Sanjeev Sabhlok's Blog, page 107

Suggestions sought on how to get Ramji Mishra’s children to improve their English

I’m delighted that that Renu, Ramji Mishra‘s daughter, is engaging with me on Whatsapp – I feel I must provide her and her siblings essential support for their future. So I asked her to tell me about herself and family. This is what she wrote, and my response in return. Now this is a big […]

The role of private guilds and the king in the issue of coins in ancient India

I’m trying to figure out the origin of Indian coins and money. This is a placeholder post. KAUDI owrie shells, found abundantly in the Indian Ocean, were among the earliest forms of currency used in the world. In India, they were colloquially referred to as kaudi and were used in certain areas like Odisha even until the early 1800s. […]

List of topics for my future write-ups in the Times of India online blog

This is a list of things I want to write about in the coming weeks/ months on my TOI blog. As the topics are done, I’ll put them into the “completed” category. Some of these may be converted into articles for the main newspaper. Urgently needed police reforms (Sent – not yet published) Diwali as […]

List of topics for my future writer-ups in the Times of India online blog

This is a list of things I want to write about in the coming weeks/ months on my TOI blog. As the topics are done, I’ll put them into the “completed” category. Some of these may be converted into articles for the main newspaper. Urgently needed police reforms Diwali as an occasion to remember that […]

A 2007 PhD thesis on Kautilya’s Arthashastra – interesting summary of the ancient Indian state and economy

I’m always interested in analyses of the Arthashastra. Reporting this here for my future reference. The thesis confirms my readings so far from a variety of sources. The ancient Indian state can be best characterised as a pre-liberal capitalist state. The moot question relates to the level of freedom of thought and speech. It appears […]

The capitalist economy of Ram Rajya as detailed in Valmiki’s Ramayana

I’m starting to study the Ramayana economy. Here are preliminary notes from this version of Ramayana. There is not the slightest hint of socialism in Ram Rajya. MARKETS AND TRADERS – KING DIDN’T RUN BUSINESS The city had beautiful and massive gates and charming markets; Innumerable ambassadors and merchants dwelt there and people from many lands traded […]

My response to a comment received on my draft agenda for a new India (अभिनव भारत अभियान)

A few weeks ago I had put out a draft agenda for the Abhinav Bharat Abhiyan. I’ve received a comment on this which I’m publishing here. I’m grateful that someone has gone through the trouble of repsonding to my draft. Such discussions are extremely helpful. I’ve now put out my verbal response on Whooshkaa here, […]

Amar Habib’s Anti-Farmer Laws book now in Hindi – download

A few weeks ago I put out this blog post, sharing the English version of Amar Habib’s Marathi book on Anti-Farmer Laws. The Hindi version is now available. DOWNLOAD PDF HINDI VERSION HERE.   Also the MARATHI VERSION HERE.

A couple of snapshots of my early websites from 1996

I was astonished to locate a couple of old snapshots of my USC websites. Recording them here for easier access in the future. Unfortunately, the actual VIP (Victory of India party) website that I started in February 1998 did not get archived at any point. For that, unfortunately a much later (probably late 1998) version […]

Joyson, it may help to be persistent but in any event please avoid excuses that don’t stack up

I came across this blog post by Joyson Fernandes. Just a couple of comments: The logic of IQ fails totally not just because IQ is a totally spurious concept as I’ve demonstrated at length elsewhere (you just need to read the full literature to understand this point) but there are a few blatant failures in […]