The genesis of this essay lies in two memorial lectures that I gave in 2019 in Delhi. The first was the Nemichand Memorial lecture on ‘The Presence of the other: Religion and Society in Early India’, given on 16 August 2019. The second was the V M Tarkunde Memorial lecture on ‘Renunciation, Dissent and Satyagraha’, given on 6 December 2019..
Street theatre or nukkad-natak has a staccato rhythm. Those who have been part of it will know. There is no rule or convention within which it finds safety. It is both ephemeral and risky. Actors, audiences, the venue, the script, everything is provisional…
Sometimes, a meticulously worked-out political calculation can go awry. The beautiful mind of Kanshi Ram had, in 1981, computed the DS-4 (Dalit Shosit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti) formula, comprising Dalits and other oppressed groups like Shudras, Muslims, and women…
This book unlocks the mesmerizing mojo of medieval Braj region. Masterfully written by Irfan Habib and Tarapada Mukerjee, it is an exemplary work of intense research. The primary source materials for this work are the Vrindavan Documents––a treasure trove of information…
