Another Browncast is up. You can listen on聽Libsyn,聽Apple,聽Spotify, and聽Stitcher聽(and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don鈥檛 have a regular schedule is to聽subscribe聽to one of the links above!
In this episode Maneesh Taneja and myself talk to Shaifq ur Rahman and Jyoti Rahman, Bangladeshi academics and scholars with an interest in the current political churn.
Just a heads-up for everyone:
India鈥揚akistan threads are totally fine when the post is about India鈥揚akistan, or if it鈥檚 an Open Thread. Let the sparks fly there.
But on other posts鈥攑lease avoid steering every conversation back to India鈥揚akistan. It鈥檚 not always relevant and derails useful discussion.
I won鈥檛 be actively moderating every thread. If something is genuinely offensive or disruptive, feel free to flag it鈥擨鈥檒l step in only if needed. Continue reading 馃УQuick Moderation Note
I鈥檝e just listened to the first half-hour of Op Sindoor, the latest Brown Pundits Browncast featuring Amey, Poulasta, and Omar. The full episode runs over 90 minutes; I鈥檒l be reflecting on the rest in due course. For now, some thoughts on the opening segment, which focuses on the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and its aftermath.
馃Ж The Attack Itself: Pahalgam as a National Trauma
The episode begins by recounting the massacre in Pahalgam, Kashmir鈥攁 tourist meadow turned execution ground. Twenty-six people, most of them honeymooning Hindus, were murdered after being identified through religious markers: circumcision, Kalma recitations, names. The hosts don鈥檛 shy away from calling it what it is: a targeted Islamist attack. The group responsible, the TRF (The Resistance Front), is introduced as a Lashkar-e-Taiba cutout, designed to launder Pakistan-backed militancy through a local Kashmiri lens.
There is a palpable sense of cumulative fatigue in how the Indian speakers describe it鈥攏ot as an aberration, but as part of a 30-year continuum of such violence. The emotional register is high, but justified. The use of plain terms like terrorists over euphemisms such as militants or gunmen reflects a long-standing frustration with how such attacks are framed in international discourse.
馃 聽Modi, Nawaz, and the Civ-Mil Waltz Continue reading 馃嚠馃嚦Op Sindoor: A Podcast on Pahalgam, Pakistan, and the Limits of Peace
Another Browncast is up. You can listen on聽Libsyn,聽Apple,聽Spotify, and聽Stitcher聽(and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don鈥檛 have a regular schedule is to聽subscribe聽to one of the links above!
In this episode Amey hosts myself (omar) and Poulasta (our resident Bengali expert) to talk about the recent India-Pakistan kerfuffle. Amey was ready for war, but we found common ground 馃槈 (as usual with India and Pakistan, a lot of the discussion is about partition and related misunderstandings)
Script for the Youtube Video:
Another Browncast is up. You can listen on聽Libsyn,聽Apple,聽Spotify, and聽Stitcher聽(and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don鈥檛 have a regular schedule is to聽subscribe聽to one of the links above!
In this episode Mukunda and I talk to Prof Vamsee Juluri, professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco and the author of several books, including “rearming Hinduism“. We asked him how he defines Hinduism, what is Hinduphobia and why (and how) Hindus should “re-arm” (or not).
Professor Juluri tweets on twitter as @vamseejuluri
This was a joint podcast with Mukunda Raghavan of Meru Media, so for a change we have video (a fact I did not realize when we started recording, so the light and the face are less than ideal 馃檪 )
Well, here we are. Razib and Amey talk about Sri Lankan genetics, casteism or lack thereof in the USA, the FUBAR of American immigration and finally how William Dalrymple triggers Amey’s Maratha pride.
Since I haven’t asked in a while, please review positively on Apple and Spotify.
Also, if you want to support the hosting fees for the podcast as well as recording software, please consider joining the Patreon.
The 100th Browncast! Razib and Mukunda talk to Pushpita Prasad and Sudha Jagannathan of the Coalition of the Hindus of North America to talk about where we stand on the “caste question” in the US today. There are lots of different opinions here between the four guests, and platform of Dalits and Bahujan.
Also submitted for your approval, (1) Who is behind the caste legislations in North America? A peek into their track record – YouTube. The UCSD Ethnic Studies link about hiring only Dalits and Muslims: Commentaries (ucsd.edu)
Another BP Podcast is up. You can listen on聽Libsyn,聽Apple,聽Spotify, and聽Stitcher聽(and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don鈥檛 have a regular schedule is to聽subscribe聽to one of the links above!
In this episode, Omar talks to Ambassador Kamran Shafi and Columnist Dr Mohammed Taqi about the current political crisis in Pakistan. We take our best guess on whether the army is falling apart or just having a hiccup.
Some background:
it is worth noting that I could not find a single recent good article by a pro-khan columnist. That is not his style. He has a simple message, and no details and no plan.
Another BP Podcast is up. You can listen on聽Libsyn,聽Apple,聽Spotify, and聽Stitcher聽(and a variety of other platforms). Probably the easiest way to keep up the podcast since we don鈥檛 have a regular schedule is to聽subscribe聽to one of the links above!
In this episode of the history podcast, Omar and Jay discuss the period of Delhi Sultanate with Jay and Gaurav. We go over all the major dynasties and also discuss the religious, economic aspects of this time.
As Omar Ali puts it, the legacy of Delhi Sultanate is the legacy of Islam in the subcontinent.
References:-
1. The Emergence of the Delhi Sultanate, 1192-1286 by Sunil Kumar
2. The History and Culture of the Indian People: Volume 6: The Delhi Sultanate
3. India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765 by Richard M. Eaton
4. Medieval India – Vol. 1 by Satish Chandra
5. Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India: Volume I by J L Mehta
6. A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526), ed. by Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami
