I recently shared my thoughts on Pakistan’s literary scene against the backdrop of the Nobel Prize awarded to László Krasznahorkai. In it, I reflect on Pakistan’s vanishing reading culture — a quiet crisis that extends far beyond declining book sales or literary festivals. Some excerpts:
“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recently awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in literature to Hungarian novelist and screenwriter Laszlo Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”.
One can’t help but wonder: could anything similar happen in Pakistan? Can we imagine a Pakistani novelist or poet whose words transcend boundaries and reshape the global literary landscape?
After all, these fertile lands have produced remarkable literary legacies — from the third-century BCE Sanskrit animal fables of the Panchatantra to the progressive voices of the Progressive Writers’ Association and beyond. Yet today, Pakistan’s literary scene exposes a growing vacuum: glossy on the surface but lacking the cultural depth and societal urgency that once defined great writing. Today, literary culture is often apolitical and upscale — festivals, launches and publishing houses serving as elite social gatherings dominated by urban, Anglophone writers — while marginalised voices and newcomers, remain unseen and unheard.”
How much of this is really a Pakistan problem vis-a-vis a worldwide attention issue. Now with streaming, tiktok, tv, podcasts, social media, chatrooms, all in devices permanently in your hand or pocket or living room the distraction juggernaut is relentless.
Bizarrely i’ve only recently taken to writing out articles in some sort of pyrrhic revolt against this phase humanity is in. There will be others out there, straining against the AI’s and their inhuman verbose blathering. I hope they find a safe haven and a kind shore to wash up on.
Maybe a universal basic income will kickstart a new literary bonanza. Not holding my breath.
Ofcourse, this is a universal phenomenon of shrinking attention spans. But here, the problem isn’t one of decline — there was hardly any readership to begin with, except among elite circles in cosmopolitan cities and perhaps a sparse network of indigenous-language readers. The real issue is basic literacy, compounded by the dark shadows of economics and poverty trap.
Sry, I should have mentioned. Enjoyed your article. Too many things to be sorted out in Pakistan I feel. Reading is a cultural practice too, has to be ingrained at a young age, once the teenage years are crossed new habits have to be established with far more willpower.
Japan has a culture of Manga – comic books. My fondest memories of reading are of being admitted to the hospital which happily had an endless supply of Amar Chitra Katha. It was a bit counter productive as we used to pretend to be sick to spend an extra day reading.
These two articles make for very bleak reading. Would you know and be willing to share about the sort of discussions happen amongst policymakers within the Pakistani government about these issues? Are things adrift or is the bureaucracy and establishment alert to these pressing problems?
Right now, the only focus is economic survival. Our attention is fixated on the numbers game. Trying to somehow reduce the fiscal deficit (government spending minus taxation) and the trade deficit (imports minus exports), both of which have recently surged again. There is no conversation about people; everything revolves around figures — how we are going to achieve these targets, whether structurally or ruthlessly (by overtaxing the formal economy while letting politically favored sectors slip through). No one talks about education, health, creativity, or the pursuit of excellence. Our nervous system of governance is broken.
““We are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men, leaning together, headpiece filled with straw,” lamented T S Eliot: the ‘hollowness’ we have attained by embracing ‘irrationality’ through and through. Along these lines, Atif Mian, a renowned economist, in a recent article, christened – and not for the first time – Pakistan’s (government’s) decision-making process a “broken nervous system”….”
thanks this is very good. do you want me to restore authorship btw; the only thing with reposting content from elsewhere is I want novel analysis to it?
Thank you for sharing your articles and these insights. I learnt a lot from this. One data point from your article really stood out that would make sbarrkum really happy 🙂 – “Only 23 per cent of 10-year-olds in Pakistan can read and understand an age-appropriate text. In comparison, the same metric stands at 44 per cent in India, 42 per cent in Bangladesh, and 85 per centin Sri Lanka.”
This is a stunning statistic for Sri Lanka. I am sure a similar statistic holds for a lot of Indian states but the overall number is dragged down by a handful of states ( in particular Bihar and I know about this ), that have been abject failures on this front.
A similar, well researched, objective assessment of education and health from an Indian perspective would be so valuable in understanding the overall progress of South Asia.
Expand on that. I’ve never been, but my understanding is that places like Tamil Nadu/Kerala are pretty much in the same zone. HDI/GDP etc, but stats are cut and dry, what does it feel to travel there and back.
