February 19th, 2012 Urdu is a linguistic repository of the country’s glorious past, yet it has become an undervalued language today. Even All India Radio, a patron and consistent promoter, has abandoned it. The language Urdu, which has a special claim on Dillee, is in a sorry state today. It is sad to remember that… Continue reading Urdu: Lost in its birthplace
February 12th, 2012 Communalism in India is a product of British partisan politics, L.K. Advani’s personal grievances, and forced links between the fabricated histories of Somanatha temple and Babari Masjid. How could an incident like the Babari Masjid demolition rear its ugly head in secular India? This was not a surreptitious act like an assassination,… Continue reading Personal hatred spurns national pride
February 5th, 2012 An evening with maestro Saeed Zafar Khan illuminates a rich history of the sitar, an instrument believed to be invented by Amir Khusro to enhance qawwaalee performances. In the oral tradition of Dillee, the beloved city, its 13th century poet, Amir Khusro Dehalvi was blessed by the grace and favour of his… Continue reading Sitar Ragas: A trove of Indian music
Jan 29th, 2012 Hindu Communalism is the single greatest threat to India’s future. As we approach the anniversary of the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, we should take stock of the greatest single problem facing India – Hindu Communalism. The cost it imposes upon the people in the form of security services such as the Army,… Continue reading Hey Ram! Gandhi’s secular ideals forgotten
Jan 22nd, 2012 Many in Britan, like Niall Ferguson cannot face the truth that British Rule in India caused immeasurable harm. Before the advent of the British, India was the richest country in the world, and Britain was not. When the British left, they were rich, and India was horribly poor. The British ruled India with… Continue reading British Rule: Saving grace or darkest age?
January 15th, 2012 India has now been free for nearly seven decades. Despite these years, the colonial mindset is, alas, very much with us. Its twin causes are, a skewed history and an abandoned mother tongue. These have to be addressed.
January 8th 2012 January is the month for New Resolutions intended to improve the person or the quality of life. In India far too much money and effort is being spent on ‘Security’ resulting in the important areas of Health and Education being starved of funds. Perhaps some attention to facts and the destruction of… Continue reading Resolve to set the Somanatha record straight
Column for 1st January 2012 A good myth has power, power which is eternal and everlasting. ‘Pandora’s Box’ is one such myth. In it all the woes and worries of the world escape from opening a “Do Not Open” box and inflict multiple injuries. When At the very end Hope emerges to caress smooth and… Continue reading Forgotten Delhi: Some Hope for a New Year
September 11th, 2011 Every nation has its own absurdities. Our Hindiwaalaas are obsessed with the idea of a ‘pure’ or ‘unsullied’ identity. Hindi nationalism is the dupe of deliberately distorted history in which the Hindus were made out to be the victims of unceasing brutality by the Muslim rulers. This distortion helped the British in… Continue reading Hindi nationalism: product of a distorted reading of past
Column for Aug 28, 2011 As opposed to the popular belief that India has always been a hotbed of corruption, the phenomenon is of fairly recent origin, stemming primarily from the colonial period.
