The Self in All; All in Self 1. Decolonizing Bharat the Balu Way 2. From Here to the Stars 3. From the Stars to Here 4. Stepping into the World of Sri Aurobindo
Joined September 2013
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pingali gopal retweeted
When economic growth in India was anaemic, it was the 'Hindu rate of growth'.
When the economy is among the fastest growing economies in the world, India must 'shed growth fixation'.
A used-car salesman has more integrity than people like Dreze.
pingali gopal retweeted
We had gone to the Gurukulam here in Mysuru and the priest had placed the book at the feet of the deity.
I had presented a copy to the Swamigal who ran the gurukulam.
A short while ago he called me and said that he was overwhelmed by the book. He said the writing was incredible and even though the story was known, it kept him in a state of tension. He said, just like you can taste a drop of payasam and tell whether it is good or not, he had read only a few pages but wanted to let me know how he felt.
I am overwhelmed. This is a man who I have a lot of respect for and to hear these words from him is very humbling. 🙏🙏🙏
pingali gopal retweeted
1. There is no electoral path for communists in India. Their major bastions are gone.
2. Their entire violent terrorist naxal groups are dismantled
3. Their narrative has no takers in India
Their only "life skill" is agitation.
What to do then:
1. Sell the skill to international bidders
2. Solicit money for their NGOs for "Regime Change."
3. Get media cohorts and international agencies to pretend they're doing something, so funding keeps flowing.
It's career planning for the unemployable.
pingali gopal retweeted
HINDUPHOBIA - Still Trying to Deny It?
"TACO" has a new meaning today - I'd say "Truth Always Comes Out."
The foiled massacre at the Aurora, Illinois Hindu temple seems to have shaken even the most inveterate Hinduphobia-deniers in American civil rights/social justice circles. Politicians and activists who pretended that all of our concerns about anti-Hindu hate were unfounded or worse a "Far Right Hindu" fantasy, are finally saying what they suppressed for so long now. I don't know if the South Asia Studies departments will also do the right thing and stop putting out pulp fiction denying anti-Hindu hatred ever existed or exists now even while purporting to do courageous progressive anti-racist anti-colonial work...
In any case, to be a Hindu now is not to reduce our state of relief, alarm, fear, courage and bhakthi-based (or based-bhakthi) hope to a quest for validation. These words are not an application for my story, our stories, to enter your lexicon, but really just an invitation to you to look up, watch out, open those eyes, ("repent" is something I feel like saying but it ain't me so I won't). We are not submitting words, dear Hinduphobia-deniers, but are throwing the whole book at you, a whole Macaulay-mincing, propaganda-pulverizing, Saraswathi galaxies kind of library of memory and knowledge at you. Actually, we aren't doing it. It's REALITY that's doing it. To give that reality a name is important to some (to paraphrase a 60s tune), and so we call it Hanuman, Om, Vishnu, Durga. Mother.
Captain Smith and a whole plane of civilians and children.
The Sri Lankan Hindu pilgrimage dog defender in Saudi Arabia.
What a wild, wild time. Not out of the woods. Far from it. But still, a trip and a breath of relief that at last the truth.. at least the truth. The TACO.. what a coincidence, what a cosmic joke... isn't it strange that the insanity that finally broke the omerta against Hindu lives and Hindu human rights, the planned massacre of families and children on the first day of a major Hindu goddess festival in a major temple... it had a Taco Bell angle, and just a few years ago it was in another Taco Bell (Fremont, California) that a Hindu father got spat and cursed while ordering some vegetarian food...
From fast-food verbal rage to (nearly) a manifesto-level massacre. Insanity has moved fast. The institutions did NOTHING to stop it. Some even enabled it. Left and Right, Donkey and Elephant, Brown and White and in-between. But enough. There is goodness, intelligence, presence of mind. Somebody was a hero. Somebody made sure the police came to know and caught the genius in his own head before he fixed his weapons.
Navaratri. Durga. Hanuman. The old gods have come to these new lands because these lands aren't really new are they? Squabble about "heritage" and "race" and "religion" if you like but face the truth, dear friends/hosts/easy-target-blamers.... we're from a time, or at least our gods are from a time before your gods (or lack thereof) have told you even existed. Wakantanka. Vishnu. All above and always and all... Om Shanthi. Truth Always Comes Out.
