Was Japanese “made in Japan”? Since Japan was not the cradle of mankind, the first speakers of proto-Japanese must have come from elsewhere at any rate. Do they still have recognizable relatives there, at least linguistically? There are reasons to think so. Recently I attended a lecture at my Alma Mater by Dr. Martine Robbeets […]Read More
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye | mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi || “I want neither wealth nor followers, nor a beautiful wife nor fruitive activities described in flowery language – but O Jagadiīśa! O Lord of the universe! All I want, life after life, is unmotivated, pure devotion […]Read More
In September 2000, eminent Pakistani historian Mubarak Ali wrote an article, “How Many Qasims, Ghaznavis, and Ghoris Do We Need?” analyzing the valorization of Arabs and Turks who ravished the land that is now Pakistan, in school textbooks. Ali observed that Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni and Shihabuddin Ghori emerged as powerful symbols in […]Read More
In recent history, Kerala witnessed a widespread resistance movement by Hindus to protect the famous Sabarimala Ayyappa temple from colonialist attacks. The Nair Service Society (NSS) played a pivotal role in the historic struggle for defending the indigenous Hindu community’s identity in the wake of a massive encroachment by a propped up’ Reformation’ scheme by […]Read More
The easiest way before an Indian audience to get hands clapping, is to accuse the British of the Partition of India. Try it for yourself and say out loud: “Partition was engineered by the wily Britishers in their nefarious design of ‘divide and rule’”, success assured. And the applause is sure to follow no matter whether […]Read More
The story of Marichjhapi is a saga of despicable tribulation and continuum of a grotesque past – that had long been suppressed in the annals of dialectics and political discourses of postcolonial India. Though this mayhem was long done and dusted in 1979, it survived and recurred in the memory and socio-political imagination of a […]Read More
East India Company took over the Diwani of Bengal Suba and Sylhet (in which Karimganj was included) in 1765. Cachar was incorporated in the year 1832. Sylhet or Srihatta was a broad level valley bounded on either sides by hills. In the north lies Khasi and Jaintia Hills, in the east is Cachar. Hill Tippera […]Read More
In today’s political discourse, Bengal and Bengali Hindus are hardly associated with enterprise and industry. The general perception is that Bengali Hindus especially educated ones are basically job seekers who want the comfort of salaried employment and a sense of security that comes with it. Not necessarily a government job, but a private salaried job […]Read More
Recently, the Peerzada of the Furfura Shariff in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, called for forging a social coalition of Muslims and other marginalised communities like tribals and lower-castes – to protest the dominance of Bhadraloks in Bengal. The idea of a ‘social coalition’ may be regarded as an election gimmick – as for in a […]Read More
Rituals and traditions practised in the family deity’s temples, temples of the village deity, Desha devata, guide a common Hindu’s sense of Dharma, religious identity, worldview. Their temples and rituals impact not only the individual but also the socio-cultural thought process of an entire community. More than intricate Vedantic discourse, the audiovisual experiences a person […]Read More