Once, Navratri Kanjak was more than a ritual—it was a living expression of trust, where every home in the neighborhood welcomed children like family. Today, rising walls and shrinking connections have turned a shared celebration into a hollow formality. This article reflects on how rituals once built community and belonging, and how their spirit fades when relationships disappear. It is both a memory of what was and a call to rebuild neighborhood bonds with intention.
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Category Errors in the Study of Bharatīya Jñāna Paramparā
Modern scholarship often misreads Bharatīya Jñāna Paramparā by forcing it into text-centric, innovation-driven frameworks that do not match its transmission-based nature. This article argues that the confusion arises from deep category errors about what knowledge is and where it resides. Rather than a collection of texts, the tradition functions as an integrated epistemic architecture sustained through guru–śiṣya paramparā. Recognising this distinction reframes continuity not as stagnation, but as disciplined preservation of valid knowing.

Accident : A Philosophical Essay
A reflective essay that begins with everyday “accidents” to probe a deeper philosophical question: what is an accident? Moving from legal definitions to Aristotle and Hume, it argues accidents arise from human ignorance of causes. Drawing on Hindu acharyas like Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya and scriptures like the Isha Upanishad, Bhagavad Gita, and Srimad Bhagavatam, it advances a final insight: what appears accidental is ultimately governed by divine grace.

The Story of the Musunuri Nayakas – The Rise and Fall of a Telugu Resistance
After the fall of the Kakatiyas, Telugu land was plunged into devastation under the Delhi Sultanate, with temples desecrated and society disrupted. From this chaos emerged the Musunuri Nayakas, who united scattered warriors and waged a fierce resistance to reclaim their homeland. Led by Prolayanayaka and later Kapayanayaka, they drove out invaders and restored cultural life, inspiring wider southern revolts and the rise of Vijayanagara. Yet internal rivalries and betrayal weakened this hard-won unity, leading to a tragic fall. Their legacy endures as a powerful chapter of resilience, resistance, and civilizational revival.