(my oped from the SJ Mercury News on the Taco Bell Hinduphobia incident from some years ago in the replies)
pingali gopal retweeted
just to piggy back on this - in this essay, i start with this famine and move on to analyze our olympic aspirations
brhat.in/dhiti/olympianmirro…
Sitting with Big brothers JSD anna and Annamalai na and discussing my favourite topic History ❤️
youtu.be/LUs00osVxBE?si=kyVI…
#Ranabaali
pingali gopal retweeted
How my "content" influenced villagers in Western UP to end vulgar dances on the Ramleela stage
About the same time last year, I covered the 'Dehati Ramleela' in the hinterlands of Western UP. I made a documentary explainer critiquing the perversion of the glorious tradition of 'Ramleela' by obscene and vulgar dance performances by 'trans' artists on the Ramleela stage.
(The full video is available on my channel - Prateek Express)
Unlike well-meaning Hindus criticising this perversion, Muslims, Ambedkarites, Left-Liberals, and Atheists would often ridicule and mock the 'Ramleela' and 'Hinduism' itself.
Mocking/roasting it for a "million views" was a sure-shot guarantee of virality for me as well, but I didn't. I went there, talked to them, understood "their side of the story," and then presented a thorough picture as simply as possible. And as expected, not even 5,000 people watched it back then. However, it did trigger some discussions and criticism among the 'wise elders' and the "aware youth" in the Dehat.
I was a bit disheartened, but I knew that I had played my part. For I never intended to create a "viral controversy" to enforce an administrative ban, and only wanted people to THINK about changing it consciously.
A year later, news (pictures and videos as well) has come from the two villages I covered.
In one of these, the villagers and the Ramleela committee have mutually decided not to organise such dances altogether.
In the other, they have corrected the song choices, dance steps, and the revealing costumes to a great extent. The songs have changed from'Dilbar Mere Sanam', 'Ye Jalwa, Ye Jawani', & 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' to 'Maine Kitne Deep Jalaye', 'Mai Bachi Ram ji Ki Kripa Se', and 'Bulaye Rahi Radha Pyaari'. The dresses have changed to relatively decent lehenga-cholis, unlike the ones where their "sexy" breast movements from past years would attract everything from lewd comments, whistles, and obscene sexual actions from the dehati crowds gathered to watch "Ramleela."
This time, no vulgar songs are being played, and no sexually provoking dances are being performed.
Mind you, I am talking about the 'Dehat' that people believe is beyond repair. But I believe if you have the honest intent and communicate in the language they understand, you can definitely move them in the right direction.
I am not saying my video ended it, but at least it triggered the thoughts that could bring about such positive and meaningful change. And this, for me, is SUCCESS.
My simple idea behind starting 'Prateek Express' was this only: Not to tell people what to think or do, but how to think. I am not your average 'views-maxxxxer' influenza, who speaks on every "trending" issue. I consciously choose the subjects where I can actually influence change and create some impact for a stronger Hinduism and a better Bharat.
I am now pivoting to scale the channel and working on crucial on-ground issues in the coming months. You will see this change soon after the current hiatus. I am grateful for all the support I get. Looking forward to more of it from you all.
All this is happening on the Ramleela stage in the villages of Western UP. These obscene and vulgar performances are called “variety show” and justified as “on-demand” performances to attract audiences to the Ramleela ground.
I am working on a video titled ‘Ram Ke Naam Par’ (releasing on Dussehra) to raise some pertinent questions about this socio-cultural degradation in Dehati lands across the country (South included).
pingali gopal retweeted
a black man who ancestors were literally stolen from their hearths and sold like cattle sees it fit not to criticize the xtian western culture that did that (& to which he is now stockholm syndromed to), but instead to talk abt something he has 0 knowledge of.
pingali gopal retweeted
For decades, Tamil Nadu was handed one explanation for its failures: The Brahmin. But history is larger. U can debate caste and privilege without erasing a century of scholarship, science, music, literature and spiritual discipline. A thread(1/n)
pingali gopal retweeted
Devavrata stands on the brink of becoming Bhishma. Amba’s humiliation hardens into vengeance. Dhushasana steels himself for an act that will scar history. Bhima waits for the moment to strike Kichaka. Karna wrestles with the consequences of using the all-powerful Shakti on Ghatothgacha. Abhimanyu contemplates before entering into the Chakravyuha on the Kurukshetra battlefield.