Our leaders immediately after Independence were elite nationalistic socialist types. The kind educated in Oxford etc.
They worked to fund on health, education, social reform and huge irrigation projects. Cynical me calls it the Mahavamsa Mentality, they want to go down in history as those who did the best for the populace.
Not everyone agrees with Land Reform (Mrs Srimavo Bandaranaike) with land ownership limited to 50 acres per nuclear family. Made a difference and many in rural are somewhat self sufficient. So no mad rush into Urban areas to make a living.
My pet peeve is about how the current Western biased bought into regime change propaganda by NGO’s (many funded by USAID) and got rid of the Rajapakses. No real development since 2015 and not going to happen under this monkey govt. Former insurrectionists during 1971 and 1988/89
The leaders immediately after independence were quite socialist and put in a lot of money into health, education and social reform.
Not everyone agrees with Land Reform (Mrs Srimavo) with land ownership limited to 50 acres per nuclear family. Made a difference and many in rural are somewhat self sufficient. So no mad rush into Urban areas to make a living.
One of my pet peeves. The Urban English educated crowd are very susceptible to Western propaganda
This is….unfortunate. Its a slow moving trainwreck when a society has to mortgage the future to survive the present. Especially with the way the global economy is moving.
Honestly, I do not see a way out for Pakistan out of lurching from one economic crisis to another, without increased economic integration on the sub-continent. And this requires some sort of lasting peace with India. I used to think in the early 2000s that it will take a decade or 2 to get there. Now I’m starting to get more cynical about it.
India have always had the Booker felicitated Anglophone writers but in recent years lots of translated works are getting lots of attention, including international.
I haven’t yet discovered the world of translations, given my limited understanding of languages other than English (for writing) and Urdu (as a spoken language). There has been some attempt, though — for that, you should look into Anjum Altaf’s work, who has translated Faiz and Ghalib into English. But if it were in vogue, I would have known of it.
I meant as in translation of contemporary writers.
sbarrkum
1 month ago
Interesting article of US China Economic and Tech Wars.
Excerpts
The writing was on the wall for this when China, just recently, told all domestic firms to not buy Western chips. That mean that they had enough of the chip technology stack that they felt they were immune to counter-sanctions.
First, China is not going to leave the US or the West anything meaningful in terms of tech lead
Second: if you are in charge of any country in the world that is an American vassal and you have an IQ above 90 and the smallest amount of interest in the future of your country, your job right now is to transfer your allegiance to China and get the best deal you can in exchange. The longer you wait, the worse the deal will be.
I do mean everyone: Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea.
a. The law applies equally to all. It is a load of tripe.
b. Feudalism and Tribalism – India is not feudal in the way other societies are, and yet remnants of feudalism exist even today within the Indian political scene. The good news is that its dying out quickly.
c. Tribalism on the other hand, is alive and well :).
d. The free speech experiment is dead – globally. Social Media has accelerated the demise. In India – free speech can be freely exercised, depending on who you are 🙂
sbarrkum
1 month ago
As I said before the West is Panicking
One day later, and the EU is on the cusp of applying major pressure on Beijing. As Bloomberg reports, the European Union is “considering forcing Chinese firms to hand over technology to European companies if they want to operate locally,” in an aggressive new push to make the bloc more competitive – particularly when it comes to electric vehicles and the transfers of battery technology and know-how.
“Miriam and Sheldon would come into the White House, probably more than almost anybody outside of people that worked there. And as soon as I’d give them something, always for Israel, as soon as I’d give them something, they’d want something else.”
One irony of Trump’s strong insinuation today about Miriam Adelson — that she loves Israel more than the US — is a statement that is prohibited and subject to punishment as “anti-Semitism” under the expanded IHRA hate speech rules Trump forced American universities to adopt.
Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest scrapped plans to build electric vehicle powertrains after witnessing China’s dominance firsthand.
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley and other top business leaders are “terrified” over China’s breakneck technological advancements, warning that the Asian superpower’s innovations could crush American companies if they don’t act fast, according to a stunning report from The Telegraph.
‘Most Humbling Thing I’ve Ever Seen’: Western Business Leaders ‘Terrified’ After Touring Chinese Factories
There is the kind of desi that once they change their passport to the west the loyalties are up for auction. If there are no ties to hold you to the home country but you really can’t integrate with white America either – then it is just a matter of the highest bidder.
