Culture

Kajri: When the Village Sang Together in “Sawan”

Harē Rāma rim-jhim barsē pāniyā, Jhūlē Rādhā rāniyā hē Hari. Hari kī saṅgē jhūlē vṝndāvana mēṁ, Śyām saṅgē jhūlē vṝndāvana mēṁ, Chāī ghāṭā ghanaghōrā hē Hari… Harē Rāma rim-jhim barsē pāniyā, Jhūlē Rādhā rāniyā hē...

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

Hegemony: Kerala’s Bharatapuzha as a political stage

Unlike the North Indian Kumbh, the Bharatapuzha by contrast has never functioned as a Pan-Hindu pilgrimage centre. It has no historical association with mass ritual bathing, no priestly networks that regulate sacred time, and no inherited mythological mandate that binds the river to cyclical purification rites. The introduction of the Maha Magha Mahotsavam is a clear cultural imposition by Hindutva

Listening to the Soil : Dr Sangeeta Jawla’s Lyrical Revolt in Clay

By merging the mystic poetry of Kabir with the...

Rajasthan: Gogamedi, a Rajput-Muslim shrine and the politics of communal capture

The onslaught on the syncretic Gogamedi shrine, that has, for 10 centuries (1,000 years) attracted Hindu and Muslim devotees alike—that too launched by an outside Brahmin influencer --is nothing but a hegemonizing project of appropriation and erasure

Hate Politics and the Message of Hazrat Bulleh Shah

Uttarakhand is increasingly emerging as a hotspot of hate crimes

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

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

Six Days On, Still No FIR: What happened to Shaheen and Nafisa Khan at Saket Police Station?

Shaheen and Nafisa Khan gave a detailed written complaint naming police personnel, describing the alleged assault and pointing to CCTV footage. Yet six days after the September 3 incident, the women say their case has still not been registered

Beaten to Death Outside His Own Home: What Delhi owes Chongtham Vikram Singh

The 55-year-old Manipuri musician died after a group allegedly attacked him in southeast Delhi; seven men and a juvenile have been apprehended

Satya Niketan Collapse: When students and neighbours had to rescue students from a system that had failed them

From locals and NSUI volunteers digging through the rubble to AISA, SFI and others taking to the streets, the tragedy has exposed Delhi’s unsafe student-housing crisis and a State that acted after disaster struck

Declared ‘Foreigner’, denied a hearing, pushed across the border: Gauhati HC pulls up Assam

Court finds “malice in law” holds State machinery acted “in tandem” to defeat Mumtaz Begum’s right to judicial review, and orders ₹2 lakh compensation

‘Gauri Day’ Became ‘Gen Z Day’

When a memorial for the slain journalist Gauri Lankesh became a loud and renewed reiteration for more accountability, equality and justice in India

Midnight Arrest, Daylight Questions: Why was Santosh Pandit taken into custody?

From exposing civic failures to confronting political VIPs, the Pune activist built a massive following—now he faces criminal charges after a midnight arrest

Why are reading habits among Indian students declining?

On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Abhay Kumar, a teacher, writes about his experience in academics and the declining habit of reading among students

Days of Demands, Hours of Protest: Swatantra Bhardwaj finally detained in assault case

Delhi Police detain the influencer hours after CJP, Nishu Azad, Congress representatives and opposition MPs press for his arrest at Parliament Street; the case began at a CJP and wider student protest at Jantar Mantar