Kala Utsav Hopes to Fuse Culture with Education
Kala Utsav—the festival of arts and culture, a flagship attempt of the Ministry of Human Resource Development that took off in the national capital on December 8, is indeed an effort that not only celebrates the rich cultural and artistic diversity of India but also primarily aspires to integrate culture …
Intolerance Against Modi, RSS Reeks of Class Hatred
Interestingly in 2007, when the self-proclaimed proletarian government of West Bengal fired on farmers who were just trying to protect their lands against seizure in Nandigram and killed more than a dozen—though the report was that many more were killed—most intellectuals in the state remained silent and did not write …
Heed JP’s Ignored Legacy to Preserve Democracy
The political leader, whom the Congress party led by Indira Gandhi decided to throw in prison 40 years ago simply because he dared to oppose fascism and the growth of political intolerance and who at an advanced age took the lead in protecting India’s democratic experiment, was also a profound …
Tapping Civilisational Ties to Avert Historic Crisis
Over 21 countries represented by leading scholars, teachers of spirituality and religion, venerable bhikkus, political leaders and former heads of state converged for the Global Hindu Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environmental Consciousness in New Delhi early this month. Pointing to a deep civilisational challenge or crisis, the initiator …
Reclaim Civilisational Self from Shallow History Texts
In the preface to his three-volume classic, History of the Freedom Movement in India, RC Majumdar (1888-1980), one of India’s most distinguished 20th century historian, made a very telling remark, especially relevant to teaching the history of the Indian freedom movement to young learners. “I have not hesitated”, wrote Majumdar, …
The First Step Towards De-mythifying Nehru
When he had just been two years in office, Prime Minister Nehru once wrote to a close colleague expressing a view which would, 15 years later, in a sense define the decadent political legacy he would eventually leave behind. “I have repeatedly made a mess of things, but, I hope, …
All About Yoga and the Civilisational Debate
Historian H G Rawlinson made a crucial observation in his study on Indian historical studies (1931) which not only continues to remain relevant in the current academic and civilisational discourse in India, but also seeks redress. “Under the system in vogue in most Indian universities,” observed Rawlinson, “the student knows …
India of the Ages is Rising, Signalling a New Twilight
The last one year since May 2014 has been a year of profound shift. Through a steady and sure movement forward, India’s rise as a civilisational state has begun. The advent of an epochal shift brings about the generation of ideas, of concepts, visions and actions that have defining capacities. …
Intellectual Dilettantism at India’s Expense Must Stop
When Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, Chancellor of the supposedly modern version of the Nalanda University, accuses the Government of India of interference in education, especially in the context of the Nalanda University, he is essentially declining to be accountable to the people of India who are the principal contributors …
Create a Civilisational Wave via Oceanic Convergence
A mega civilisational convergence of the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries—represented not only by their official bodies but leading thinkers, academics and scholars—took place last weekend at Bhubaneswar. The conference was also a celebration and recognition of the seafaring prowess of civilisational Odisha and the Indian coast’s contribution towards initiating …
The March to Fulfil India’s Glorious Destiny Begins
The observance of Republic Day is often an occasion for looking back and for national stock-taking. An assessment of the national trajectory is something that the occasion offers. In the oath that he administered on January 26, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi spoke unsparingly of the “inalienable right of the Indian people …
Bengal’s Evil Days Reflection of Power-Ability Imbalance
Ancient Indian texts on governance had always a detailed section on the ethics which enjoined rulers to establish and perpetuate a value-based relation with their subjects. Rulers were clearly directed to be accountable and responsive to those they ruled. Such injunctions on their conduct in public life also succeeded in …
Contemporary Dimension of a Civilisational Question
In his “Reply to the Madras Address” in 1897, after four hectic years in the West where he reversed, to a great extent, the negative narrative of India that had been ingrained in a section of the intelligentsia by groups professing to labour for spreading the “light” of a particular …
Bengal’s Evil Days Reflection of Power-Ability ImbalanceAnirban Ganguly
Ancient Indian texts on governance had always a detailed section on the ethics which enjoined rulers to establish and perpetuate a value-based relation with their subjects. Rulers were clearly directed to be accountable and responsive to those they ruled. Such injunctions on their conduct in public life also succeeded in …