Fire and the Saffroniate

We had a quiet Diwali dinner with some South Asian literati here in Cambridge, Mass. No fireworks, but some useful clarity especially about the need for a unified South Asian voice, and where Brown Pundits fits in.

Threads, Fire, and a New Warrior Class

Kabir remains catnip for the Commentariat or as I’ll now call them, the Saffroniate (Brahmins or Brahminised). They pretend otherwise, but the numbers don’t lie. The threads light up when he’s around and yes, I’m aware of the layered joke: threads mean something else too, especially to our youngest Pundits-in-training.

Some figures draw fire. That’s not a flaw; it’s a feature. I assumed we’d outgrown needing that. We haven’t. I was wrong. The Saffroniate isn’t yet a community. It still relies on the presence of an “Other” to cohere; much like its offline twin. That’s why momentum dips. When I find myself redoing old work, motivation dips too.

Kabir brings momentum for free. That’s not praise; just tactical fact. Same applies to Sbarrkum. Both have time, means, and intent. Their presence triggers traffic. That traffic draws others. That’s the loop.

What’s often missed is that Kabir and Sbarrkum represent elite intellectual strands in their respective countries. Omar and I don’t. We’re more like Cassandras; forecasting futures no one wants to adopt. But the Saffroniate tends to flatten dissent, especially when it falls outside the accepted Overton window.

If Kabir returns, I won’t be moderating his views unless they cross a personal line; especially around Dr. V (Indian Hindu Sindhi by background). That said, Kabir’s provocations often prompt me to post. That’s productive.

Admins should steer clear of comment threads involving Kabir, Qureshi, or Sbarrkum. Let the Saffroniate seek refuge in our posts but caveat emptor if they wander into foreign terrain. Authors have full rights over their own post’s comment threads. Unless comments are clearly offensive, abusive, or illegal, the Author sets the tone. Use common sense, and assume others will too.

As always: new original content only. Reposts are fine, but must be prefaced with a substantive original contribution; if you’re quoting 10 lines, at least 3–4 should be your own.

Division of Labour

Let’s clarify roles:

• Admins (Indosaurus, Nivedita, and myself) manage posts, not threads.

• Authors handle their own threads.

If an Admin sees a triggering comment on another thread, the answer isn’t to reply; it’s to post. We scale through tone, not through thread fights. As Kabir pours kerosene into the threads, we’ll need a new warrior class of the Saffroniate. From Pundits to Pahlwans.

We need a core of 20–30 regular commenters. As of now? Maybe 7–9. If Kabir permanently stays out: 3–4. With Kabir and Qureshi in: closer to 12–15. These are the ones who post consistently, engage cleanly, and can graduate to Authors, then Admins.

Until that core exists, the structure rests on personal energy. If the interdiction lifts, it will lift for both Kabir and Qureshi. Qureshi will be invited as an Author. Yes, this may tilt BP toward Pakistani and Islamic themes. But let’s be honest, that’s what the Saffroniate wants. K & Q sprinkle the masala. The Commentariat snorts it.

This isn’t ideological. It’s structural. The data is clear: when the conversation heats up, so does traffic. The view that it’s better for BP to be dead than dynamic-but-messy is unserious; especially for a voluntary forum I’ve sustained (on and off) for 15 years.

Beyond Polemics

BP can also be a space for science, philosophy, and civilizational longform; especially where those conversations are blocked elsewhere. Not every post needs to polemicise. The door is open. The signal can pulse through the noise.

Each of us brings a different flavour. That’s a strength. But few understand the energy it takes to keep a platform alive. Kabir has bandwidth. He’s wealthy, Renaissance-inspired, in Lahore, and online full-time. This is his zone. That energy shows.

He may yet become Pakistan’s Arundhati Roy; overwrought at times, but never disloyal. A live wire, not a saboteur. Sbarrkum brings something else: esoterica, range, unpredictability. Sometimes extreme, but always valuable. Let a thousand schools of thought flourish.

Next Steps

Starting next month, I’ll send a light-touch monthly pulse-check to Admins, Authors, and Stakeholders. Who’s in. Who’s active. Where next. No pressure but clarity helps. The interdiction stays, for now. I’m watching traffic, tone, and tempo. If anything shifts, it’ll be structural; not personal hence why I’m sharing my thoughts so that this is an “open forum.”

InshAllah.