Breaking Through the White Ceiling

Vimal Yoganathan, South Asian Representation, and Football’s Unspoken Racial Hierarchies

Vimal Yoganathan’s debut for Barnsley, highlighted by his two-goal performance, represents more than just a personal victory. His success shines a light on the severe underrepresentation of *South Asians* in English football, where they make up 7% of the UK population but only 0.3% of professional footballers.

There are two important nuances to consider regarding the South Asian population in football. Firstly, a significant portion of this population consists of adult immigrants, who typically do not enter professional sports due to their age upon arrival. Secondly, there has been some positive progress, with a 29% growth in the number of South Asian players in recent years, although this remains a small fraction relative to their overall representation in the UK.

For South Asian players, Yoganathan’s story is an outlier, illustrating the deeply embedded systemic and cultural barriers that continue to block progress in a sport dominated by white coaches and management.

Even with a close examination of Vimal’s story, there are notable parallels to a more subtle and complex issue unfolding in the Premier League, involving themes of racism, nationalism, and financial power. While these connections are striking, I prefer not to delve into speculative discussions on public platforms.

Continue reading Breaking Through the White Ceiling

Kanha Shanti Vanam

A Journey of Inner Transformation

The Garden of the One

Finally, there is a fourth garden, the Garden of the One. 
A seeker went to that door and a voice asked, “Who is there?” 
The seeker answered, “I am here, Beloved.” 
The voice replied, “Then go away.” 
The seeker went away, and continued his search and meditation for many years, until finally he returned and once again the voice met him with the same question as before. 
This time, the seeker answered, “You are here.” 
Then the seeker entered and there was no seeker and no sought, there was no lover or beloved, there was only the “One” forever and ever.

as an aside I found it rather bemusing to see the “Ghorbeh” (the Cat, which is a shorthand for the map of Iran) displayed on the screen    

Continue reading Kanha Shanti Vanam

How Indra Nooyi’s successful leadership shatters patriarchal myths in Pakistan

One of the commentators on this blog responded to my comment advocating for 55% female representation and leadership on the Waqf board controversy with the following:

“When you want to destroy a company from the top, you put women in the C-suite. The same logic applies here, it’s a sinister ploy.”

Presumably (and hopefully), this is simply bad banter—my British sensibilities are primed towards the funny kind. However, given the complex issues around patriarchy in Pakistan, as Omar’s recent post on blasphemy suggests, it’s important to examine this claim and set the record straight.

Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan: A Legacy of Tragedy and Controversy

Rather than engaging in such cynical takes on women in leadership, let’s look at the tangible results produced by women who have ascended to leadership positions—specifically the career of Indra Nooyi, the former Indian (Tam-Bram from Chennai) CEO of PepsiCo, and how her achievements compare to those of her competitors.

Indra Nooyi | IIM Calcutta
  • Revenue Growth: Under Nooyi’s leadership, PepsiCo’s revenue grew by 80%, while Coca-Cola’s revenue fell by approximately 9% during the same period.
  • Stock Performance: PepsiCo’s stock price surged by 109% under Nooyi, far outpacing Coca-Cola’s 67% growth from 2006 to 2018.
  • Healthier Product Shift: Nooyi spearheaded PepsiCo’s pivot from sugary snacks to healthier options, increasing its “guilt-free” product revenue to 45%. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola struggled to make comparable gains in the health-conscious market.

Continue reading How Indra Nooyi’s successful leadership shatters patriarchal myths in Pakistan

Blasphemy Laws and Blasphemy Killings in Pakistan

This was on old post about blasphemy laws that I wrote in 2015 and revised in 2021. It is on the site, but hard to search for, so i decided to repost it now that blasphemy is again in the news with two recent episodes where the police were able to arrest the accused (ie save him from mob killing) but then the police themselves executed the blasphemer in custody. There has been an episode in the past where a Shia who had blasphemed against the sahaba (the companions of the prophet) was killed (with an axe) by a police officer while in custody and there have been a couple of episodes where blasphemers were killed by other prisoners, but this trend of execution by the police is now at a new level. The police officers who carried out the execution were garlanded and immediately received promises of millions of rupees in rewards (though with Pakistan reaching new levels of conmanship, it is likely that some of these pledges are fake). So now, not only will the mob kill you any time you are accused of blasphemy, if the mob fails, the police will finish the job the same day.
Of course, if it does reach trial, the courts will always sentence to death in any case because judges who let off previous accused have also been killed.

 

SO it goes.

