G Ramakrishna Indian Philosophy, especially the school of Vedanta with its source in the Upanishads, has been the subject of endless panegyric on the part of writers on the subject. Here are a few choice examples of their exuberance: “The Upanishads contain a scientific search for the substratum underlying the phenomenal forces of nature”. “In…
Ram Puniyani Friends, Violence under the garb of religion has been the major expression of the politics in current times. Sharad Sharma, and myself are working on ‘Explained Series’. The aim of the series is to present the phenomenon in the form of graphic presentations, Comic Books. Two books in this series are already out…
Subhendu Sarkar The Carvaka/Lokayata has a special place in the history of Indian philosophy. Contending against the pro-Vedic Brahminical and the non-Vedic Buddhist and Jain schools, the Carvaka flouted the belief in after-life and afterworld and advocated an uncompromising materialist philosophy in ancient India. But as the most of the material relating to the Carvaka…
Krishna Del Toso Studies on the Carvaka/Lokayata (hereafter S-C/L) is a collection of 23 articles on various aspects of Carvaka/Lokayata (hereafter C/L) philosophy, written and published in several journals, mostly Indian, by Ramkrishna Bhattacharya during the last 15 years. This book not only represents the philosophical and cultural heritage received from Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya’s and Mrinal…
Prabhakar Nanawaty India is not only a land of religion, superstition and blind beliefs, but also atheism, rationalism, humanism, skepticism and agnostics. It is a land of enlightenment, philosophical quest for truth and practical application of (rationalistic) principles for common good….. Dr. G. Vijayam While reading above quotation, one will wonder whether it is really…
Ayatolah Khomenini’s fatwa sentencing Slaman Rushdie to death for writing the ‘blasphemous’ novel The Satanic Verses was perhaps the curtain raiser for the religious extremism, intolerance, and violence that would mark the dying decades of twentieth century and the birth of the next. The ugly, hydra-headed religious fanaticism of every variety continues to threaten the…
Ram Puniyani (Godse’s Children- Hindutva Terror in India, Pharos Media, Delhi, Pages 400, Rs 360, Pb) Terrorist violence has been one of the major problems of recent times. This phenomenon came to popular notice more so after the 9/11 attack on WTC, which was followed by, apart from other things, popularization of the terms ‘Islamic…
Innaiah Narisetti In their latest book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow declare positively that philosophy is dead. Alarming to philosophy lovers, of course. During 1940s, M.N. Roy, the humanist philosopher, warned that unless philosophy took into consideration the philosophical consequences of modern science, it would not survive. That is exactly the reason…
Book Review Gopal Ganesh Agarkar: The Secular Rationalist Reformer Dr. Arvind Ganachari Popular Prakashan, Pune (2005) Price: Rs 395, pp 371 Prabhakar Nanawaty (pkn.ans@gmail.com) Gopal Ganesh Agarkar’s (1856-95) ideas mark the apex of the secular rationalist trend during renaissance of nineteenth century Maharashtra. Arvind Ganashari’s book, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, The Secular Rationalist Reformer, clearly highlights…
Book Review: Searching For The Sun In Candle Light…. (Wisdom of Vaastushastra) Arvind Pralhad Pakhale (Translated by Ms Suman Oak) Prabhakar Nanawaty (pkn.ans@gmail.com) As highlighted in the Forward written by Prof. R. V. Kolhatkar, Ex Director of Institute of Architecture and Design, Hyderabad, if one goes to any bookstall on airport, railway station or even…