Both these men were originally from Bombay (as it was when they emigrated i suppose). More commercial? I don’t know, not to insult the city, just idle speculative straw grasping.
I remember reading an article once about how the politicians who come up through the RSS almost never defect or horse trade. They might be corrupt and rabble rouse and whatnot but they do not jump ship.
If I recall the famous BJP ship jumpers – Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha, even Jaswant Singh (a BJP founder) was not from the RSS.
Apparently Shankersinh Vaghela did, and is a good exception to the rule.
The RSS is pretty clear about indoctrination lessons on India’s downfall due to betrayal.
brown
1 month ago
..Leaders across South Asia have gone down the same road as Khan, seduced by the hope that they can buy-up the support of religious and ethnic extremists—witness Indira Gandhi’s romance with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, or Rajiv Gandhi’s flirtation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. They all learned that riding the tiger also means you’re the nearest meal at hand.
Rajiv Gandhi’s flirtation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
It was not Rajiv who flirted, it was Indira who funded and trained the LTTE Terrorists on Indian Soil.
LTTE who were trained by Indira turned against Indian and the son Rajiv paid the price.
Major Abhay Sapru on LTTE (Tamil Tigers) Explained In 18 minutes by Indian Commando.
1:32 shattered the myth of the Martial Races, Gurkhas , Sikhs
The worst defeat India suffered in modern history. The Chinese skirmishes are pin pricks.
I wonder who is going to win this Trade War.
My bets are on China.
The last major Trade war was the US Japan. An oil embargo on Japan and Japan felt that the United States’ demands of unconditional withdrawal from China and non-aggression pacts with other Pacific powers were unacceptable. Japan then bombed Pearl Harbor.
So what bets US and Europe starts a war with China (and Russia) as their economies go South. I give 70% odds it will happen.
———————————————-
The company is important to Europe. It produces some 90 billion bread and butter components per year which flow into other higher value European products. Sure, other Chinese companies will be happy to replace those parts. But where is the win for the Netherlands or Europe in that?
China is well prepared for that move. Its GDP this year will be around 20 trillion. Its total exports per year to the U.S. are around $500 billion, a mere 2.5% of its GDP. China can do without those while the U.S. can not.
This is absolutely unprecedented. With this China effectively gets veto power over three critical supply chains simultaneously: advanced semiconductors (via rare earths and related equipment), battery-powered vehicles and drones, and precision manufacturing across industries (via superhard materials).
Rare earth elements are used in many U.S. weapons. Each F-35 fighter jet includes some 418 kilogram of rare earth elements, a U.S. destroyer 2,600 kg, a nuclear submarines 4,800 kg. The U.S. has currently no means to produce these themselves.
while c p m in bengal is a brahmin-kayastha-baidya led party, it is lead by o b cs in kerala. also it is the main party of hindus in kerala. hence it might survive in kerala a bit longer.
sbarrkum
1 month ago
I love this music video from Adivasi dance at Adivasi Festival
Aadi Mahotsav, the mega National Tribal Festival 2023
The Tall dark girl on the left looks like Kumari one of my late partners. Late as in passed because of diabetic complications. Passed two months before she hit the age of 50
The same happy open smile and probably as tall 5’8″”
that’s absolutely fine with either length or volume. I don’t mind if you cross post because it’s better to have flow and momentum. just my two cents
sbarrkum
1 month ago
What’s next for Gaza?
After the hostage release, Israel will hold onto a fully depopulated 58% of Gaza. After an international force enters, Israel will hold onto 40% of Gaza where the IDF’s proxy gangs will thrive! Genocide or reconstruction? The devil is in the details!
alot of your comments are interesting and can be posts.. a post can be very short
sbarrkum
1 month ago
The Trump administration isn’t only targeting organizations or groups but even individuals and “entities” whom NSPM-7 says can be identified by any of the following “indicia” (indicators) of violence:
anti-Americanism,
anti-capitalism,
anti-Christianity,
support for the overthrow of the United States Government,
extremism on migration,
extremism on race,
extremism on gender,
hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family,
hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on religion, and
hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on morality.
The Trump administration is preparing sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily, according to people familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile Hindustan Times is reporting that China is Cracking down on Christian Groups, the Zion Church in Particular. Is there a connection
(There is definitely a link between Protestant Christians leaning West. eg The Anglican Church and its followers supported the Aragalaya Protests in Sri Lanka)
sbarrkum
1 month ago
India is finally learning the reliable partners are in the East. i.e. China and Russia
sbarrkum
1 month ago
I hope SL does too.
