Rohan Raghav Sharma reviews SL Bhyrappa's "Aavarana - the veil" translated from the original Kannada into English by Sandeep Balakrishnan. He explores the multi-layered plot, the flow of the story, and evolution of the characters while also touching upon salient points of criticism along with his own critique of the book.
"Bridging the chasm between the historical Aurangzeb and this reimagined (and largely imaginary) Aurangzeb is a daunting task, but Truschke makes her case with the chirpy enthusiasm of an Aurangzeb fangirl writing a puff piece in People magazine on her idol.
The received historiography on Aurangzeb is riddled with outlandish hoaxes that have gone unchallenged for decades. Truschke’s book is a worthy addition to this genre since it refreshes our memories of these hoaxes while enthusiastically manufacturing new ones."
An incisive and witty review of Audrey Truschke's book on Aurangzeb, and her source material, by Keshav Pingali.
"Communism, as the logical outcome of materialism, cannot but be hostile to religion in all its aspects. Thus from the very beginning, the Communists aimed at the destruction of religious belief and worship in Soviet Russia."
Halley Kalyan pens a review of “The Fate Of Muslims Under Soviet Rule” - a booklet about Soviet government rule in regions that had a significant population of practicing Muslims, by Erich W Bethman (1958); and highlights the shared antagonism towards religion (Hinduism in particular in the Indian context) between the Communist dogma and the Indian version of Secularism.
Since the partition in 1947, Hindus in Pakistan, the persecuted minority, have found their voices unheard and suppressed.
Once inhabited by Hindus and Buddhists, the region that forms Pakistan at present has a demographically insignificant, if not laughable, population of minorities. With the physical disappearance of the Hindus in Pakistan, their history as indigenous inhabitants of the land is gradually becoming a fading memory.
In this article, Adarsh Jha digs for facts behind the much talked about "Two Nation Theory"; and how the two parties debating it are faring, 75 years after the partition.
The attempt to annihilate the Hindus and their civilization may count as the longest contract of its kind in history with the largest infrastructure, labour and patience.
The creation of Pakistan as the new Medina for Muslims wouldn't have been possible if not for the support of multiple contriving parties.
The Balagangadhara school maintains that the problem of religion in India arises when we insist on converting our traditions more into religions.
The universal declaration of a right to religious freedom is part of the problem in India rather than a solution.