One of my earliest memories of my childhood is watching the MahÄbhÄrat with my dad. After we dropped my mom off for her night shift at the factory, we would return home, and a black rectangle filled with film would catapult me into a confusingly wondrous world. From the magical arrows whizzing through battlefields to … Continue reading Why Hindu-Americans Don’t Stand Up For Hindus
The Indian diaspora is said to be over 30 million. While the popular tendency is usually to talk of the diaspora in the West (which is recent in formation), Indians have played a far more important role in East Africa if we take a long historical view of the past 150 years Thomas Sowellâs very … Continue reading On Indians in East Africa
As the United Kingdomâs Labour Party swallowed a staggering loss, itâs clear that we see a pattern across the world. Election after election, Left parties collapse against either centrist or frequently right wing parties. Does this imply a victory for the âGlobal Right?â No â as Manu Joseph has beautifully explained, there can never be a … Continue reading The Problem With the Global Left
Much of the discussion over the last few weeks on this weblog (see “Open Thread”) has involved the internal politics of India, and its clearer trajectory in regards to a Hindu sense of self. Most of the comments are not really worth reading, as they repeat platitudes. I have said little because I know very … Continue reading Hindu nationalism amongst the nationalisms
This is the next article in the series âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ, âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ (a)â, Razibâs âHasan Minhajâs Patriot Act on Affirmative Actionâ, âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to … Continue reading Is it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ? (d)
This was a long rolling rant I wrote several years ago while reading Pankaj Mishra’s book “From The Ruins of Empire; The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia”. The format is that I comment as I read the book. So early parts are comments on early chapters and so on. Quotes from Pankaj are in bolded italics. … Continue reading Review: The Intellectuals who Remade Asia (Pankaj Mishra)
This is the next article in the series âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ, âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ (a)â, Razibâs “Hasan Minhajâs Patriot Act on Affirmative Action“, and âIs it time for Asian Americans and Latino … Continue reading Is it time for Asian Americans and Latino Americans to ask to be considered âwhiteâ? (c)
Fascinating that Bengali in India has now started to borrow the honorofic suffix "jii" from Hindi-Urdu. What a 180-degree change in fortunes from the early 1900s when a new Hindi register looked to Bengali for inspiration. https://t.co/VcCFPU5RG8 — Indian Linguist (@IndianLinguist) March 28, 2019 I love it when my point is so spectacularly proven. But … Continue reading Beware of Hinditvas
I asked MJ to prepare a small discourse for my Cheti Chand Celebration. I wanted it to be on the survival of Hinduism through the ages, as Cheti Chand is precisely about that (in a Sindhi context). I was rather offended by this lovely video (made by the Baha’is for Norouz). At 00:28 the man … Continue reading THE FAITH THAT NEVER FADES: THE HISTORICAL RESILIENCE OF HINDUISM
When looking at Google Scholar after reading the paper on South Asian pigmentation, I came across this work, The Unfair Selection: A Study on Skin Color Bias in Arranged Indian Marriages: Underlying the growing popularity of skin-lightening or fairness cosmetics in India is one of the most baseless biases experienced and practiced. Yet, the overriding … Continue reading Indian culture started when the British arrived: tales of shadology
