to deal with the rising anti-Gandhi diatribe on social media, and place before my readers a record of why The Mahatma has primacy over most others; at the same time, let me acknowledge that it is not my contention that The Mahatma is the only reason, as will be evident from my article below. It  is sad to see such questions; this is more a reflection of the abysmal state of history education in our schools than a comment on the people at large. While But this is one question that requires a proper, informed and relatively unbiased answer, based not on internet  articles or opinion, but on solid verifiable historical evidence taken from standard and pedigreed books. This article  is basis some 28+ books...

We need reservations because of the history of inequality and injustice that has preceded our current generations, for at least the past 200 years, if not more. That requires some rebalancing. Further, there are some areas in India where discrimination was practiced; if some reports are to be believed, pockets still exist. Until our society grows out of this scourge, we have little choice. The question is : why compromise on quality? Why cant we stress both reservation and quality, impractical though it may sound? Note : :: The earlier casteism was softer, and did not acquire its present shape then. It was entrenched in a system of hereditary vocations, with relevant skills for each vocation being passed from generation to generation. This built deep intra-caste relationships and inter-caste dependencies, based not on oppression but on a workable and eminently but brutally efficient methodology, that rivals and beats any and every modern system with a modicum of eas...