These are not stories of gods and heroes.
They are stories of desire and doubt, rage and love, ambition and guilt—of ordinary human emotions colliding with extraordinary destinies.
In this extraordinary retelling of the Mahabharata—Mahakshana—Arun Krishnan steps inside the minds of the men and women who shaped Bharatavarsha, capturing them at the instant when choice becomes destiny.
Mahakshana is my retelling of the Mahabharata through the eyes of the various characters and delving into their innermost thoughts.
PREORDER LINK:
amazon.in/dp/9377300444?dpln…
@LipikaB @PenguinIndia
pingali gopal retweeted
Such pure nonsense! Tamil Nadu’s most popular chain is the Saravana Bhavan chain, which serves only vegetarian food. It is highly and equally preferred by non-vegetarians and orthodox vegetarians. It was founded and is run by a family belonging to the meat-eating Nadar community.
Vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism mark distinctions in eating choices, and that’s it. Many people shift from being meat-eaters to non-meat-eaters for various reasons unrelated to religion, caste, or community.
It has become fashionable to see everything in India through the prism of caste, community, and religion.
In India, what you eat is rarely JUST about food.
Your CASTE, where you grew up, who cooked your food and even who you eat with can all shape what ends up on your plate.
@krishashok is back on Dostcast to unpack the politics, history and weirdness behind something as ordinary as food.
Tonight, 8 PM.
pod link in thread
pingali gopal retweeted
It was a privilege discussing my new book at the Pondy Lit Fest today. My sincerest thanks to the festival Director Alo Pal Ma'am Also to Dr. Vikram Sampath and FIHCR for the award of the Jadunath Sarkar Fellowship which enabled me to write it. @AloPal @vikramsampath @fihcr_info
Indic Kingship in Theory and Practice
What can 500 BCE to 1800 CE tell us about Indic kingship and the way we understand India’s past?
Join @Saumya_stoic and @AloPal as the book talk goes live.
Live link: youtube.com/live/syM8WdSITAw…
pingali gopal retweeted
❌ "I didn't know about castes till much later in life" - that's because you were living a life of caste privilege.
❌ "Yes, I knew my caste and what it meant" - obviously you were steeped in casteism.
❌ "I don't discriminate on the basis of caste" - of course, that's just another way you keeping us down, you casteist.
❌ "Yes, sometimes I do take caste into account" - this tokenism is exactly how you casteists fool others.
❌ "I don't ask anyone's caste" - that's because you are living a life of caste privilege.
❌ "Yes, I sometimes ask someone's caste" - of course, how else would you practice your casteism?!
❌"No one in my family ever did caste discrimination" - how would you know? Casteism is so ingrained that it's practically invisible to you!
❌"Some in my family may have discriminated, but that was all in the past" - you can't get away so easily!
❌ "Of course, we need some form of reservations" - no one asked you, you casteist. It's no favour you are doing!
❌ "We need to make reservations more broad-based and inclusive" - yet another sly way of ending reservations. We see through your casteism.
❌"49% are enough, isn't it?" - who made you god to decide 49% is 'enough'?
❌ "Yes, let's increase reservations to 77%" - you are 5% and want 23% of all seats and jobs?
❌"OK, how about 97% reservations?" - what about economic reparations? Why should we pay the same taxes as you?!
pingali gopal retweeted
Generation after generation Brahmins preserved knowledge and taught it freely.
They lived on alms given by others though they could have used the knowledge to enrich themselves.
Christian missionaries saw them as rivals and impediments to conversion. Their religion taught them others worshipped the devil.
So per the missionary account, Brahmins had hypnotized everyone to worship the devil and "put themselves on top of the hierarchy." In practise, Brahmins neither had state power, nor money power, only knowledge and respect.
That missionary story was turned by colonial scholars into stories of "Brahminical oppression."
Brahmins were at the forefront of the independence struggle. They were targeted by colonial stooges like EVR who wanted British rule to continue.
Yet they contributed to the country in many fields. Even when driven out, they continued to work for the nation.
The narrative of making Brahmins into villains must end. It is not based on reality but on the machinations and frustrations of Christian missionaries, spread via colonial education.
(ps I'm not a jaati-Brahmin).
