As per my typical “modern-Hindu” upbringing – I was taught to see all other religions in the best possible light, on par with my own. “All religions are a path to the same God” was an often repeated phrase when talking about religion. I remember a member of my family speaking in praise of Prophet [...]
July 15, 2014
Rajesh Patel
Analysis/Insights
Identifying the key challenges facing Sri Lankan Tamil youth in the Great White North I GREW UP IN LONDON, ontario, canada, just west of Toronto. As the only Hindu in my elementary school, I was often asked to explain Hinduism and Hindu culture to other students. As I grew older, I did class presentations. This [...]
July 13, 2014
HHR
Analysis/Insights
A national newspaper carried an article on July 1st that bemoaned (rightly so) the disparity in education between the haves and the have-nots, between the 20 per cent who study in English medium private schools and the 80 per cent who study in vernacular government schools. The author proposed an outlandish solution to bridge the [...]
Recently, the IB had come out with a report questioning the motives and agenda of the foreign funded NGOs operating in India. It is alleged that they have an anti-development agenda, and has caused serious loss in terms of economic growth in India. Analysts, including journalists, have used various stratagems to divert the attention from [...]
When you think of the places where you’re likely to encounter mindfulness meditation—like a yoga studio or a temple or a serene health retreat—British Parliament is probably the last place you would think of. With a highly charged atmosphere that sometimes even erupts in shouting matches on the debate floor, it’s hard to imagine any [...]
Quite frequently, my mailbox is hit by yet another product of the PN Oak-type imagination. This one refers to a web article “Was the Christian Vatican Originally a Temple to Lord Shiva?” It claims that “Rome’s church compound is in the shape of [a] Shiva Lingam”. It also suggests, citing as its source the “famous [...]
June 28, 2014
Dr Koenraad Elst
Analysis/Insights
Large parts of India’s economy were destroyed by British technology in the 1800s, and by deals that favoured British shareholders. Today, it’s China that holds that kind of power According to an editorial published in China‘s Global Times to coincide with this week’s London visit of premier Li Keqiang, the British live in “an old, [...]
June 23, 2014
HHR
Analysis/Insights
With Iran being pressured over nuclear weapons, a chilling new video from the al-Qaida has asked Muslims in Kashmir to emulate “brothers” in war-torn Syria and Iraq and wage a violent jihad against India. It is fashionable among right-wing pundits to blame President Obama for the present victories by ISIS in Iraq. But then the [...]
June 21, 2014
Ranbir Singh
Analysis/Insights, World Focus
“If the secularists didn’t control the bottleneck of information on India, the West would be far less anti-Narendra Modi. Without a constant stream of anti-Modi propaganda, … you will see the West turn business-like towards Narendra Modi soon enough. Like the East India Company of the early years, the West only sees India in business [...]
June 20, 2014
Dr Koenraad Elst
Analysis/Insights, World Focus
Anti-Hindu writers love to portray Hindu revivalism as a form of “fascism”. Given the Hindu movement’s record of service to democracy and abiding by democratic norms, they have a hard time sounding serious. Fortunately for them, they find perfect allies in the rare but vocal Hindus who do applaud Adolf Hitler. [...]
June 10, 2014
Dr Koenraad Elst
Analysis/Insights, Archives