CHARVAKA

Ram Puniyani The release of Vishwaroopam, the latest film from Kamal Haasan was mired in controversies. (Feb 2013). Haasan decided to arrange a pre-screening for some groups, despite the film being cleared by the censors. These Muslim groups raised lots of objections and demanded for the ban on the film. As matters unfolded, these groups…

B Premanand At a séance, four or more people sit around a table in darkness, with palms down on the table. The little fingers of their hands touched that of the people on both sides. All the volunteers concentrate on a dead spirit which is to raise or move it to prove its presence. Suddenly…

Ram Puniyani The semi secretive hanging of Afzal Guru (Feb 2013) has come as a shock to some and as a feeling of triumphalism for many. Afzal Guru was hanged in early hours of morning and was buried in the prison yard. His mercy petition, which was pending with the President for long was finally…

B Premanand The tantrik claims that through his mental power he can cook rice in cold water. He fills rice in a vessel, pours water, places the lid over it and chants incantations. When he removes the lid, the rice is cooked and apparently steaming hot. Experiment: 95 Effect:  Cooking rice in cold water. Props:…

MN Roy The dynamic view of nature attained a high degree of clarity with the Jains. The dialectic logic developed by the Jain philosophers was later on condemned by Sankaracharya as “an unsettling style of reasoning”. It was, indeed, unsettling for the rigid orthodox logic which set up an imaginary absolute standard. Once the absoluteness…

Ram Puniyani Rajnath Singh, the new BJP President (Feb 2013) has brought forward the issue of Ram Temple once again. The Sadhus associated with VHP have also proclaimed that it is on their agenda. All the top leaders of RSS Combine are visiting the Mahakumbh, taking a dip in the Holy Ganges and affirming the…

The Hindu, February 12, 2013

M N Roy As the composite outcome of all the positive elements in the whole previous history of Indian thought, Buddhism shook the very foundation of the hoary edifice of Brahmanical orthodoxy. It disputed the authority of the Scriptures; vigorously condemned the sacrificial rites and rituals of the Vedic Natural Religion; it denied the existence…

AN Moorthy Rao The issue of the superiority of Vishnu or Shiva came up incidentally. Now, let us return to our original subject. We began – didn’t we? – by considering the stories about God which are prevalent among the common people and trying to understand through them the nature of God. Now, let us…

Ram Puniyani Shah Rukh Khan is no ordinary celebrity. Being the lead actor with a very vibrant presence on big and small screen makes him to be very much on the top. Recently the communal elements asked him to produce his patriotism certificate. Khan in one of his articles in The New York Times-Outlook Turning…

Chandana Chakrabarti I feel greatly privileged in being asked to deliver the fourth Premanand Memorial lecture. I have had the privilege of knowing Premanand from the eighties when I was in CCMB. I have had the pleasure of interacting with him on several occasions in the intervening years. The last I spoke to him was…

Ramkrishna Bhattacharya A Rabindranath Tagore’s later travelogues seem to be a cross between a diary and a philosophical notebook. While visiting various places in a foreign land, he keenly observes what is shown to him, records his itinerary and at the same time writes down his impressions and reflections based on his newly earned experience.…

B Premanand The tantrik asks his customer to write his personal problems on a piece of paper without showing it to anyone and keep it safe in his pocket. He takes another piece of blank paper and immerses it in water and chants mantras for a few minutes. Then when the paper is taken out…

AN Moorthy Rao It is possible that at least some of the myths mentioned above have a symbolic meaning. Whether the authors off these stories really meant to convey that meaning or they were stuffed with the significance later, it is difficult to say. Our innocent ancients did not write essays about what they learnt…

Ram Puniyani The violence in Dhule Maharashtra seems to be the new face of communal violence in India. As per the report of a major national daily (Jan 26, 2013), the evidence with the newspaper shows the evidence of police looting and destroying the property. The video clips in possession of the civil society groups…

B Premanand It is believed that Kama Pishachini Devi can sense everything through her ears – seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and touching. She also sees through everything – even the minds of people. The oracle gets possessed by Kama Pishachini Devi and the devotees write their personal problems on pieces of paper distributed by the…

One of the most redeeming scenes we have witnessed during the current Islamist protest against the screening of the Kamal Hassan film Viswaroopam is the protection offered by the public to the theaters when the film was screened in various parts of Kerala. The Hindu reports that when the ultra-fundamentalist Social Democratic Party of India…

Ram Puniyani Protests are being organized and threats to stall the proceedings of next Lok Sabha session are being dished out to oppose the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement about the Hindu terrorism, its links with BJP and RSS. (23 Jan 2013). There are two major components of this statement. One is the use…

B Premanand While walking through fields at night, suddenly one sees fire of 6 to 12 feet high which is considered to be poltergeist phenomena. Experiment: 92 Effect: Ghostly fires at night. Props: Kerosene, a cloth swab on a stick, matches. Method: Learn to blowout water in minute spray from mouth. Then fill the mouth…

AN Moorthy Rao So far we have considered how the common man has answered the question: ‘Who is God?’ (Or, what is God?) Let us now examine the nature and antecedents of these deities on the basis of the stories put together by people. From the list of deities that we considered above, we may…

B Premanand To prove that when they concentrate heat comes from their body, persons with the so-called ‘psychic powers’ rub their thumb and index finger and smoke comes from them. Experiment: 90 Effect: Smoke from one’s fingers. Props: Yellow phosphorous and carbon disulphide solution (1:6) Method: Apply a drop of the above solution and rub the finger with…

B Premanand On Madras television, Rev. Dinakaran, a CST evangelist, lighted candles with his prayers. Experiment: 88 Effect: Lighting candles by prayers Image: Courtesy: Wikipedia Props: Solution of yellow or white phosphorus in carbon disulphide (1:1), and a new big candle. Method: Dip the candle wick in the phosphorous solution and keep it on the candle stand.…

B Premanand In many villages hutments catch fire and get gutted suddenly which is claimed to be the handiwork of poltergeist or ghosts. Experiment: 85 (Note: This image of a huton fire has nothing  to do with poltergeist phenomenon) Effect:  Poltergeist phenomena. Hutments catch fire suddenly. Props: Wet cow dung, yellow phosphorus. Method: In Indian villages…