Across India’s temple towns, rising tourist footfall, evolving governance structures, and new revenue models are reshaping how sacred sites are administered and preserved. Temples, once self-sustaining civilizational institutions, are increasingly treated as revenue-generating assets, with properties sold, offerings monetized, and darshan commodified. Rema Raghavan writes that this commercialization displaces local communities, erodes ritual continuity, and weakens the organic moral oversight once provided by resident devotees. As temples transform from living centers of worship into tourist spectacles, the intimate bond between deity, devotee, and community frays. Restoring temples as civilizational epicenters, she argues, requires accountable governance, empowered local participation, and an uncompromising commitment to ritual and heritage preservation.
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An Air of Social Doom: Political Propaganda Passed off as Moral Messaging
This article by Sriram Chellapilla, the fifth in a series of essays on the subject, argues that celebrity anguish over press freedom, NGOs, and society functions less as moral concern and more as selective political signaling. Using Naseeruddin Shah’s statements as a framing device, the author exposes how unelected NGOs, opaque media ownership, and celebrity activism often mask ideological agendas behind the language of freedom. Chellapilla contends that scrutiny of NGOs and media is neither new nor authoritarian, having been pursued by successive governments. What is troubling, he argues, is the hypocrisy of invoking free speech only when aligned with preferred politics, while remaining silent on censorship and intimidation by “secular” regimes.

Communal Echoes in ‘Secular’ Discourse : Tropes and Themes in Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Secular’ Rants
In the next essay of the series of articles on minority-progressive celebrities, Sriram Chellapilla dissects Naseeruddin Shah’s polemics to expose a familiar pattern in India’s “secular” discourse: the distortion of arguments, selective outrage, and the reflexive defense of Mughal icons like Aurangzeb. Through close textual analysis and historical context, the essay shows how misrepresentation, straw-manning, and moral asymmetry function as tools of what the author terms the Minority-Progressive Celebrity (MPC) narrative. At its core, the piece interrogates how Hinduphobia is normalized under the guise of liberalism while minority fundamentalism is minimized or denied.

Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ: The Discipline of Stillness in Pātañjala Yoga
The author explains that Yoga is not a technique of suppression but a disciplined process of stilling the mind’s fluctuations - Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ. Drawing on Vyāsa’s Bhāṣya, nirodhaḥ is presented as a progressive settling of mental modifications back into their unmanifest source. As the vṛttis dissolve, puruṣa is no longer obscured by reflection in citta and abides in its own svarūpa. Yoga thus culminates not in transformation, but in the revelation of the seer’s ever-present clarity.

Explorations of Quantum Physics and Its Weave into Advaita Vedanta Tenets
In this article, the author Priyavrat Gadhvi argues that what we perceive as solid matter is not fundamental reality, but an effect generated by deeper, unseen quantum fields. At the most basic level, humans, objects, and even space itself are excitations within an all-pervasive field rather than independent substances. This understanding blurs the boundaries between physics, metaphysics, and philosophy, revealing reality as relational and emergent. Gadhvi contends that modern quantum field theory echoes Advaita Vedanta’s insight - that multiplicity is apparent, while the underlying essence of existence is singular and indivisible.
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Palani – A grand pilgrimage to Murugan’s abode(Part 2)
The many intricate stories attached with sages shows the importance of Murugan's abode for the devotees.
Linking Indian traditional wisdom with modernity
An enlightening interview with Shri Raghu Ananthanarayanan on the relevance of Indic knowledge in the world today.
Who is Shiva?
Shiva is nothingness and is also the Adi Yogi, the first Yogi, guru of all other yogic masters we know. His greatest gift to the world is his guide to the inner world.
Power of a story
A journey into the Himalayas is a life-altering experience for many as we realise our place in this existence.
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.
Caste and the discourse of Casteism
Shudras in pre-colonial India were totally different from how they are seen in the popular imagination of modern India leading to a perverted discourse that looks for solutions to the problems of the marginalised sections of society in the vague past instead of the concrete present.
Trial by Fire
Editor’s Note: This story, Agni Pariksha, by Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose first appeared in the monthly “Dasi” (ed. Ramananda Chattopadhyay) in...
Seeds that were to sprout
Marx's philosophy of a supposed harmonised social system garnered many followers, though in time people still connected with the Hindu ethos realised its severe limitations.
Nachiketa and the Secret of Death
The young Nachiketa approaches Yama as directed by his father and is granted three wishes for his bravery.
Garuda and the State of Flow
When we combine the legend of Garuda from the Puranas with modern scientific perspectives, we can better understand the science of living in the now.
Rama: The Ideal Raja of His Time and Age
Sri Rama is that power, that framework through which the collective consciousness of India makes sense of reality.
The Concept of Pakistan in the Vedas
Many northwestern tribes were are at war with Vedic kingdoms from the rest of India, similar to Pakistan's position in today's time.
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Age of Empires version 2.0
British and Islamic conquests of India were achieved through fundamentally different strategies and both continue to influence contemporary politics in India in different ways.
The Kakatiyas – Architects of a Unified Telugu Identity and Cultural Legacy
The Kakatiya dynasty, ruling from Orugallu (present-day Warangal), significantly influenced Telugu history and culture. They unified the distinct cultures of the Deccan and Coastal plains, fostering a common Telugu identity. Renowned for their architectural achievements and contributions to Telugu society, the Kakatiyas are remembered as key architects of Telugu unity and cultural heritage.
Parashar Smriti – the lawbook for Kaliyuga
In Parashar Smriti, the law book for Kaliyuga, we find a commentary surprisingly relatable to the issues of our day and age.
Indigenisation: A Predatory Enterprise
The urge to usurp native cultures and their philosophy in order to harvest souls has been the calling card of Christianity from the time of its inception.
The Firekeepers of Jwalapuram
Bhagwan Hanuman's traits are what every person should hope to imbibe.
False claims about Krshna
In accordance with the long standing colonial tradition of denigrating Hindu deities, Scroll's recent article on Krishna indulges in wild speculation, ignoring glaring evidence, about how Krishna was a 'tribal' deity, later appropriated by Brahmins to preserve their ever weakening authority.
Book Review: ‘Perversion of India’s Political Parlance’ by Sita Ram Goel
Sita Ram Goel was an astute observer of the harmful repercussions of linguistic relativity in action.
‘Flight of the Deity’ from Mulasthana – Part 2
A search for answers that led them to rediscover their glorious past.
A review summary of Cultures Differ Differently: Selected Essays of S.N. Balagangadhara
In this granular review, Dr Pingali Gopal summarises the key arguments of the anthology containing Dr SN Balagangadhara's arguments.
The Plea For Carbon Dating Of The Wuzukhana Shivalinga Is A Himalayan Blunder
The plea for carbon dating of the Wuzukhana Shivalinga is inimical to Hindu interests. However, a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) survey of the entire "Visweshvara Hill" and also the whole Gyanvapi mosque complex will confirm the history of Avimuktesvara linga and the Gyanvapi site and provide irrefutable legal evidence in this matter.
S. L. Bhyrappa: A Tribute to The Man, His Life, and His Stories that Keep Flowing…
S.L. Bhyrappa’s life was a dialogue between art and existence, where suffering became insight and truth found voice through story. From a childhood scarred by loss to a literary career of rare depth, he turned pain into philosophy and realism into revelation. Even in his final words, he taught us that death too can be an act of grace, and meaning, the highest form of art.
The Concept of No-Mind
Mushin No Shin is a Zen expression meaning the mind without mind and is also referred to as the state of "no-mindness".
