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Re-Redefining Hinduism
Ram Puniyani While defining religion is a theological exercise, many a times the tribunals and judges are pontificating on the nature of Hindusim on the basis of common sense and their own perceptions of it. Many of these perceptions are dictated by the contemporary politics, which wants to present Hinduism in a different light. It…
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Pak Zoo and Malsi, the Elephant
Pak Zoo was carved out of Hind Zoo in 1947, when the imperialistic British zoo-owners got bored of toying with the inhabiting animals, and decided to abscond from animal parks all over the world. For the decade or so leading up to the British selling Hind Zoo, it was clear that the zoo’s ownership would…
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Pakistan: Sectarian Divides
Ram Puniyani South Asia has been in the grip of sectarian violence since fairly long. During last three decades and more particularly during the last decade this violence has been intensifying in degree and spread. It was sad news to hear that the Christian Community of Joseph Colony, Badami Bagh Lahore was the victim of…
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Studies on the Carvaka/Lokayata
Ramkrishna Bhattacharya’s Studies on the Cārvāka/Lokāyata meticulously analyzes a vast array of textual sources with critical rigor. By reconstructing the true historical, philosophical, and cultural dimensions of Indian materialism, Bhattacharya successfully restores a once-obscured tradition. This definitive work stands as an indispensable milestone for all future scholarship on Cārvāka/Lokāyata philosophy.
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Science Versus Miracles: Predicting the Words in a Newspaper Column Where It is Cut.
B Premanand A Christian priest in the United States claimed he had psychic powers to know the past and future of an individual. He could also control the mind of any person. To prove his powers he would cut a newspaper column from a news paper. Then he would throw a paper ball among the…
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Mr. Modi, You Are Not Welcome: Wharton Debate
Ram Puniyani The withdrawal of invitation for Narendra Modi to speak at Wharton Business School of Pennsylvania (March 2013) has been looked at in different ways by different commentators. Those who are opposing the invitation withdrawal, point out that it is a violation of the norms of freedom of speech. They say that Modi is…
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Science versus Miracles: Uri Geller – The Psychic
B Premanand Parapsychologists believed that Uri Geller was the ultimate proof of the existence of psychic powers. Much research and many books came out, explaining the investigations conducted on Uri Geller as evidence that he really did his feats using psychic powers. Uri Geller became an international hero and he was invited to every country…
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Lokāyata and Its Derivatives in the Sad-dharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra
Ramkrishna Bhattacharya If one sets upon oneself the task of translating the Sad-dharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra (SDPS), a first-century CE Sanskrit Mahāyānī Buddhist text, into a modern Indian language, one will face no problem with the word lokāyata. It is current in all and can be retained in translation without bothering to explain what lokāyata means.[1] But translating…
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Bangladesh: Resurgence of Communalism
Ram Puniyani The acts of violence led by the Islamists, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) are tormenting our neighboring Bangla Desh, more than 50 dead, injuries and destruction of Hindu, Budhha temples amongst other losses. Its spill over is also being felt in Kolkata to some extent (Feb-March 2013). In Kolkata a strong crowd owing allegiance to Muslim…
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Standard of Conduct in the Materialistic School of Thought
Surama Dasgupta In the different cross-currents of thought in the Mahabharata we have traced a positive trend of ideas commingled with the traditional, which has taken a more definite form and a different line in the Ayurveda. Both of these steer a middle course between the two different ideals; that of transcending the worldly experiences,…
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Americaroopam: Kamal Haasan’s Flawed Scripting
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…
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Science versus Miracles: Spirit Phenomena
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…
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Hanging of Conscience: Case of Afzal Guru
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…
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D. D. Kosambi’s Views on the Six Heretics and the Buddha: A Critique
Ramkrishna Bhattacharya compares how Indian Marxist thinkers D. D. Kosambi and Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya interpreted early Buddhism and its contemporary heretical sects. While Kosambi emphasized the Buddha’s social philosophy and the Middle Way as practical responses to socio-economic transitions, Chattopadhyaya initially viewed Buddhism as an illusion before adopting a similar historical-materialist perspective.
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Science versus Miracles: Cooking Rice in Cold Water
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:…
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Adi Shankara and Indian Materialist Philosophy (Materialism in Indian Philosophy – Part IV)
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…
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Unmasking the Miracle-Merchants:
An Interview with B. PremanandIn this candid interview, renowned rationalist Premanand discusses his lifelong campaign exposing fraudulent godmen across India. As the successor to Abraham Kovoor, he explains how scientific temper debunks widespread superstitions like holy ash, palmistry, and astrology, advocating for reason over religious exploitation while educating millions through nationwide scientific outreach workshops.
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Ayodhya: In Electoral Battle Again
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…
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Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya’s Assessment and Reassessment of the Sāmañña-phala-sutta :
A CritiqueRamkrishna Bhattacharya analyzes Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya’s evolving perspective on early Buddhism and the five contemporary heretical sects in the Sāmañña-phala-sutta. Moving from a rigid, doctrinal framework in Lokāyata to a concrete historical-materialist method in later works, Chattopadhyaya re-examined ancient Indian materialism and radical social critique within its specific historical epoch.
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Buddhist Materialism (Materialism in Indian Philosophy – Part III)
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…
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Qualities Man Attributes to God (Stories about God – III)
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…
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My Name is Khan and… Pain of a celebrity being an Indian Muslim
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…
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Disenchanting India
Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in IndiaJohannes Quack’s Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India delivers a pioneering ethnographic study of modern Indian rationalism. Focusing on the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, Quack examines how activists challenge superstitions, expose fraudulent godmen, and promote the scientific temper, placing India’s rationalist movement within a broader transnational context.