Meanwhile, as liberal muslims and Liberals and Leftists in the West who want to use orthodox Muslims for their own purposes and want to find ways to oppose blasphemy laws without upsetting Muslims will dig up their usual “colonial era blasphemy laws in Pakistan” story to see if blame can be pinned on some dead entity, such as the British empire. So I wanted to have a post handy where I could direct them; so here it is, a quick overview of the blasphemy issue in Pakistan

A blasphemy law was part of the 19th century Indian Penal code as section 295.. It was not a bad law at all and the lazy habit of blaming it for later blasphemy law crap in the Indian subcontinent is just that: a lazy habit.

Here is section 295 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860:

 Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.—Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons with the intention of thereby insulting the religion of any class of persons or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defile­ment as an insult to their religion, shall be punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

The aim of the law was to prevent/punish things like someone throwing a dead pig into a mosque or a cow’s head into a temple. An actual physical desecration is to be punished. This seems like an eminently sensible law  and cannot really be blamed for all the evils that came later. But in the 1920s there was a famous case in Lahore where a Hindu publisher was arrested by the colonial authorities after Muslims agitated against him for having published a book called Rangila Rasul (“merry prophet”). The British colonial authorities tried to prosecute him for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims, but the high court in Lahore (quite properly) found him innocent because there was no law on the books against just publishing a book, no matter how offensive it may be to some religious group. Fearing future communal discord from such provocations, the British then had the legislative assembly add section 295A to the law in order to criminalize deliberate attempts to “outrage the religious feelings of any community”. This section states:

Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise], insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 4[three years], or with fine, or with both. 

But even with this new and expanded article 295A in place, prosecutions for blasphemy were few and far between until, in the 1980s, General Zia added two new sections to the law in Pakistan and really set the ball rolling.  These infamous sections are labelled 295B and 295C.

295-B:  Defiling the copy of Holy Qur’an. Whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur’an or of an extract there from or uses it in any derogatory manner for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life.

295-C: use of derogatory remarks etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet: – who ever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation innuendo, or insinuation, directly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life and shall also be liable for fine.

Note that the law no longer requires that the offense be malicious in intent. Intent is no longer an issue. Insulting the Quran or the prophet, even unintentionally, is now punishable by death. To seal the deal, in 1991 the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan struck down the option of life imprisonment and made the death penalty obligatory. 
And of course, the new amendments only apply to blasphemy against Islam, not against all religions (in this sense, the new laws are more “rational” and internally coherent, since all religions blaspheme against all other religions as a matter of course, so the original law was not coherent in principle, though still workable in practice). Between 1984 to 2004, 5,000 cases of blasphemy were registered in Pakistan and 964 people were charged and accused of blasphemy; 479 Muslims, 340 Ahmadis, 119 Christians, 14 Hindus and 10 others. Thirty-two people charged with blasphemy were killed extra-judicially during that time. More have died since. Eighty-six percent of all the cases were reported in Punjab.

Every time the shit hits the fan, many liberal people start hoping that this blasphemy law can be changed to finally stop or slow down this torrent of prosecutions and killings. Others have noted that the law is not the problem, free-lance enforcement of a broader blasphemy meme in the Muslim community is the problem and will likely persist even if the law is repealed. 

In my view the law is not the only problem, but it IS a very potent symbol of the surrender of state and society in front of the blasphemy meme. Repeal of the law will not kill that meme, but repeal of the law will be an equally powerful signal that things have changed and that state and society no longer approve of the killing of blasphemers. It will not end the problem, but it will be the beginning of the end. Repeal of the law is not a sufficient condition for this nightmare to end, but it is a very important necessary condition.

Unfortunately, I don’t think such repeal or amendment is actually likely in the foreseeable future. My predictions: Continue reading Blasphemy Laws and Blasphemy Killings in Pakistan

The Battle for the Taj Mahal & India’s Sacred Lands: Waqf Boards Under Fire

Waqf properties, governed under Islamic law, make up the third-largest landholdings in India. Spanning nearly 900k properties & 2.3mn acres—roughly the size of Delaware or Luxembourg—they include iconic sites like the Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, and Charminar. Despite their cultural significance and prime urban locations, these properties have faced scrutiny for mismanagement, with their total value estimated at ₹1.2 lakh crore ($14.5 billion).

Getting to know the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal

Waqf refers to properties dedicated to religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law. Once designated as waqf, ownership is transferred irrevocably to Allah. There are 32 waqf boards in India, including two Shia boards, with about 200 individuals managing them. Once a property is declared waqf, it remains so indefinitely, leading to disputes such as claims on islands in Bet Dwarka, the Bengaluru Eidgah ground, and Kolkata’s Tollygunge Club. Some of these properties, like the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and ITC Windsor Hotel, have historical significance dating back to the Mughal era.