Thailand is reportedly considering a possible ban on Israeli tourists following multiple complaints and incidents. In Thailand Despite their tiny numbers, Israeli Tourists represent more than half the violent crimes instigated by tourists.
Violent culture and the Gods Chosen thinking breeds violent people who think they are above the Law.
The Jerusalem Post
Thai authorities crack down on Israeli visa overstays, illegal work
For all those who believed Israel would keep its promise. So much for the Ceasefire which was never going to happen.
The IDF has called the action a response to what it claims were ceasefire violation by Hamas
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of large-scale strikes across Gaza on Sunday, claiming its actions were a response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire by Hamas. The Palestinian militant group has denied the allegations, insisting it did not break the truce.
Incidentally I dont go searching for these article. The pop up in the links of a the two Finance Blogs I read daily
New Delhi, home to more than 30 million people, remains the world’s most polluted capital, with winter smog regularly turning its skies grey and its air toxic
Now living in Bengaluru — where air pollution levels are still high but far better than Delhi’s — Uppal says her son can “play outside freely,” something that felt impossible before. She calls clean air a “basic human right” and says no parent should have to choose between raising a child and protecting their health.
According to The Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution caused 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019.
I recently shared my thoughts on Pakistan’s literary scene against the backdrop of the Nobel Prize awarded to László Krasznahorkai. In it, I reflect on Pakistan’s vanishing reading culture — a quiet crisis that extends far beyond declining book sales or literary festivals. Some excerpts:
“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recently awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in literature to Hungarian novelist and screenwriter Laszlo Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”.
One can’t help but wonder: could anything similar happen in Pakistan? Can we imagine a Pakistani novelist or poet whose words transcend boundaries and reshape the global literary landscape?
After all, these fertile lands have produced remarkable literary legacies — from the third-century BCE Sanskrit animal fables of the Panchatantra to the progressive voices of the Progressive Writers’ Association and beyond. Yet today, Pakistan’s literary scene exposes a growing vacuum: glossy on the surface but lacking the cultural depth and societal urgency that once defined great writing. Today, literary culture is often apolitical and upscale — festivals, launches and publishing houses serving as elite social gatherings dominated by urban, Anglophone writers — while marginalised voices and newcomers, remain unseen and unheard.”
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1350107-no-readers-no-writers-no-literature-nobel
How much of this is really a Pakistan problem vis-a-vis a worldwide attention issue. Now with streaming, tiktok, tv, podcasts, social media, chatrooms, all in devices permanently in your hand or pocket or living room the distraction juggernaut is relentless.
Bizarrely i’ve only recently taken to writing out articles in some sort of pyrrhic revolt against this phase humanity is in. There will be others out there, straining against the AI’s and their inhuman verbose blathering. I hope they find a safe haven and a kind shore to wash up on.
Maybe a universal basic income will kickstart a new literary bonanza. Not holding my breath.
Ofcourse, this is a universal phenomenon of shrinking attention spans. But here, the problem isn’t one of decline — there was hardly any readership to begin with, except among elite circles in cosmopolitan cities and perhaps a sparse network of indigenous-language readers. The real issue is basic literacy, compounded by the dark shadows of economics and poverty trap.
Read my piece on the education scene: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1267995-the-education-cul-de-sac
Another piece on the latest poverty numbers: https://www.brecorder.com/news/40385162
Sry, I should have mentioned. Enjoyed your article. Too many things to be sorted out in Pakistan I feel. Reading is a cultural practice too, has to be ingrained at a young age, once the teenage years are crossed new habits have to be established with far more willpower.
Japan has a culture of Manga – comic books. My fondest memories of reading are of being admitted to the hospital which happily had an endless supply of Amar Chitra Katha. It was a bit counter productive as we used to pretend to be sick to spend an extra day reading.
These two articles make for very bleak reading. Would you know and be willing to share about the sort of discussions happen amongst policymakers within the Pakistani government about these issues? Are things adrift or is the bureaucracy and establishment alert to these pressing problems?
Right now, the only focus is economic survival. Our attention is fixated on the numbers game. Trying to somehow reduce the fiscal deficit (government spending minus taxation) and the trade deficit (imports minus exports), both of which have recently surged again. There is no conversation about people; everything revolves around figures — how we are going to achieve these targets, whether structurally or ruthlessly (by overtaxing the formal economy while letting politically favored sectors slip through). No one talks about education, health, creativity, or the pursuit of excellence. Our nervous system of governance is broken.
