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 […]
Is India’s 7.8% GDP Growth Real?
The official announcement that India’s economy expanded 7.8 per cent in the April–June quarter of 2026–27 has been greeted with predictable celebration. Manufacturing is said to have risen 9.2 per cent, financial services 12.1 per cent, and gross value added 8.2 per cent. The government has described the print as a herculean feat achieved despite […]
Seven Decades of Unbroken Faith: The Enduring Legacy, Trials, and Triumph of LIC
When Parliament passed the Life Insurance Corporation Act in June 1956, nationalizing 245 private insurers and provident societies, it was more than a statutory consolidation—it was an audacious social experiment in state-led financial security.On September 1, 1956, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) formally came into being with a modest initial capital of ₹5 […]
Ganga’s Son, India’s Conscience: A Birth Centenary Tribute to Dr Rahi Masoom Raza
On September 1, 2026, India marks the beginning of birth centenary celebrations of Dr Rahi Masoom Raza (1927–1992), a writer whose pen gave voice to the common man, shaped the language of myth on television, and turned Bollywood dialogue into poetry with a moral compass. In an age of polarisation, his life and work remain […]
The Eternal Kaviraj: Remembering Shailendra, the People’s Poet, on His 103rd Birth Anniversary
On August 30, 2026, lovers of literature and music commemorated the 103rd birth anniversary of Shankardas Kesarilal, known to the world simply as Shailendra. Fondly bestowed with the title Kaviraj (the king of poets) by his peers, Shailendra remains one of the most beloved figures in Indian cultural history. Though he passed away at the […]
The Madison Square Double Speak
On a late-August Saturday at Madison Square Garden, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stood before thousands of Indian Americans to proclaim a simple, seductive truth: “Humanity is one.” He invoked Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—“the world is one family”—and insisted that any Hindu who dreams of a Muslim-free India “ceases to be a Hindu.” It was a stirring performance […]
Manusmriti’s Shadow: Why an Ancient Code of Control Still Haunts India’s Promise of Equality
In the long arc of India’s social thought, few texts have cast a longer and darker shadow over the lives of women and the lower castes than the Manusmriti. Composed roughly between 200 BCE and 200 CE, this Dharmashastra did not merely prescribe personal conduct; it codified a hierarchical vision of society in which birth […]
The Voice That Made Heartbreak Sing: A Tribute to Mukesh on His 50th Death Anniversary
“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought,” wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley. Few voices in Indian cinema embodied this truth as profoundly as Mukesh Chandra Mathur—known simply as Mukesh—whose melancholic timbre turned sorrow into solace for generations.On the 50th anniversary of his passing, his songs remain not just memories, but companions in moments […]
A Test of Pluralism: Bhagwat’s Madison Square Moment
On August 29, 2026, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will address an estimated 5,000 members of the Indian diaspora at New York’s Madison Square Garden in an event billed as the “Universal Oneness Celebration”. The gathering, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, marks the high point of Bhagwat’s 17-day tour of […]
When Freedom Needs Permission: The Maharashtra Anti-Conversion Law and the Cost of Conscience
A law ostensibly enacted to protect religious freedom risks turning freedom of conscience into a matter of police scrutiny, bureaucratic permission and family objection Maharashtra will witness a fundamental change in the relationship between the citizen and the State when the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026 comes into force across the state on August […]
