Potato Purge at Mira Road Academy: When ‘Science’ Declared War on the Humble Aloo
photo courtesy : Free Press Journal In the hallowed halls of Seven Square Academy in Mira Road, a quiet revolution nearly reshaped Indian childhood nutrition this week. On the auspicious occasion of Paryushan, the school—managed by the family trust of BJP MLA Narendra Mehta—issued a landmark advisory. Parents were “humbly requested” to ensure children’s tiffin […]
BRICS at Twenty: From Acronym to Arena of a Fractured Order
Twenty years after foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China first gathered on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the expanded BRICS grouping convenes its leaders in New Delhi this weekend. India, a founding member, hosts the 18th summit under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” […]
When Monastic Rules Collide with the Republic
The temporary shutdown of the Eiffel Tower after workers struck over the sidelining of female staff during a visit by a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) has sparked a fierce transnational debate. At its heart lies an uncomfortable question: when ancient ascetic strictures leave cloistered temples and enter shared global civic […]
Between Polemic and Historical Fact: Re-Evaluating Fahrenheit 9/11 Twenty-Five Years After September 11
A quarter of a century after September 11, 2001, the images of hijacked aircraft crashing into the World Trade Centre remain etched into the global memory. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that morning. What followed was not merely a hunt for those responsible but the beginning of a sprawling “war on terror” whose consequences continue […]
The Voice That Set Hindi Cinema Free: Remembering G.M. Durrani
Long before the golden era of Hindi cinema fully blossomed, a single voice quietly redefined the contours of Indian playback singing. In an era dominated by the hypnotic, heavy-inflected style of K.L. Saigal, Ghulam Mustafa Durrani dared to sing differently. He was not merely a performer; he was the bridge between the old world of […]
The Rhetoric of Pluralism and the Reality of Hindutva
Speaking to the Indian diaspora in London, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat recently articulated a vision of “Hindu Rashtra” rooted in the acceptance of diversity, famously declaring that “uniformity is not necessary for unity.”; While such inclusive, philosophical formulations sound profoundly reassuring on an international stage, they stand in stark, irreconcilable contrast to […]
When Speeches Substitute for Justice: The Limits of Bhagwat’s “Perestroika”
In a recent commentary for The Indian Express, Professor Faizan Mustafa parses RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s international addresses on diversity and the historical contributions of Muslims to discern an internal evolution—a quiet perestroika radiating from the highest echelons of Hindutva. He urges the public, and especially the legal fraternity, to treat these assurances as building […]
Teacher’s Day: Before Celebrating Teachers, Fix the Schools They Teach In
Teacher’s Day should not become an annual ritual of flowers, speeches and sentimental tributes while the Indian teacher is asked to compensate for vacant posts, crumbling classrooms, administrative overload and a rapidly changing technological world. The crisis is not merely of individual teachers; it is of a public-school system that too often makes teaching the […]
Civilisational Mission or Constitutional Equality?Mohan Bhagwat’s Speeches Reveal a Hierarchy Masquerading as Oneness
When the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh speaks of universal oneness and the unity of all spiritual paths, the language sounds generous. In New York on 29 August 2026, Mohan Bhagwat invoked these themes with practised fluency. One speech celebrated the idea that human beings must live with mutual concern, protect nature and resist […]
The Flute in the Ghazal: How Urdu’s Master Poets Found Divine Resonance in Krishna
Every Janmashtami, Lord Krishna returns to India’s cultural imagination through temples, tableaux, bhajans, and music. Yet Krishna has never belonged exclusively to a single religious or linguistic tradition. For centuries, poets writing in Urdu have celebrated him as Kanhaiya, Gopala, the enchanting flute-player, the beloved, and, above all, a timeless symbol of divine love and […]
