Category Archives: COURAGE

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”

I have always considered myself an omnitheist — one who believes in all Gods. I find as much divinity in Krishna and Shiva as I do in Jesus and Allah. To me, every faith is an interpretation of the same cosmic intelligence expressed through different languages of devotion. Limiting the Infinite to one form, one name, orContinue reading “Why India Needs Both Gods and Periyar”

In the Vedic imagination, marriage (vivāha) was never a contract between two individuals; it was the fusion of two flames into a single yajña. It marked the entry of a man and woman into the gṛhastha āśrama—the householder’s stage of life—considered the very pivot of dharma. For it is in this āśrama that one sustains all others: the student, theContinue reading “The Sacred Grammar of Union: Marriage as the Axis of Dharma”

It’s one of those ironies that can make you smile — and then think. The millions of devotees who bow to Lord Ram, who wear his image in their hearts, abstain from meat as a mark of devotion. Yet, if we go back to the oldest scriptures, Ram himself was not vegetarian. In Valmiki’s Ramayana, hunting wasContinue reading “Ram Devotees Are Vegetarians…But Ram Himself Was Not”

A Tamil, born to Tamil parents and having spent nearly 20 years in Bombay — I had never truly heard of Thanthai Periyar. Once, my mother mentioned him in passing: “He was a bad man — an atheist who broke idols of Hindu gods on roads.” That was all. Even during five years of hostel lifeContinue reading “Thanks to the Northies”

Introduction Casteism in Tamil Nadu was not just a social habit — it was a deeply entrenched system that governed religion, politics, economy, and personal life. Before Periyar E. V. Ramasamy emerged as a radical reformer in the early 20th century, casteism was woven into the fabric of everyday life. This blog traces how casteismContinue reading “Casteism in Tamil Nadu Before Periyar: The System and the Struggle for Equality”

In a country of brown people, why is blackening the face a mark of insult while whitening it a mark of beauty? That contradiction says more about our collective psychology than we care to admit. Originally, “blackening” wasn’t about skin at all — it was a moral metaphor. In Sanskrit thought, tamas(darkness) meant ignorance, deceit, or moral decay, while prakāśa (light)Continue reading “The Color of Shame: Why Brown India Still Worships White”