From Female Foeticide to the New Civilising Mission Consider the modern trope of “female foeticide”. Today, it is routinely presented as another exhibit in the prosecution of timeless Indian patriarchy. But the history of sex selection in India contains an inconvenient Western dimension that is often missing from the narrative. India’s post-Independence population-control machinery received…
Sabarimala, Sati and the Civilising Mission Ranjana Kumari has for years argued for women’s right to worship at Sabarimala. In an earlier interview, she specifically invoked a woman’s right to offer prayers at the temple. In 2016, she argued that judicial rulings opening temples to women should extend to other temples, explicitly including the Ayyappa…
From Father God to Hindu Patriarchy Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale became a feminist icon in the West because its nightmare was instantly recognisable: Christian patriarchy carried to its dystopian conclusion. Male religious authority controls women, scripture provides the sanction, and the female body becomes territory over which Church and State exercise power. Western feminism…
The gloves are off, with political rivals indulging in increasingly cheap allegations and personal barbs against one another. But beyond the political slugfest, what are the realities, particularly regarding the performance of the Prime Ministers who have shaped independent India? After all, India’s present status in the comity of nations has been profoundly influenced by…
Politics often reveals more through the words chosen in a moment of confrontation than through carefully drafted speeches. When a former Union Home Minister publicly embraces a phrase that the Prime Minister uses to describe an ideological challenge to the State, the remark deserves more than a passing political response. It deserves scrutiny. That is…
Time and time again, Rahul Ghandy’s behaviour pattern confirms his narcissistic personality. In hindsight, such a behaviour is borne out of arrogance of entitlement. A warning – Narcissists usually turn into dictators! Wake up, “We the People of India”! Before it is too late, “We the People’ must throw narcissists out of the country! If…
When the Editor asked me to write about the transformation of the Indian Armed Forces over the past 79-years as part of celebrating 80th Independence of Bharat, my immediate reaction was blunt: What exactly is there to boast about? The editor was understandably annoyed. But when I explained why I felt that way, he perhaps…
Brig (retd) GB Reddi For over 25 years, I have repeatedly highlighted three realities that India cannot afford to ignore: land is finite, resources are rapidly depleting, and technology is evolving at extraordinary speed. Yet, despite the many missed opportunities since Independence, it is equally important to acknowledge that a transformation has begun over the…
I am rather crestfallen, like many millions of citizens, to see your conspicuous absence from the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. At my advanced age, I must admit that this absence has disappointed me deeply. In that context, I personally feel that it is time to revisit the question of leadership behaviour. It is never…
Brig (retd) G.B. Reddi The two foundational promises of the Preamble to the Constitution of India are unmistakable—“Justice, social, economic and political” and “Equality of status and opportunity.” Seventy-five years after Independence, it is time to ask an uncomfortable question: have we honoured these constitutional ideals, particularly in education? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Our…
