Culture

India’s Heartfelt Eid: where flowers & faith bridge divides

India celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr with unity and love, as people from different faiths come together to spread joy and kindness, in sharp contrast to the hate-driven politics that politicians and police displayed in some locales like Varanasi and other parts of UP; from Jaipur to Mumbai, Prayagraj to Indore, heart-warming gestures of communal harmony paint a vibrant picture of the nation's diverse yet cohesive social fabric, showcasing the enduring power of unity and mutual respect for each other

Chokhamela’s Bhakti: the past transforms into a radical present

A poet-philosopher of an inclusive tradition, Chokhamela experienced the bitter exclusion of caste, yet persisted in his questioning spirituality, adding to the rich variety in this centuries’old tradition, the Warkari (Varkari) devotional movement of Maharashtra

Muslim bullied at Madina for his Indian Islamic practice

Noticing a thread tied around the old man’s wrist, the protagonist, Shaikh Muzaffar Madni, ridiculed the practice and said it was a “non-Muslim practice” he had imbibed

Hindu temple faces backlash for demanding removal of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s picture from dance institute’s program

After this decision backfires, an apology was issued, the chief of the temple authorities said it was a “wrong guess” on their part

Political Power & narrow vision demonising Muslims, destroying harmony & defaming Varkari tradition says Sant Suhas Maharaj Phadtare: Trimbakeshwar row

The dhoop arti tradition at the Trimbakeshwar mandir is being demonised by narrow vested political interests, a cruel Brahminical tradition that cannot tolerate social harmony and syncretic culture says the renowned Varkari saint-philosopher from Satara, Suhas Maharasj Phadtare

SIT to probe Muslims offering respect from steps of Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra ?

A controversy has been created over a ritual being...

Reflections on a newly opened ‘cultural centre’ by the Ambanis in Mumbai

A walk through the newly opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre leaves the author with more questions than answers

Eid Mubarak: Mussalmans & a United Nation- India

First published on: 11 Nov 2016The Musalmans and a United...

A Malyalee festival that is not about killing, one that connects us to the earth: Vishu

Vishu, a festival of harvest, celebrated world over by Malyalees (Malyalis), is also the first day according to the Malyalam month, Medam, when the Sun reached the equator

Freedom from Communalism & Religious Intolerance was Bhagat Singh’s Ideal, Never Hindu Rashtra

Hindu Communalists have forever sought to appropriate the young and fiery martyr in Goebbellsian ways perpetuating lies and falsehoods that include falsely promoting February 14 (Valentine’s Day) as his Death Anniversary rather than March 23, when he was actually hanged

Mallika’s changes inspires Kerala Kalamandalam to keep in step with times

“I told the girls that they are free to do anything. We will shed all kinds of discrimination in the name of gender or caste. But, we will go about it slowly,” she said as reported in The Indian Express

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Dissent Under Siege: Police action, suspensions, and the shrinking democratic space at TISS

Dalit scholar’s suspension for participating in protest, police detentions, and a court-backed curb on campus activism signal deepening threats to academic freedom and democratic expression in Indian universities

‘Eid Gift’: Uttarakhand CM Dhami Renames17 Places With Muslim-Sounding Names

Incidentally, Miyanwala village near Dehradun has nothing to do with Muslims. It was named after the ‘Miyans’, a famous Rajput clan in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, known for their military valour.

Mass Deforestation, Protests, Detentions: Supreme Court halts Telangana’s reckless tree felling at Kancha Gachibowli, questions permissions

Public anger mounts as Telangana authorities bulldoze through Kancha Gachibowli’s tree cover, allegedly violating environmental norms and suppressing protests with detentions and police crackdowns; scrutiny by HC and SC to continue

SC: Recent judgment in the Imran Pratapgarhi case, what are police powers under section 173 (3) BNS?

The recent SC judgement is a welcome check on the expanding criminalisation of political and artistic expression, which has historically been weaponised to stifle dissent

India Is an Elected Dictatorship Where Constitutionalism Is Under Attack From Within

The challenges of our present discontents are marked by the collapse of the system of checks and balances to discipline constitutional power.

Bajrang Dal members booked for hurting religious sentiments in Malad, accused of deliberate provocation

A Bajrang Dal rally in Malad East sparked clashes when provocative slogans and a saffron flag ignited tensions, as an FIR was filed for inciting religious sentiments against members of Bajrang Dal members, a viral CCTV video raised doubts about the fairness of the investigation