Reviews Reviews

Chhaava: A Critique of Valor, Heritage, and Missed Depths Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava brings to the silver screen the life and sacrifice of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj—a warrior, scholar, and martyr who stood unwavering against Aurangzeb’s tyranny. Starring Vicky Kaushal in a commanding portrayal, the film shines in its depiction of indigenous culture and Maratha pride but [...]

Hinduphobia, Lies and Bias in the Spheres of Academia and the Media (Taken from ‘A Hindu’s Guide to Advocacy and Activism’)  “For the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject [...]

Reclaiming Humanity in ‘Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir’ by Rakesh K Kaul Kashmiri Pandits around the world recently celebrated their most important festival of the year. It is Herath. And most Pandits are caught, like the outlaws of Rakesh K Kaul’s novel, Dawn The Warrior Princess of Kashmir, in small pods, far from their [...]

For those looking for an authentic English translation of the Bhagavad Gita, Jeffrey Armstrong’s recently published “The Bhavagad Gita Comes Alive: A Radical Translation” is a must read. What makes it radical? All other translations of the Gita use “colonized” English terms such as ‘soul’, ‘sin’, ‘lord’, and many other terms which do not fully [...]

General GD Bakshi is not just anyone. After retiring from the army, he became a well-known television face applying his military knowledge both to the contemporary political debate and to classical cultures, e.g. the strategic aspect of the Mahabharata war. Everyone in India knows the story that on his very first day in service, in [...]

Krishna — India’s unsung unifier As far as characters from the ancient or hoary past go, Krishna, one would say, has been one of the most written about and discussed. The plethora of literature on Krishna, straddling his multi-faceted persona of the boy wonder, mischievous son, steadfast friend, indulging in thieving butter, companion of the [...]

Tufail Ahmad is a powerful and provocative voice for reform in Islamic society and in India in particular. He is also a key expert on national security issues in India, which is under siege by jihad. His recent book – Jihadist Threat to India: The Case for Islamic Reformation by an Indian Muslim – is [...]

Meenakshi Jain’s book ‘Sati’ After making history with her book on the Ayodhya controversy, Rama and Ayodhya (2013), Prof. Meenakshi Jain adds to her reputation with the present hefty volume Sati: Evangelicals, Baptist Missionaries, and the Changing Colonial Discourse (Aryan Books International, Delhi 2016). In it, as a meticulous professional historian, she quotes all the [...]

The blockbuster movie, Baahubali (the Strong-Armed One), has been a record-breaking success since it was first released several weeks ago. It has made a huge splash, not just for its commercial success, but for its unique positioning as an epic fantasy sourced in Hindu thought and culture. The movie, in the title screen, is subtitled [...]

Kancha Ilaiah is professor and head of the department of political science at Osmania University , Hyderabad . He is perhaps best known for writing Why I am not a Hindu in 2007. Anyone approaching this work with the prior knowledge of Bertrand Russell (Why I am not a Christian) and Ibn Warraq (Why I [...]