Bobby Kunhu “State propaganda, when supported by the educated classes and when no deviation is permitted from it, can have a big effect. It was a lesson learned by Hitler and many others, and it has been pursued to this day.” ― Noam Chomsky, Media Control:The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda I have always been a vocal advocate …
Beef bans: Unjustifiable, Ineffective, Expensive
Sundeep Pattem In the public discussion over the bans on cow meat in several states of India, a fundamental question is this: Should the bans exist in the first place? The argument can be settled quite succinctly as follows: Q. Is the cow an endangered species? Has any authority said it is in danger …
Those who oppose beef, invented caste: Beef Bachao Andolan
Dharma Teja I attended the Beef Bachao Andolan: An Open Protest Meet, held at Lamakaan, Hyderabad, on 24th May. The open invitation on the official Facebook page of Beef Bachao Andolan was as follows: “Progressive literatti, poets, writers, scribes, journalists, singers, balladeers gather today to sing, dance, talk, and express their solidarity on the …
APSC and the Brahmanic domination in IIT Madras
Rupesh Kumar The ban on Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle (APSC) in IIT Madras, endorsed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development and undersigned by the Minister Smriti Irani, is nothing but the operation of the Brahmanical caste system to exclude alternative voices from Indian academia and its polity. It is a new strategy by …
Fight against Brahmanical ‘Food Untouchability’
EFLU Students (Satish Kumar, Diksha, Kanagaraj and Bhupati) Bans and appropriation have been prominent strategies of brahmanical forces to maintain caste hierarchy for thousands of years. They have sustained their hegemony by positing resistance cultures as illegitimate or immoral. This culture of banning is evident through the denial of access to Vedas for the Shudras …
What is wrong with Bhagvad Gita? (Part II)
Rahul Bhalerao Continued from here. Coming back to the justifications given by the supporters of Gita, one finds that they are merely based on a few ambiguous individual verses scattered around the Gita. They certainly lack the holistic understanding and message that Gita preaches; let alone the interpretations that have evolved in practice since the …
What is wrong with Bhagvad Gita?
Rahul Bhalerao Recent controversies, both local and international, have sparked a series of discussions and debates in media and social networks about the Hindu holy book Bhagvad Gita. When the Karnataka Education minister decided to saffronize the education system by proposing Gita teachings to be made compulsory, the left, liberal and secular voices attacked …
Aarakshan: Expression with Reservation
by Bobby Kunhu I have not watched Aarakshan. I am an unapologetic advocate of free speech. And I generally do not like writing about what I do not know. But then this piece is not about Aarakshan, but about dominant discussions about the movie from newsroom discussions to (English) newspaper headlines. And most of the …