Month: January 2018

The Karnataka governments much-hyped anti-superstition bill to prevent and eradicate “inhuman evil practices” was unanimously passed in the Legislative Assembly today with some minor amendments. The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication

Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Socrates was made to drink from the poisoned chalice. Sir Thomas More was beheaded. For their beliefs. In recent times, five murders

One of the proposals that came up when the M.N. Venkatachaliah Commission on Constitutional Review was set up by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

There are currently three dominant ways of thinking about the Indian devotion to contemporary gurus. The first suggests that it has something to do with the nature of a society

Insan: Human. Homo sapiens This sweet Urdu word immediately evokes fellow feeling. In a community of insans, how does it matter who you are? It is your humanity, your insaniyat,

At one level, the arrest of Asaram is a rather humdrum, same-old story. One more godman has fallen from grace. So, what is new under the sun? Arent we used

He is the guru who gave himself a double prefix and was named one of the Seven Most Powerful People in India by Forbes magazine in 2009. Sri Sri Ravi

His flamboyance would have easily earned him stardom in Bollywood; his articulation and attitude would have made him the first choice for corporate head honcho. The 60-year-old Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudevthe

Yet another Baba! What is wrong with Indians? Why they waste their hard-earned money on these fraud Babas? Recently a self-styled godman and spiritual leader, Nirmal Baba is in limelight

At the Ratnagiri rural police station, officials are chatting, every now and then, throwing a glance at a man seated in the lock up. “Tu polisach bara hota. Babagiri bhovli

When something controversial gets published about people who are either celebrities or politicians, it ends up getting banned or a defamation case is filed against the authors and publishers, and

India and Pakistan have more influential holy men per square mile than anyone has ever counted. Some are just rich, others both powerful and rich. Once upon a time their

In March, we witnessed an event of momentous consequences not only because it was so unexpected, but also because it was unprecedented. The head of a religious institution was appointed