The Young India

Shaival Thakkar 
(Follows ‘Bong’ed at JNU‘)

“24×7″ food-joint at JNU. 

Apart from these pseudo-Bengalis, there also existed a Delhiite in our batch who claimed to be dying of a serious disease. If he was saying the truth then he deserves all the sympathy and empathy in the world. However, if he was lying (which is probably the case) then he deserves to be punished (like a night or two in jail can really put the hypochondria, the attention-seeking behaviour and the urban

…

Shaival Thakkar

The author talks about his time at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU, Delhi) and his fondness for Bengalis.

I am a Gujarati. However, when I hear disparaging things being said about Gujarat or Gujaratis, I am usually on the side of the people who are saying it. We have many faults; we’re too money-minded, profiteering, lack cultural activities, we’re found everywhere in the world (which can be really annoying!). And of course the communal riots of 2002 are a huge shame on Gujarat. Some …

Shaival Thakkar

Every time a friend from out-of-town visits my home in Ahmedabad, I jump at the chance to show him/her around. One of the things on the to-do list is The Heritage Walk of Ahmedabad’s old city. I have been for these walks so many times now that the guide who shows the tourists around has started recognizing me.

AMC’s Heritage Walk takes place every day at 7.45 AM and begins at the Kalupur Swaminarayan Temple (which has a very spacious parking lot). After …

Ananth Venkatesh

[ Other recent stories by the author: The Double Standards of ‘Freedom of Speech’, Hindus in the Netherlands, The Failure of Islam in Multicultural Europe]

Another related issue that comes to mind relates to the extent of artistic and creative autonomy that should be granted to writers and painters.

In a state like India, what has engendered considerable Hindu unhappiness is that the paintings of the Late MF Hussein, which depict unclothed Hindu Gods and Goddesses, are regarded as a …

Ananth Venkatesh

[Previously written by the author: Hindus in the Netherlands, The Failure of Islam in Multicultural Europe] 

I have to declare that Europe, especially after overseas decolonization, has been a society very ready to discuss the ills that plague modern Christianity. Certain facets of Christian history and the invidious Christian role in European imperialism abroad have been denounced firmly and, at times, with certain ruthlessness. Therefore, Wilders has the right to decry the bellicosity that exists in certain clauses of the …

Ananth Venkatesh

[Follows “The Failure of Islam in Multicultural Europe”]

Note: The Dutch people are native to the Netherlands. Holland is a region in the western part of Netherlands. Though commonly accepted, Holland is not the same as Netherlands.

It isn’t as if Wilders is anti immigration outright. One hasn’t heard Wilders excoriate the Hindu Dutch citizens i.e. the Dutchmen and Dutchwomen of Indian bloodline.

Most of the Dutch inhabitants of Indian lineage currently have Indian ancestors, who immigrated in the 20th century …

Ananth Venkatesh

The news of the judicial exoneration of Geert Wilders, the far-right Dutch MP, has re-energized the debate on the degree of multiculturalism in the democratic and pluralistic Western half of the European continent.

Ananth writes that Muslims from the middle-east countries are interested in the better living conditions provided by European-Christian nations. However, if the Muslim intention is not to assimilate but to impose their way of life upon the host nation, then their immigration to Europe must be put to a stop.…

Kartikey Sehgal

“Do you have Jay-Z on your computer?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to put it in?”

“No, I don’t.”

She turned to look straight at her table, not far from where we were seated. Her malfunctioned laptop lay there, along with an empty cup of coffee.

“You don’t really listen to Jay-Z, do you? And you don’t like wearing such skirts either.”

“No, I do. I mean I listen sometimes… “, she halted and looked at her skirt, probably worried if it showed …

Siddharth Kurian

Of recent, when famed woman’s lib author/thinker Germaine Greer was asked to comment on the issue of children being sexualized, she began by panning the Barbie doll saying that the doll itself is a fetish and that it is a descendant of a sex toy. And in the same breath implied that fathers too belonged to the same coterie of wanton sexualizers and did so by helping their daughters learn how to "flirt" just by asking them to "kiss daddy goodnight".

I find …

Fiona Vaz

After being a teacher for two years and a viewer of the show Roadies on MTV (for several years, yes I am embarrassed), I have a few things to say.

Every time I watch the show – right from the time of auditions to the final episode – I ask myself: What are the children watching?

The episode I am watching right now (doesn’t matter which one, almost all of them are the same) has had me whip out my laptop and write …