Articles
Prosylatism: A bane on humanity
On March 11, 1689, on the eve of the auspicious Gudi Padwa, Sambhaji Maharaj, the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom and eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was brutally murdered under the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. As we celebrate the Hindu New Year at our homes, places of worship, and with friends and
Unraveling the Truth Behind India’s CAA Bill: Debunking Misrepresentations by the Irresponsible Media
On March 11, 2024, the Union home ministry of India has operationalized the Citizenship (Amendment Act (CAA) which was passed by the India’s Parliament on December 11th 2019. The Act ignited a firestorm of controversy both domestically and internationally due to extensive misrepresentation by the liberal media, fueling misconceptions and protests. The legislation which aims
Beacons of hope for the oppressed people: Similarities between two heroes, George Washington and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
The year 2023 stands as a significant milestone, commemorating the convergence of two iconic historical events separated by a mere hundred years. These pivotal occurrences gave hope to oppressed people globally, as a small group of resolute and unorganized men defiantly cast aside the shackles of enslavement. Within this year, we observe the 350th anniversary
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: His Relevance in Today’s American Social Politics
The announcement that the intersection of 61st Street and Broadway in Queens, New York, has been officially designated as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Way filled me with an overwhelming sense of joy and immense pride. Despite being born into a marginalized community in colonial India and facing discrimination and social exclusion throughout his life, Dr. Ambedkar
Harmonizing Indian and American Values: Finding Common Ground
This year I will be completing three decades of residing in this country. Very early during my stay here, I pondered the question ‘Who am I?’ This was not the Upanishadic question but geopolitical identity. This introspection about one’s identity and the clash of values between cultures is common to all immigrants, sometimes causing inter-generational
Strengthening Bonds: The Enduring Friendship Between India and the USA
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, 2023. The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and
Impression of America on Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Last month on my visit to Mumbai, I experienced the celebration of the birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 14th. This encouraged me to read the book Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Life and Mission, by Dhananjay Keer, which is the only authentic biography read and approved by Dr. Ambedkar himself. The book inspired me
Detachment
My new year’s resolution for 2020 is to internalize the principle of Detachment. Over the years, as we meander along the path of self-realization, attachment to people, material things, achievements, and identity have been a heavy ball and chain around our minds, preventing it from soaring the skies. We raise our children and think that
Who is Dnyaneshwar and why his buffalo?
Dnyaneshwar was a thirteenth century saint and philosopher from India. He was a great proponent of Advaita, a very popular Hindu philosophy, which for in simple words professes that GOD is everything. Using a common metaphor, the GOD is the potter, the intelligence of making pots, the clay, the pottery wheel, the land on which
Goals of life
In Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Hindus, there is a term called Simhavalokan – Lion’s gaze. When a lion is walking, after covering a distance, he will pause and turn back, as if contemplating where he came from, and then charting his future course. In short Simhavalokan is ‘in retrospect’. This year as I
Debts of Humans
Yesterday, I was at a dinner hosted at a friend’s house when the person sitting opposite me introduced himself. In turn I introduced myself by just the name and expected to return to casual polite conversation with everyone. But he looked at me, and he repeated my name. He exclaimed, “You may not remember me,
Sewa – Selfless service
Sewa is selfless service performed without expecting anything in return. It is an act performed by humans as a basic property of being a human, not guided by the expectation of joy dependent on desire fulfilment. As a human we feel compassion, which is a state in which one sees all life forms as part
Hindu perspective on discrimination
A Hindu perspective on discrimination Recently, I was fortunate enough to be on a panel discussion on the topic of AntiSemitism at B’Nai B’Rith senior housing apartment. As I heard the speakers voice their opposition to Anti-Semitism and support the people of the Jewish faith, the words of one of the adages of Hinduism reverberated
Darshana, a glimpse into the Hindu civilization
In our daily life, many of us interact with a Hindu in one way or another. Either your doctor, a coworker, a classmate, a close friend, a…
A new hope for Hindu-Muslim amity
Since ancient times stories of the prosperity and civilizational advancement in the Indian subcontinent have attracted foreign invaders…