Incoherence of Indian scholars on secularism
Sasheej Hegde in his EPW article says: “A theory of secularism in the sense of a theory about possessing the concept ‘secular’ is quite distinct from a theory about how…
Read moreCriticism: Are we living in barrenness?
I do not assume that, as you put it, “we are living in complete barrenness of thought but for the light which Balu has thrown.” One would be doing the…
Read moreDoes Kripal have an agenda?
I do understand the anger that people feel when they read Jeffrey Kripal’s and other people’s assessment of Indian traditions. If someone were to come up with a similar distortion…
Read moreEnlightenment vs. Mysticism
(1) What is called ‘mysticism’ in the western culture is not the same kind of experience that the different Indian traditions talk about. (2) I do think, as a corollary,…
Read moreScholars and their freedom of opinion
Some have expressed the ‘opinion’ that we should all be properly grateful that people express a point of view, even if they do not enter into a debate with the…
Read moreHindering the emergence of alternative explanations: Colonialism
1. Earlier, I suggested that the psychoanalytical explanations (like the transformation of Linga into a penis as a fertility symbol etc.) not only trivialize and distort but also deny access…
Read moreBJP does not have Intellectuals!
As I see it, the issue is not whether Arun Shourie is an intellectual (or whether Prakash Karat and EMS Namboodaripad represent intellectuals). The point I was trying to make is…
Read moreIs laukika-adhyatimika distinction same as secular-sacred distinction?
The theories (and discussions) about secularism constitute a test case for the claims advanced in ‘The Heathen in his blindness: Asia, the West and the dynamic of religion’ about the…
Read moreDoes Europe have a civilizing mission in India?
[Appeared in Neurope on June 16, 2008] Recently, the European Parliament hosted a meeting on “caste discrimination in South Asia”. At the meeting, participants stated that “India is being ruled…
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