April 2019
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From basket-case to garment superpower
The author says an article uses Bangladesh as a prop to attack Pakistan’s rulers, though Bangladesh has governance problems and textile dependence, and notes the blog gets far more traffic…
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philhaal is guftagu se thak gaye hain hum.
Reviewing Kalank, the author praises the performances, especially Madhuri Dixit, but finds Karan Johar’s ‘more is more’ style and unrealistic Heera Mandi make it farcical, contrasting Bollywood with Pakistani dramas…
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The Kalash of Iran
Prompted by a family story of Zoroastrians becoming Baha’is, the author argues that the Baha’i Faith has reduced Iran’s Zoroastrian and Jewish minorities, while its converts keep Persian identity, and…
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Notre Dame & Babri Masjid
After the Notre-Dame fire, the author argues European care for old monuments is a mark of high civilisation, that comparisons with the Babri Mosque’s demolition are fair, and that rebuilding…
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South Asia is Latin America minus 2,000years
The author argues that Latin America’s racial hierarchy of Europeans, mestizos and Indians is the best analogy for caste, claiming genetic evidence links Aryan-related ancestry to caste rank and that…
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Bring the Kalash to Ladakh!
Following a Twitter suggestion, the author proposes that the Kalash be allowed to relocate to Ladakh, a similar ecosystem with less pressure to assimilate, as a constructive step for a…
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The end of the Kalash is nigh
The author argues that the end of the Kalash is near, since educated young women are reportedly converting to Islam and their high fertility can no longer offset conversions, and…
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Greater (South) India
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Tribal Woman in Coimbatore Who Is Standing Up to Isha Foundation
Excerpts from an article on a tribal woman in Coimbatore, Muthamma, who says an ashram used local tribal families’ knowledge of forest plants and then left them excluded, and who…
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Indian Muslims are more latitudinarian than Pakistani Muslims
The author uses the World Values Survey to compare whether believers in India and Pakistan think their religion is the only acceptable one, finding Indian Muslims more latitudinarian than Pakistani…