Read my other article: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1225474-is-our-nervous-system-in-disarray
““We are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men, leaning together, headpiece filled with straw,” lamented T S Eliot: the ‘hollowness’ we have attained by embracing ‘irrationality’ through and through. Along these lines, Atif Mian, a renowned economist, in a recent article, christened – and not for the first time – Pakistan’s (government’s) decision-making process a “broken nervous system”….”
thanks this is very good. do you want me to restore authorship btw; the only thing with reposting content from elsewhere is I want novel analysis to it?
Actually, sadly, I can’t commit due to other engagements. 🙁
Sure makes sense
Thank you for sharing your articles and these insights. I learnt a lot from this. One data point from your article really stood out that would make sbarrkum really happy 🙂 – “Only 23 per cent of 10-year-olds in Pakistan can read and understand an age-appropriate text. In comparison, the same metric stands at 44 per cent in India, 42 per cent in Bangladesh, and 85 per cent in Sri Lanka.”
This is a stunning statistic for Sri Lanka. I am sure a similar statistic holds for a lot of Indian states but the overall number is dragged down by a handful of states ( in particular Bihar and I know about this ), that have been abject failures on this front.
A similar, well researched, objective assessment of education and health from an Indian perspective would be so valuable in understanding the overall progress of South Asia.
Sri Lanka is *very* advanced I find. More South East Asian than South Asian I find..
Expand on that. I’ve never been, but my understanding is that places like Tamil Nadu/Kerala are pretty much in the same zone. HDI/GDP etc, but stats are cut and dry, what does it feel to travel there and back.
Thank You Daves.
Our leaders immediately after Independence were elite nationalistic socialist types. The kind educated in Oxford etc.
They worked to fund on health, education, social reform and huge irrigation projects. Cynical me calls it the Mahavamsa Mentality, they want to go down in history as those who did the best for the populace.
Not everyone agrees with Land Reform (Mrs Srimavo Bandaranaike) with land ownership limited to 50 acres per nuclear family. Made a difference and many in rural are somewhat self sufficient. So no mad rush into Urban areas to make a living.
My pet peeve is about how the current Western biased bought into regime change propaganda by NGO’s (many funded by USAID) and got rid of the Rajapakses. No real development since 2015 and not going to happen under this monkey govt. Former insurrectionists during 1971 and 1988/89
Thank You
The leaders immediately after independence were quite socialist and put in a lot of money into health, education and social reform.
Not everyone agrees with Land Reform (Mrs Srimavo) with land ownership limited to 50 acres per nuclear family. Made a difference and many in rural are somewhat self sufficient. So no mad rush into Urban areas to make a living.
One of my pet peeves. The Urban English educated crowd are very susceptible to Western propaganda
This is….unfortunate. Its a slow moving trainwreck when a society has to mortgage the future to survive the present. Especially with the way the global economy is moving.
Honestly, I do not see a way out for Pakistan out of lurching from one economic crisis to another, without increased economic integration on the sub-continent. And this requires some sort of lasting peace with India. I used to think in the early 2000s that it will take a decade or 2 to get there. Now I’m starting to get more cynical about it.
Interesting.
Isn’t there a culture of translation?
India have always had the Booker felicitated Anglophone writers but in recent years lots of translated works are getting lots of attention, including international.
I haven’t yet discovered the world of translations, given my limited understanding of languages other than English (for writing) and Urdu (as a spoken language). There has been some attempt, though — for that, you should look into Anjum Altaf’s work, who has translated Faiz and Ghalib into English. But if it were in vogue, I would have known of it.
I meant as in translation of contemporary writers.
Interesting article of US China Economic and Tech Wars.
Excerpts
The writing was on the wall for this when China, just recently, told all domestic firms to not buy Western chips. That mean that they had enough of the chip technology stack that they felt they were immune to counter-sanctions.
First, China is not going to leave the US or the West anything meaningful in terms of tech lead
Second: if you are in charge of any country in the world that is an American vassal and you have an IQ above 90 and the smallest amount of interest in the future of your country, your job right now is to transfer your allegiance to China and get the best deal you can in exchange. The longer you wait, the worse the deal will be.
