Was Kabir Right?

A week ago, I imposed an interdiction on Kabir ; a move I felt was necessary at the time, not because of his views, but because of the manner in which they were expressed. His tone, his dismissal of this platform, and his tendency to escalate rather than de-escalate all contributed to that decision. But now, I find myself wondering: was Kabir right about Brown Pundits?

Since his departure, the commentariat has gone unusually quiet. Threads that once sparked with disagreement, energy, and engagement have gone still. There is a strange calm but it feels like the calm of a museum, not a marketplace of ideas. And what’s become increasingly clear is that the “peace” has come at a cost. That cost is vibrancy. That cost is friction. That cost is participation. Kabir, for all his faults, drew fire, and fire draws people.

This raises a more fundamental question: am I overestimating the commentariat’s interest in the core mission of Brown Pundits? Were people here for civilizational dialogue, or were they here for the masala of Indo-Pak antagonism? It’s disheartening to admit, but the numbers speak for themselves. Kabir had been blocked years before (not by me), and when I released Loki from his cage, well on his return, so did the attention.

Yet again since the interdiction, even the saffron warriors have mostly vanished. The Pakistanis left when Kabir did. And without the Pakistanis, the Indians don’t seem to linger either. Someone I know, an Indian academic couple, once told me that the RSS used to watch Tablighi Jamaat videos to learn how to organize better. And maybe, in his own contentious way, Kabir played that role for this space: a foil, a challenge, a catalyst.

I haven’t decided whether to lift the interdiction. But if I do, I’ll go further than just letting him comment again. I’ll offer him admin rights, but Nivedita and Indosaurus, will be primus inter pares to preserve the Hindu & Dharmic harmony of this space. That would not be a reward, but an acknowledgment of the reality: if BP is to grow, it cannot just be me repeating myself last year and re-revving up the space.

This isn’t an endorsement of Kabir’s style, and certainly not a blank cheque (I will immediately delete posts that is not at least prefaced with original content and any comment that is below the courtesy watermark). But it is a reflection of something I value deeply: justice, and the capacity to rethink decisions in light of changing evidence.

Is Kabir the Loki to my Thor? Mischievous, sharp, infuriating and absolutely necessary to the drama of this space. He destabilizes, yes. But sometimes, that’s what catalyzes evolution. I may be building the halls of Asgard, but without him rattling the gates, would anyone still be watching?

A final decision will be made next Monday (he is still in interdiction but I want to see how the traffic and Commentariat interplay) . Until then, I’m reflecting on whether we want Brown Pundits to be a temple of civilizational seriousness, or whether we’re fooling ourselves and it’s the heat, not the light, that brings people to the fire.