In ancient times, it is said that Nagas came from China and settled in the hills of Nagaland. The name Naga is derived from Burmese Naka (pierced ear) and has no connection with Naga Sadhus or Naga (snakes) whatsoever. During the 18th century, Ahoms rule in Assam began to waneContinue Reading
I watched “The Kerala Story” with my family. For the first time, it was the first day, the first show for me. And what a hard-hitting film, shot intelligently with admirable clarity and unflinching focus, with no silly songs and dream sequences. The filmmakers truthfully displayed everything which happens whenContinue Reading
An excerpt from my book,” A Never-Ending Conflict”: After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, Islamic Empire in India went into terminal decline. Peeved by the demeaning status of Muslims who ruled India for five centuries, Syed Ahmed tried to rejuvenate Islam in India in the 1880s. In the late 1910s,Continue Reading
Verdict: Must-read, if you are interested in saving Hindu civilization. Reviewed by: Amit Agarwal Pages: 682, MRP: Rs 799, Publisher: Garuda Prakashan The book pertains to a sensational crime in 2018 that shook India. An eight-year-old girl was kidnapped on January 10, 2018, gang-raped and murdered after being sedated forContinue Reading
Since ancient times, India was the diamond capital of India till South Africa emerged on the scene in the 18th century. Indian diamonds were most sought after due to their beauty and exceptional qualities. Hindus ascribed even magical and divine powers to them, with Kohinoor being considered as Surya’sContinue Reading
Once, Shakespeare wondered loudly: What’s in the name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet. However, he couldn’t have been more wrong, at least in this part of the world, where a certain name in a certain situation can be a matterContinue Reading
The historians quietly forgot about the van-upvan of Vrindavan where Krishna played with gopis. Many of the gardens, natural as well as man-made, were used for celebrating numerous festivals like Holi, vasantotsava, Deepawali etc. The four styles of ancient Hindu gardens were udyan, paramadodvana, vrikshavatika, and nandanavana. Continue Reading
Abdul Mejid II, a Caliph, was made to sit in an ordinary train by Kamal Ataturk unceremoniously. First time in the Muslim world, Caliph was being treated so shabbily. Once upon a time, on his orders, lakhs of men used to be killed and women raped. He finally settled inContinue Reading
Tughlaq’s cousin Bahauddin was the governor of Sagar (south of Gulbarga, in present-day Karnataka), and somehow fell out of favour with Tughlaq. Consequently, Bahauddin had to run away and take shelter in Anegundi (Hampi). Contrary to common sense, he was treated with the utmost respect, given the status of aContinue Reading
The Elgin Marbles, designed and executed by Phidias to adorn the Parthenon, a temple of the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, are some of the most beautiful sculptures of ancient Greece during 447–438 BCE. At the peak of colonisation, there was a stampede among European powers to lootContinue Reading