Category Archives: COURAGE

Tamils seem to have this strange obsession with demanding a TASMAC ban whenever a new government takes charge. (For those outside Tamil Nadu — TASMAC stands for Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, the government-owned company that controls alcohol sales in the state.) The usual reasons given are: Now visit a TASMAC shop once in yourContinue reading “Ban TASMAC?”

No Hindu scripture clearly states that cow meat must never be eaten. Yet, culturally, cow slaughter became forbidden across large parts of India, while the consumption of bull meat, goat, chicken, deer, rats, crane, and other animals continued. If animal life is divine, then logically the ban should apply to all animals, as seen inContinue reading “Why Cow Became Holy in India”

India, Anger, and the Illusion of Peace Scroll through social media today and you will find an India that looks perpetually furious—angry Hindus, hate-filled politicians, wounded pride packaged as nationalism. Watching this daily spectacle, an uncomfortable question arises: Were the Mughal invasions and the British Empire a strange blessing in disguise—forces that kept India relativelyContinue reading “Was Foreign Rule a Dark Blessing?”

Hinduism is perhaps the only religion whose followers are still passionately devoted yet strangely disconnected from the very structure of their own faith. Ask ten Hindus what Hinduism is, and you will receive twelve different answers. Everyone has their own custom-made variant, carefully shaped to suit their lifestyle, comfort, and convenience — and yet eachContinue reading “Hinduism: The Only Religion Whose Followers No Longer Know What It Means”

From Gujarat Cricket Association to ICC Chairman — Jay Shah’s rise reveals how political power and sporting influence increasingly overlap. By Kennedi Gopalan When Jay Shah began his career in 2013 as joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), few outside Gujarat’s political circles took notice. Ten years later, he sits at the pinnacleContinue reading “Why Cricket, Mr. Shah?”

Did you know the Namboodiris are not the original inhabitants of Kerala? Historical and linguistic evidence suggests they migrated from North India — from the regions around the Sarasvati or Narmada valleys — somewhere around 2000–1500 BCE, or a little later, during or after the Vedic period. They brought with them the sophisticated Vedic rituals,Continue reading “When God Became Governance: The Namboodiris and the Politics of Divinity”

There once was a community in the southern lands of India — the Sambavars. They were not outsiders. They were not untouchables. They were Shaivites, deeply rooted in temple life and responsible for carrying out sacred rituals in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. For centuries, the Sambavars were the humble custodians of Shiva worship. They maintained theContinue reading “The Forgotten Custodians: How the Sambavars Lost Their Gods”

Most of my colleagues and juniors who stayed in their 9–5 IT jobs are now VPs, CEOs, or have settled in first-world countries with impressive titles and comfortable lives. Every now and then, I catch myself wondering — what if I had chosen the same path? What if I had never quit my IT jobContinue reading “What If I Hadn’t Quit My 9–5 Job?”

The mighty responsibility of the older generation today is to help Gen Z understand what Hinduism truly is — and what dharma and adharma really mean. If we fail, they’ll grow up believing that the RSS and BJP are the founders of Hinduism, and that hatred towards a particular community is the only form of dharma they must uphold. Hinduism, atContinue reading “The Forgotten Dharma: What Gen Z Must Learn About Hinduism”

Somewhere around 2014, a subtle but undeniable shift occurred in the Indian psyche. Indians, once known for endurance and adaptability, began to display a new kind of aggression — not just within the country, but across the world. The diaspora too began echoing the same tone: louder, angrier, more reactive. What changed? The transformation wasContinue reading “The Rise of the Angry Indian: A Post-2014 Reflection”