For centuries, Hindu temples thrived as autonomous centers of faith, culture, and community life. However, today, the secular state treats temples as mere public property and exploits them, subjecting them to to excessive taxation, mismanagement, and neglect. Unlike religious institutions of other faiths, Hindu temples remain uniquely burdened by government interference, highlighting a systemic inequality. In this call to liberate Hindu temples, Raghu Bhaskaran addresses the concerns of corruption and mismanagement if temples are freed and asserts that freeing temples is a key step towards Hindus owning their narrative.
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No Waqf, No Fawq, Just some FAQs on Hindu Temple Properties
A Hindu temple and its properties do not belong to the government, the public or even the Hindu community — they belong solely to the residing deity, the Pradhana Devata. Historical arguments about coercion in temple land donations ignore the broader reality that all land ownership has evolved under different rulers. While institutions like the Waqf Board retain vast properties, temples face state control and encroachment, reducing them to mere revenue sources. This neglect betrays both the faith of past donors and the cultural heritage temples embody.
Oppenheimer – An Open Letter to Christopher Nolan
As we pass the 2025 Oscars, Charu Uppal recalls the grand success of the movie Oppenheimer in the 2024 Oscars. In this open letter to the director Christopher Nolan, she points out how the movie conspicuously avoids showing the suffering of the Japanese people, barely mentioning the names Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even more troubling is the decision to juxtapose the sacred Bhagavad Gita with an intimate scene — a choice that was neither accidental nor faithful to historical context. In an industry that does not shy away from showing violence, the film omits the human cost of the bomb while including a scene that offended millions. Creative freedom is vital, but so is cultural responsibility.
The Ghent School : Promoting a Better Understanding of India
The Ghent School, led by Prof. Balagangadhara, challenges colonial narratives that have shaped India's understanding of religion, caste, and culture. It argues that India's traditions differ fundamentally from Western religious frameworks, emphasizing rituals over doctrinal beliefs. The school advocates for decolonizing Indian social sciences by rediscovering indigenous perspectives and rejecting imposed categorizations. By understanding India's traditions on their own terms, it proposes a more nuanced approach to multiculturalism and identity.
The Number 12 – An Exploration across Cultures
In this essay, Dr. Koenraad Elst explores the profound symbolic importance of the number 12 across cultures, from the 12 Ādityas in the Vedas to the Olympian gods and the 12-starred EU flag. In ancient India, it represented cosmic order, as seen in the Ṛg-Vedic 'Riddle Hymn' describing a twelve-spoked wheel of Ṛta. Mathematically and geometrically unique, the twelvefold division underlies the structure of the Zodiac and the ancient Yajur-Vedic seasonal cycle.