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Propaganda and Perception – Part 1
Many successful rulers and administrators have often failed to grasp the importance of good public relations. As a result, an otherwise competent or successful tenure in office has been marred by...
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Who gets to define a religion?
A close family friend forwarded me the latest offering from Wendy Doniger on Hinduism. I first became aware about the controversy surrounding the good professor during the dispute a few years ago...
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The accident of history – Part 2
Fore previous posts in this category click here. The next rumination in this series focuses on what I term as an accidental empire – Mughal Empire. For the descendants of a bunch of Central Asian...
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A fascinating numismatic example of tolerance under the Mughal Emperor Akbar
The Mughal Emperor Akbar is famous for his tolerance (including the repeal of the jizya on the non Muslim population) and his open encouragement of religious debate that resulted in an attempt to...
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A simmering insurgency in India’s northeast may be sputtering out
Indian authorities (with silent Bangladeshi cooperation) appear to have arrested the head of the United Liberation Front of Asom. ULFA now appears a spent force and hopefully the mistakes of the past...
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Azes II and the Three Kings of the Nativity
The Indo-Scythian King Azes II is mostly known by his diverse coinage. However, in the West and the Numismatic world he is often known by claims that he was on of the Three Kings/Wisemen/Magi who...
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Update on that Akbar coin with Ram and Sita
See previous post regarding the coin here. The auction where that coin was listed closed last week and the coin with an estimate of $75,000 sold for $140,000 (presumably including auctioneers fees)....
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Jyoti Basu – the communist who almost became India’s prime minister
Jyoti Basu died this Sunday. The nonagenarian had been ailing for some time. The usual round of obituaries, paeans and critiques have poured in. See here, here, here, here, here and here. In 1977,...
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A Solomonic Judgment – Resolving the Babri dispute
One Hundred and Forty Seven years after the dispute began, the Allahabad High Court rendered a Solomonic verdict designed to end a dispute that rocked and changed Indian politics over the last 25...
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“Chow Mein causes rape” says reactionary buffoon
Pizza, burgers and other fast food are culprits too. These pearls of wisdom are delivered by a member of a Khap Panchayat, in the Indian state of Haryana. India has been rocked by a series of...
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