When Renovation Becomes Desecration: The Case of Sri Devarajaswamy Temple
When I first walked the Prakharas of the thousand-year-old Sri Devarajaswamy Temple in Kanchipuram, I was struck by one overwhelming feeling: awe. At the ingenuity of our ancestors, the precision of inscriptions on stone and walls, intricate carvings of rearing
The Temple Paradox: A Republic That Governs the Gods
There are moments in the life of a civilization when it must stop congratulating itself and begin questioning its conscience. Moments when progress, loudly proclaimed, must be weighed against what it has quietly destroyed. India stands at such a moment
Sacred Groves – the Indic sanctuaries
Sacred groves are small patches of primeval forest or stands of trees that are reserved exclusively for a deity, a critical indigenous ecological tradition in the realm of environmentalism. They hold special religious and spiritual significance to the people and
Of panels and politics – An unfinished battle for the Western Ghats II
The previous piece briefly discussed the resistance that the Gadgil report had faced then and that it continues to even now, from various quarters. Continuing from there, in this piece we discuss the politics around the Western Ghats (WG) reports,
Of panels and politics – An unfinished battle for the Western Ghats
Older than the Himalayas, the Western Ghats covers an area of around 140,000 km² in a 1600 kms stretch that runs parallel to the west coast of India traversing magnificently through six states from Gujarat to southern Kerala, creating some
Union as the bulwark of the Constitution – Part II
In the previous piece we had discussed the Constituent Assembly’s intention behind a carefully crafted Article 355 to enshrine a duty of the Union to protect the states and the constitutional machinery therein. Continuing from that discussion, here we elaborate
Union as the bulwark of the Constitution – Part I
Article 355 of the Constitution states that “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with
The old man and the river
The passing away of Sunderlal Bahuguna is the departure of one of the last remaining stalwarts battling for environment conservation employing Indic knowledge and practices. Born in 1927, in a small village on the banks of the River Bhagirathi in
“New Commission for Air Quality Management or EPCA 2.0?” – Part II
The previous piece had discussed the lack of novelty in Union Government’s approach in constituting a new Super-Commission meant to tackle Delhi-NCR’s air pollution issues, namely the ‘Commission for Air Quality Management’ (CAQM). Now add to that, the serious lack
Religious minorities and State-funded religious education in India- Part III
The previous piece pointed out mainly two issues that plague the minority education system in India. The first being a broader issue of determination of minority status on a central basis and the second specific issue being, the dispute relating