Ishwar Sharan's Blog, page 174

The politics of religious conversions in Jharkhand – Raksha Kumar

“The worst thing that conversion does is takes away our identity,” said Mr. Kujur. “We are Christian one day and Hindu the next. There is an erosion of self in all this.” – Raksha Kumar   Ara, Jharkhand—Early on an idle Sunday morning in late August, Ram Singh Kujur perched on the solitary broken wooden chair […]

It pays to be tough with China – Claude Arpi

Just before Independence the Indo-Tibet border in Ladakh was well defined and agreed upon by the government of British India, the state of Jammu & Kashmir and the Tibetan government. – Claude Arpi Interesting news has been coming in from the high plateau of Ladakh. For three days, the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border […]

Demonetisation poorly planned: Subramanian Swamy – Tushar Dhara

There is a severe shortage of 100 rupee notes. Cash is drying up fast at ATMs, which are witnessing unprecedented queues, while serpentine queues outside bank branches mean that a lot of people are coming away disappointed. – Tushar Dhara BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has lashed out at the government’s poor planning and execution of the […]

Who controls the Indian media? – Gautam Sen

The alleged oppression of minorities is the political bridgehead that modern evangelical organisations have entrenched in the public consciousness, relentlessly distorting its reality and using it ruthlessly to fuel discontent within India. – Dr. Gautam Sen India happens to be one of the very few major countries in the world whose dominant media is controlled […]

Why does the Left ignore India’s indigenous intellectual traditions? – David Frawley

India’s Left has long claimed that Hindus are not intellectual and are unscientific, mindlessly repeating old racist colonial and missionary propaganda. Yet the Left has not produced any original thinkers, much less sages. It hasn’t even understood India’s own vast culture, which is the saddest commentary on its endeavours. India’s leftist scholars are largely Lord […]

Indian Muslims are leaving Islam for science – Tufail Ahmad

It is indeed a trend that Muslim youths are leaving Islam. … However, given the critical thinking emerging through these former Muslims, there is an urgent need for a platform for them where they can join hands, network and discuss Islam, more so since Islam is engaged in an eternal conflict with the identity of […]

How India should deal with President Trump – Rajiv Malhotra

Americans appreciate clear-cut, no-nonsense dealmakers rather than woolly-headed poets or ideologues. This pragmatism will be even more applicable in dealing with Trump. India should also consider appointing some ex-military person as its ambassador to the USA. This US relationship should be a top priority for Ajit Doval. –  Rajiv Malhotra  India should formulate a totally […]

Tipu Sultan: Shades of grey – Sanjeev Sanyal

Given [Tipu’s] record of brutality towards fellow Indians, it is difficult to think of him as a great freedom fighter. At best, he belongs to the shades of grey that mark a lot of history. – Sanjeev Sanyal Despite their success in Bengal and control over the sea, the British were far from being the masters of India. […]

SC should not draw false equivalence between Haji Ali and Sabarimala issues – R. Jagannathan

In the case of Sabarimala, there is no real issue of gender justice involved, for the ban does not affect all women, only those who are menstruating. While this is still a form of discrimination, it can be justified by references to traditions involving the celibate deity. Lord Ayyappa is not just any deity, and […]

Kashmir is destroying Kashmir – Ravi Shankar

The fanatic establishment of Pakistan and Arab Wahhabi zealots, who fund terrorism worldwide, have used infiltration, propaganda and genocide to bring darkness to what was once called the “paradise on earth”. The assault on education in the Valley is their latest ruse. Separatists, stone throwers and murderers accuse ‘India’ of destroying Kashmir. Little do they […]