The two streams of the Bengali language: Claims, Counterclaims and Facts
Published in the ISPAD Partition Center Journal (Oct 2025), this paper challenges claims that vernacular languages in India emerged only under Islamic rule due to a supposed Sanskritic monopoly. It shows that regional literary traditions flourished under Hindu patronage well before this period. The paper also disputes the idea that modern Bengali was artificially Sanskritized by colonial institutions, demonstrating that both Hindu and Muslim writers historically used a shared Sanskrit-based linguistic framework. It further highlights that later attempts to Islamize Bengali had limited success.
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The wonder that was Kashmir
Kashmir, before the advent of Islam, was a vibrant seat of learning and made staggering contributions to Indic culture in fields as diverse as arts, sciences, literature and philosophy.
Savarkar: The Veer
Savarkar's enormous impact on the revolutionary struggle for India's independence has been intentionally hidden while others have been propped up as saviours.
The Eternal Dasas of Sree Padmanabha Swamy – II (A Glimpse into Ancient Times)
Various rulers across kingdoms have been in service of Sree Padmanabha Swamy.
Swami Vivekananda on reviving India
Reviving India's place in the world still remains a challenge and we need to reflect on Swamiji's words for inspiration.
Vedic Gods of Japan
How the Vedic deities and concepts travelled all the way from India to Japan and got seamlessly assimilated in a totally different culture.
India's love of mountains
The Indian civilization is so deeply indebted to the many mountain ranges of the subcontinent that any cultural resurgence must begin from an effort of ecological conservation.
A wife's dilemma
Swarnima's and Vaamdeva's visit to the hermitage of Rishi Shukamukha turns out to be an extraordinary pilgrimage, which changes the meaning of their relationship forever.
When Sadhus get lynched
One thing that has remained constant despite tremendous upheaval for millennia in India is the undefeated spirit of the sadhu who has roamed these lands.
The Deity: D-scale of Dharma
On objects like vessels, over time sediments accrete and coat the surface. The process of removing the accretions and restoring the shine is known as 'descaling.' Similarly with Deities, over time sentiments and fallacies have formed a layer over our beliefs. This D-Scale can be used to assess that and clean our attitudes towards the deities.
A Decade for Mandirs Volume II-Pragmatic Strategies for Restoring Hindu Temples
Sandeep Singh’s 'A Decade for Mandirs - Volume II' continues from his first volume, focussing on practical strategies for reclaiming and restoring Hindu temples. Singh critiques the state's deep-rooted anti-mandir bias and judicial meddling in temple matters. He advocates for reclaiming deity rights, respecting pujaris, and reviving cultural traditions. This volume is both a call to action and a detailed roadmap for Hindus to protect and rejuvenate their spiritual heritage.
India’s Emblems of Renunciation
Emblems in India's history have always been a combination of temporal and sacred unlike what we see in modern independent India today.
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Śaṅkara Charitam – a re-telling – Chapter-10 – Śaṃbhu-Śaṅkara
In the 10th Chapter of Śaṅkara Charitam, Śaṅkara starts his life as a saṃnyāsi and takes his first steps toward his Guru, his destiny. Shri Ramesh Venkatraman also delves into evidence regarding Śaṅkara being an avatāra-puruṣa, the active and vocal aspect of Śiva.
Effects of Colonization on Indian Thought – Part 2
This Indian genius has now begun to percolate back to the West, where it inspires new approaches, deeper thoughts, though not yet the transforming Shakti. Perhaps the tide of colonialism will be reversed, after all.
Arasavalli Suryanarayana Temple – Part 1
As control of Hindu temples by the government gets more widespread, temple priests find it harder and harder to continue their ancestral occupation.
The Last Hindu of Afghanistan
Like many regions before, Islam is now about to cleanse Afghanistan of whatever remains of Hinduism in its domain.
Justice Beyond Colonial Laws: The Case for Dharmic Judiciary
India’s judicial system, still anchored in colonial frameworks, often appears disconnected from the spirit of Dharma when adjudicating on matters of faith, family, and tradition. Judges with little understanding of Hindu philosophy or scriptures frequently issue rulings on matters of Dharma. From casual remarks on our deities to misguided interpretations of temple customs, such decisions reveal a deep cultural disconnect. It’s time to restore balance by establishing Dharmic courts, grounded in our own civilizational wisdom and moral vision, to decide on matters of Dharma, culture and family.
The Golden Era of Indic Civilisation – Angkor (Part 4)
The temples of Angkor are a standing testimony of the Indic influences not only in religion and iconography but also in script and language.
India: The land of traditions, not religions(Part 2)
Religion creates a configuration that creates western culture, a role that ritual plays in producing Indian culture.
On the Ramayana trail – Kishkindha at Hampi
The hilly, boulder-filled terrain of Kishkindha, home to numerous temples, caves and ashrams associated with the events in Ramayana, leaves one with a feeling of timelessness.
Solving the Soma Mystery – Part 2
Though there are several possible plants that can claim to be the bearer of the Soma elixir, presently there is only one that meets the prerequisites.
Ayurveda: Tradition, Science, and Recognition in a Globalised World
Ayurveda, despite being a system as ancient as, and deeper and more effective than, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), does not yet enjoy the same reverential status accorded to TCM. Does the cause lie in its inability to fit into the modern lifestyle, or with us for failing to find and project pride in our own cultural heritage and treasures?
Hindu, Hinduism, Hindutva – Part 1
Who exactly is a ‘Hindu’ and what are ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hindutva’? Does it mean the land (geography), ancestral roots (history), or a shared culture?
Dr. Pingali Gopal tackles this proverbial bull by the horns, systematically looking at attempts to define and distinguish ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hindutva’ by Western thought, the Indian liberal elite, and practising Hindus.
The remover of obstacles
Ganesh's rise to prominence in the Hindu pantheon is an example of the dynamism inherent in Sanatan Dharma, where deities evolve and adapt to societal changes.
