A.K. Ramanujan, while referring to the diversity and apparently contradictory element of unity in the Indian traditions, refers to an Irish joke about whether to classify trousers as singular or plural: singular from the top, plural from the bottom.1 A Concurrent Discipline Course in the University of Delhi for Second Year Honours students not doing History was introduced in 2005 on ‘Culture in India—Ancient’, and had sought to very sensitively...
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Let a Thousand Ramayanas Bloom by Bharati Jaganathan
The arbitrary deletion of A.K. Ramanujan’s ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation’ from the syllabus of a concurrent course taught by the History Department by the Academic Council of the University of Delhi has understandably sparked off a major debate. The prehistory of this step is to be traced to early 2008 when ABVP Activists attacked and vandalised the office of the History Department in the...
More »Dalits roll over Brahmin food by KM Rakesh
A state-run temple in BJP-ruled Karnataka has lifted a ban on a ritual in which backward castes roll on banana leaves with food leftovers of Brahmins believing they will be “blessed”, sparking an outcry. Groups representing lower castes, academicians and social Activists have described the decision by the authorities of the Kukke Subrahmanya Temple to revive made snana (bath in leftovers) as abominable and uncivilised. Over 3,000 people have gone through the...
More »Andhra to pay compensation to victims of police torture by Ashok Das
In possibly the first instance of its kind in the country, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to compensate 70 victims of police violence following the May 2007 Mecca Masjid blast. The men had been falsely implicated in the case and tortured in custody. The 20 men who were the worst affected would get Rs 3 lakh each, the rest Rs 20,000 each. The announcement of the Rs 70 lakh compensation was...
More »Kudankulum N-plant: Moscow sees rivals' hand in stir by Sachin Parashar
Just ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow, Russia lashed out at protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power project saying that the disruptions may have been stage managed by its rivals. Russia's ambassador to India Alexander M Kadakin said Russian authorities had "great suspicion" about the events at Kudankulum, where the final stage before commissioning of two power plants built with Russian cooperation has been on hold due to...
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