I do mean everyone: Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea.
https://www.ianwelsh.net/china-is-going-to-leave-the-us-what-america-left-britain-nothing/
Some thoughts on Indian problems 🙂
a. The law applies equally to all. It is a load of tripe.
b. Feudalism and Tribalism – India is not feudal in the way other societies are, and yet remnants of feudalism exist even today within the Indian political scene. The good news is that its dying out quickly.
c. Tribalism on the other hand, is alive and well :).
d. The free speech experiment is dead – globally. Social Media has accelerated the demise. In India – free speech can be freely exercised, depending on who you are 🙂
As I said before the West is Panicking
One day later, and the EU is on the cusp of applying major pressure on Beijing. As Bloomberg reports, the European Union is “considering forcing Chinese firms to hand over technology to European companies if they want to operate locally,” in an aggressive new push to make the bloc more competitive – particularly when it comes to electric vehicles and the transfers of battery technology and know-how.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-ratchets-china-pressure-may-force-beijing-transfer-tech
Trump said this at Israeli Parliament
“Miriam and Sheldon would come into the White House, probably more than almost anybody outside of people that worked there. And as soon as I’d give them something, always for Israel, as soon as I’d give them something, they’d want something else.”
One irony of Trump’s strong insinuation today about Miriam Adelson — that she loves Israel more than the US — is a statement that is prohibited and subject to punishment as “anti-Semitism” under the expanded IHRA hate speech rules Trump forced American universities to adopt.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/awkward-one-my-biggest-donors-cares-more-about-israel-us-trump-says
Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest scrapped plans to build electric vehicle powertrains after witnessing China’s dominance firsthand.
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley and other top business leaders are “terrified” over China’s breakneck technological advancements, warning that the Asian superpower’s innovations could crush American companies if they don’t act fast, according to a stunning report from The Telegraph.
‘Most Humbling Thing I’ve Ever Seen’: Western Business Leaders ‘Terrified’ After Touring Chinese Factories
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/most-humbling-thing-ive-ever-seen-western-business-leaders-terrified-after-touring
There is the kind of desi that once they change their passport to the west the loyalties are up for auction. If there are no ties to hold you to the home country but you really can’t integrate with white America either – then it is just a matter of the highest bidder.
Both these men were originally from Bombay (as it was when they emigrated i suppose). More commercial? I don’t know, not to insult the city, just idle speculative straw grasping.
I remember reading an article once about how the politicians who come up through the RSS almost never defect or horse trade. They might be corrupt and rabble rouse and whatnot but they do not jump ship.
If I recall the famous BJP ship jumpers – Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha, even Jaswant Singh (a BJP founder) was not from the RSS.
Apparently Shankersinh Vaghela did, and is a good exception to the rule.
The RSS is pretty clear about indoctrination lessons on India’s downfall due to betrayal.
..Leaders across South Asia have gone down the same road as Khan, seduced by the hope that they can buy-up the support of religious and ethnic extremists—witness Indira Gandhi’s romance with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, or Rajiv Gandhi’s flirtation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. They all learned that riding the tiger also means you’re the nearest meal at hand.
the above from praveen swami’s post in the print.
https://theprint.in/theprint-explorer/pakistan-vs-ttp-asim-munirs-been-riding-the-jihadi-tiger-hes-now-realising-hes-the-nearest-meal/2764538/
bjp internal security under amit shah was very clear eyed w.r.t maoists. he has almost eliminated the maoist’s armed struggle.
Rajiv Gandhi’s flirtation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
It was not Rajiv who flirted, it was Indira who funded and trained the LTTE Terrorists on Indian Soil.
LTTE who were trained by Indira turned against Indian and the son Rajiv paid the price.
Major Abhay Sapru on LTTE (Tamil Tigers) Explained In 18 minutes by Indian Commando.
1:32 shattered the myth of the Martial Races, Gurkhas , Sikhs
The worst defeat India suffered in modern history. The Chinese skirmishes are pin pricks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLuzM7iHm8U
I wonder who is going to win this Trade War.
My bets are on China.
The last major Trade war was the US Japan. An oil embargo on Japan and Japan felt that the United States’ demands of unconditional withdrawal from China and non-aggression pacts with other Pacific powers were unacceptable. Japan then bombed Pearl Harbor.
So what bets US and Europe starts a war with China (and Russia) as their economies go South. I give 70% odds it will happen.
