MANY FALSE DAWNS IN OUR CIVILIZATION
By demonstrating its callous attitude towards the promotion of Sanskrit, the Government is insulting our rich cultural heritage The recent forming and dumping of the Sanskrit Commission by the present dispensation displays the latter’s suppressive spirit when it comes to nurturing the traditions, languages and culture of India. In short, …
THEY FACED BULLETS TOO FOR THE COUNTRY
Freedom-fighters of the pre-Gandhian phase have largely received a raw deal in history. It is time for us to remember their sacrifices As the West prepares to mark the centenary of World War I in 2014, we would do well in India to observe the centenary of other efforts undertaken …
THE REDISCOVERY OF A NATIONAL ICON
Had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel lived longer, he would have resolved many issues that continue to trouble the country even decades after independence Like October, this December too saw a renewed debate and discussion on the life and legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Such a debate augurs well for our public …
HE WAS A MAN WITH A MIND OF HIS OWN
RC Majumdar’s work of history had a genre of its own. It was varied, continental and epochal, all at the same time. He refused to toe the official line What Arnold Toynbee and Will Durant have been to the study of civilisation and history in the West, Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, …
ANTI-SEMITISM ON A RISE IN THE WEST
The great United States Commission for International Religious Freedom, which rants against violations of religious freedom in India, should mind its backyard Describing the reason for penning down his hellish experiences at Auschwitz, legendary and prolific chronicler of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel, movingly wrote, “Did I write it so as …
NOT JUST POLISHING UP OF THE OUTSIDE
The civilisational goals of education cannot be met unless India rediscovers its ancient ‘science of the interior’ or adhyatmavidya Later this week 300 odd heads of educational institutions from across the country shall converge upon the national capital to deliberate upon the goal, the vision and the status of Indian education. …
AROUSE, MOTHER OF ALL CIVILISATIONS!
It requires great mettle and vision to create anew a cultural dream that earns world recognition. The Chinese have formulated theirs. We must too The late Huh Shih, nationalist scholar, diplomat and one of the legendary leaders of Chinese thought, in a paper presented at the Harvard Tercentenary Conference of …
AGE-OLD CIVILISATION LACKS CULTURAL GOAL
India’s premier institution for soft power projection, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, faces a severe existential crisis due to paucity of funds India seems to lack a coherent and well-articulated strategic cultural vision. When it comes to projecting our soft power and through it to secure our civilisational space …
DECAY AND DEATH OF OUR HERITAGE SITES
Cultural landmarks of the country are languishing for want of proper care and protection. Humayun’s Tomb has been refurbished; others too deserve attention …
EUROPE’S NEW CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
The growing immigrant Islamic population in the West has failed to blend with the mainstream society of the nations it has voluntarily made its home This May, while Stockholm burnt, London seethed and Paris was reminded of the radical activism of Islamist extremists, the politically correct European media was busy …