November 2018
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When myth becomes reality
After watching Netflix’s Arjun: The Warrior Prince, the author compares the Mahabharata to the Iliad as a layered text blending periods, and notes that recent genetics likely confirms steppe agro-pastoralists…
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Questions for the genetics of India podcast….
A call for reader questions ahead of a podcast on Indian genetics with Zach, Omar and the author, who also mentions a first iTunes review and his guest appearance on…
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Pakistani potluck with a dash of politics
After a tense Pakistani potluck over 26/11 and Indian views of Pakistan, the author says he prefers diplomacy to ideology, and argues South Asia should focus on lifting its billion-plus…
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A film of the Jarawa people
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Why China will be the Greatest Power in Asia-
Using the Dolce & Gabbana Shanghai row, in which China turned racist adverts into a lesson in national honour, the author argues for Chinese primacy in Asia, then turns to…
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RIP Fahmida Riaz
A note marking the death of the poet and scholar Fahmida Riaz, remembered for her fearlessness and an Indian exile under Zia, with Hasan Mujtaba’s tribute poem and a translation…
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Proud of Pakistan-
A short post saying encouraging news from Pakistan and a photograph of Indian Muslims give the author hope, and arguing that Indians are pushed to be more liberal and Pakistanis…
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Sting of a WASP
The author, who says he stands with Dalits, argues that Western vilification of India’s upper castes is unhelpful, that those castes are shrinking through migration, intermarriage and low fertility as…