History of Jama Masjid ,About Jama Masjid Delhi
Jama Masjid

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, currently under review, proposes around 40 amendments to the existing Waqf Act of 1995. It seeks to overhaul how these properties are governed, introducing non-Muslims and Muslim women into Waqf board governance, updating the registration process, and shifting property dispute resolutions from Waqf tribunals to civil courts. The aim is to improve transparency and accountability across the nearly 1 million properties controlled by 32 Waqf boards.

A portion of the beautiful Charminar breaks down | Times of India Travel
Charminar

Historical Context

Waqf properties trace back to the Delhi Sultanate and were formally regulated during the British era under the Mussalman Waqf Act of 1923. This act aimed to curb the misuse of Waqf properties, but even today, mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments plague these lands, prompting calls for reform. The 1995 Waqf Act, later amended in 2013, did little to prevent the ongoing inefficiencies, leading to the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Beyt Dwarka Temple Tour Package | Book Now
Bet Dwarka; islands off the Gulf of Kutch

 

Continue reading The Battle for the Taj Mahal & India’s Sacred Lands: Waqf Boards Under Fire

The Gut-Brain Detox: Preparing for 40 with Ozone Therapy in Chennai

“Repeated gut detoxes and probiotics won’t help if you continue holding onto the “tiger’s tail”—the stress. That’s the missing link in your detox protocol” Dr. Ashmita

With 100 days left until I turn 40, I’ve become laser-focused on preemptive care—a philosophy inspired by Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint. My genetic predispositions, including non-alcoholic cirrhosis and cardiac arrest, means that health is more than just important—it’s personal & spiritual*.

Continue reading The Gut-Brain Detox: Preparing for 40 with Ozone Therapy in Chennai

The Italian of the East: Is It Language or Music?

 

In the 15th century, Venetian explorer Niccolò de’ Conti coined the phrase “The Italian of the East” for Telugu, captivated by its melody and rhythm. He famously asked, “Is this language or music?”

Telugu boasts around 96 million speakers and ranks 16th globally, while Italian, with approximately 60-70 million speakers, falls outside the top 20, usually around 21st or 22nd.

Despite its cultural prominence, Italian’s global reach may be possibly smaller than Telugu’s owing to this upcoming election between the beautiful & elegant Dravidians of the United States.

Usha Vance, wife of Trump's VP pick, takes stage at Republican convention |  Reuters
  Telugu Usha Vance
Kamala Harris: The Vice President
reprising the historic Telugu-Tamil rivalry; Veep Kamala Harris

Maybe in light of the emerging 21st century power dynamics, it’s more appropriate to consider Italian as the “Telugu of the Mediterranean?” 🙂

But less on geopolitics and back to linguists; much like Italian, Telugu’s frequent use of vowel-ending words creates a natural rhythm, blurring the lines between speech and melody. Many thanks to the excellent video below for so much of the source content of the post.

Tl;dr Four Reasons Why Telugu is So Poetic:

  1. Vowel-Endings: Nearly every word in Telugu ends with a vowel, making it rhythmically pleasing and easy to rhyme.
  2. Vowel Harmony: Telugu’s phonetic structure ensures that vowels are adjusted for a more aesthetically pleasing flow, creating a melodic cadence.
  3. Verb Flexibility: Telugu verbs can take on thousands of forms from a single root (e.g., choodu becomes choosaanu, choosthunnanu, choosindi), allowing for nuanced expression and sound variation.
  4. Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Dravidian Influence: The layering of these linguistic traditions adds depth and variety to Telugu, enriching its poetic and musical capabilities.

See more detail after the jump.

Continue reading The Italian of the East: Is It Language or Music?

The Power of the ancient Indian Story

India’s influence on world history is undeniable, yet the narratives that emerge often come from unexpected directions. William Dalrymple’s latest, The Golden Road, shines a light on the central role India played in ancient global exchanges—spreading ideas, art, religion, and science across vast geographies. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, the legacy of Indian civilization is visible everywhere.

Consider Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), a bustling port city under the Pallava dynasty (275-897 AD), whose ships once connected India to Southeast Asia. These traders didn’t just carry textiles and spices; they brought with them Sanskrit, Buddhism, and Indian architecture. The awe-inspiring Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the largest religious monument in the world, and Borobudur in Java, the largest Buddhist temple on the planet, are prime examples of how Indian ideas were adopted and adapted by local cultures. In Angkor Wat, Hinduism’s cosmology of Mount Meru shaped the temple’s design, while Borobudur’s mandala-like structure reflects Indian Mahayana Buddhism’s spiritual journey to enlightenment. Continue reading The Power of the ancient Indian Story

Brown Pundits