———————————————-
The company is important to Europe. It produces some 90 billion bread and butter components per year which flow into other higher value European products. Sure, other Chinese companies will be happy to replace those parts. But where is the win for the Netherlands or Europe in that?
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/10/china-reacts-after-u-s-pushed-netherlands-to-seize-chinese-owned-company.html
China is well prepared for that move. Its GDP this year will be around 20 trillion. Its total exports per year to the U.S. are around $500 billion, a mere 2.5% of its GDP. China can do without those while the U.S. can not.
This is absolutely unprecedented. With this China effectively gets veto power over three critical supply chains simultaneously: advanced semiconductors (via rare earths and related equipment), battery-powered vehicles and drones, and precision manufacturing across industries (via superhard materials).
Rare earth elements are used in many U.S. weapons. Each F-35 fighter jet includes some 418 kilogram of rare earth elements, a U.S. destroyer 2,600 kg, a nuclear submarines 4,800 kg. The U.S. has currently no means to produce these themselves.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/10/u-s-china-trade-war-reaches-new-level.html
Thanks this is very useful
while c p m in bengal is a brahmin-kayastha-baidya led party, it is lead by o b cs in kerala. also it is the main party of hindus in kerala. hence it might survive in kerala a bit longer.
I love this music video from Adivasi dance at Adivasi Festival
Aadi Mahotsav, the mega National Tribal Festival 2023
The Tall dark girl on the left looks like Kumari one of my late partners. Late as in passed because of diabetic complications. Passed two months before she hit the age of 50
The same happy open smile and probably as tall 5’8″”
https://youtu.be/6rZpmF1N26Q
So I wasn’t sure it was appropriate for this site. Not really a full length article, but just sharing a small snippet.
https://indosaurus.substack.com/p/the-om-shanti-bookends
it is very appropriate? lovely piece btw; do post?
Sure. It just didn’t feel lengthy enough. Will do,… putting it on hold just for now as I read yours.
🙏 Muchos gracias.
that’s absolutely fine with either length or volume. I don’t mind if you cross post because it’s better to have flow and momentum. just my two cents
What’s next for Gaza?
After the hostage release, Israel will hold onto a fully depopulated 58% of Gaza. After an international force enters, Israel will hold onto 40% of Gaza where the IDF’s proxy gangs will thrive! Genocide or reconstruction? The devil is in the details!
alot of your comments are interesting and can be posts.. a post can be very short
The Trump administration isn’t only targeting organizations or groups but even individuals and “entities” whom NSPM-7 says can be identified by any of the following “indicia” (indicators) of violence:
anti-Americanism,
The Trump administration is preparing sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily, according to people familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile Hindustan Times is reporting that China is Cracking down on Christian Groups, the Zion Church in Particular. Is there a connection
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/10/trumps-war-against-left-leaning-groups-extends-further.html
(There is definitely a link between Protestant Christians leaning West. eg The Anglican Church and its followers supported the Aragalaya Protests in Sri Lanka)
India is finally learning the reliable partners are in the East. i.e. China and Russia
I hope SL does too.
Thailand is reportedly considering a possible ban on Israeli tourists following multiple complaints and incidents. In Thailand Despite their tiny numbers, Israeli Tourists represent more than half the violent crimes instigated by tourists.
Violent culture and the Gods Chosen thinking breeds violent people who think they are above the Law.
The Jerusalem Post
Thai authorities crack down on Israeli visa overstays, illegal work
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-870745
For all those who believed Israel would keep its promise. So much for the Ceasefire which was never going to happen.
The IDF has called the action a response to what it claims were ceasefire violation by Hamas
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of large-scale strikes across Gaza on Sunday, claiming its actions were a response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire by Hamas. The Palestinian militant group has denied the allegations, insisting it did not break the truce.
https://www.rt.com/news/626689-israel-strikes-gaza-hamas/
Incidentally I dont go searching for these article. The pop up in the links of a the two Finance Blogs I read daily
New Delhi, home to more than 30 million people, remains the world’s most polluted capital, with winter smog regularly turning its skies grey and its air toxic
Now living in Bengaluru — where air pollution levels are still high but far better than Delhi’s — Uppal says her son can “play outside freely,” something that felt impossible before. She calls clean air a “basic human right” and says no parent should have to choose between raising a child and protecting their health.
According to The Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution caused 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1384677/families-flee-delhi-as-toxic-air-forces-pollution-refugees-to-relocate/