Culture

UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

I feel a deep sense of sorrow as I sing to myself these verses by Baba Bulle Shah

Bulla kee jaana main kaun na main moomin vich maseet...

Mian Maqdoom Shah shrine, Mumbai’s Mahim Durgah & the December Urs

I saw quite a few processions going towards the...

Bettina Bäumer’s Inclusive Philosophy Is What We Need in Such Times

Her autobiography is a rare account of a woman’s journey in the deepest sense from Europe to India; from Christianity, both Protestant and Catholic, to the Philosophy of Recognition or Pratyabhijñā, popularly called Kashmir Śaivism.

Ghazala Wahab on the Glorious Days of the Hindi Heartland

In the first part of this Book Baithak episode,...

Urdu is not the monopoly of mullahs, nor even the Muslim community 

Our self-styled “left liberal” intelligentsia, otherwise loud in denouncing Hindu majoritarianism, suddenly turned mute when confronted with Muslim right-wing pressure

The Mubarakpur Saree in the Digital Age: Can e-commerce bypass traditional barriers?

An age-old saree weaving tradition is also one area brutally affected by the US-driven tariff war with India

‘What happened to Ali Mohammad was wrong’: UP temple’s Muslim caretaker held for offering namaz; Hindu priest to arrange bail, says he served with...

In Budaun, Times of India reported how a temple priest has offered to bail out a Muslim caretaker arrested for offering namaz on temple grounds. Paramanand Das condemned the video recording and emphasised Ali Mohammad's decades of faithful service. Despite the arrest and charges of defiling a place of worship, Das affirmed Ali's respect for all faiths and the temple's inclusive nature.

Pahalgam Attack: Kashmir unites in heroic resilience amid terror attack, proving humanity’s strength against hate narrative

Kashmir, renowned for its breath-taking landscapes and the warmth of its people, became a place of tragic sorrow, loss and anger, on April 22 when a terror attack claimed 26 lives at Baisaran, Pahalgam.  In the face of the chaos that followed, local heroes like Syed Adil Hussain Shah and Sajad Bhat risked their own lives to save others;  despite the tragedy, the people of Kashmir, transcending religious and cultural divides, stood in fraternal solidarity, showing that humanity, love, and peace are stronger than terror and hatred

Faith Knows No Religion: Banke Bihari Temple again rejects boycott call against Muslim artisans and businesses

Banke Bihari Priests reject boycott calls against Muslim artisans and businesses, hail Muslim artisans as vital to temple traditions, embrace unity over division, and uphold faith as the highest virtue in Brijmandal—where even Raskhan sang for Krishna, and craftsmen of all faiths continue to serve the divine with devotion, senior priest said "Bhakti is supreme in Brijmandal. If someone has faith and comes for darshan, why should we oppose it?"

Lalita Ramdas hails Himanshi Narwal’s stoic courage in open letter

Lalita Ramdas, wife of admiral Ramdas, wrote this a few hours after watching an amazing short clip of Himanshi Narwal's comments to the press.

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

Delimitation: A false solution driven by centralised power

Before asking what dangers delimitation poses, we must first examine a more fundamental issue: what are the existing problems, and will delimitation actually solve them? The real crisis in Indian governance today is not a shortage of representatives; it is the over-centralisation of power.

Allahabad High Court flags surge in “false” conversion firs, seeks accountability from UP government

In a strong rebuke, the Allahabad High Court questions misuse of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, calls out investigative lapses, and directs state authorities to act against frivolous complaints while protecting the accused and the woman at the centre of the case

Will delimitation have severe, undemocratic consequences following the SIR?

A quick yet illustrative explainer on how the proposed three bills suddenly introduced in Parliament and tabled this week show a disproportionate impact on non-BJP states; moreover the author demonstrates how, both the SIR and delimitation of the Modi government as currently proposed, is a lethal attack on Parliamentary Democracy.

Procedure for tabling bills on women’s reservations & delimitation both opaque and non-consultative: Experts and Citizens

Even as media accessed the three bills tabled without consultation in Parliament, experts and citizens groups have criticized the opaque and non-consultative methods employed by the Modi 3.0 government

Understanding power through caste: Dr. Ambedkar’s contribution to the sociology of law

Dr Babasaheb’s understanding of Indian society was pivotal: he was prescient in the dangers that loomed ahead, even after drafting the Indian Constitution; because caste-based inequality remains deeply entrenched in society and the post-Independence state did not go much beyond providing formal equality to the lower castes and other marginalised communities, Dr. Ambedkar was acutely aware of the continuing presence of upper-caste hegemony from society to politics and from culture to the economy
00:23:03

Decoding the Judgement on Sathankulam Custodial Death-Part 2-Pathbreaking Orders of the High Court

Decoding the Judgement on Sathankulam Custodial Death-Part 2-Pathbreaking Orders of the High Court of Madras : Adv. Henri Tiphagne

Congress and Karnataka’s Muslims: Loyalty without Representation

In an era where majoritarian politics is openly dismissive of Muslim concerns, the Congress still benefits from being seen as the lesser evil. But “lesser evil” is not a sustainable political identity. For a party that speaks the language of diversity and inclusion, Karnataka’s record on Muslim representation - particularly in Parliament - stands as an uncomfortable indictment.
00:15:55

Decoding the Sathankulam Judgement on Custodial Death – Part 1 – Context of Torture in India

Decoding the Sathankulam Judgement on Custodial Death - Part 1 - Context of Torture in India - Adv. Henri Tiphagne