The Self in All; All in Self 1. Decolonizing Bharat the Balu Way 2. From Here to the Stars 3. From the Stars to Here 4. Stepping into the World of Sri Aurobindo
Joined September 2013
- Tweets2.9K
- Following301
- Followers752
- Likes9.2K
pingali gopal retweeted
"Those who say that caste and religious differences must first of all be destroyed before India can ever rise to the status of a nation, have very hazy and confused notions regarding the character and constitution of that nation.
Our history has been different in many respects from the history of other peoples. The composition of the Indian people has been unique in all the world. Nations grew in the past by the accretion and assimilation of different tribes.
This is an earlier process. But India has not been a mere meeting place of tribes, but a meeting place of grown up nations with developed social and religious lines of their own, and with original castes and types of cultures peculiar to them."
- Sri Aurobindo.
pingali gopal retweeted
Absolutely.
Hindu religion is Sanatana Dharma in practice.
To say 'post religion' is to say post Dharma.
Enlightenment exchanged Faith with Reason in the Western context because religion there was a demand imposed from above.
Of course within 2-3 centuries they realised the fallibility of instrumental rationality as well ith Holocausts and World wars.
That is a civilization struggling with meaning as they are beaten by both God and Scientist, Fatih and Reason precisely because they don't have the harmonizing principle of Dharma.
To say 'post-religious' in our context would be to say post-Dharma or post-sacred which is to import the trauma that is not even ours.
Being inspired by creative flourishing of Europe during enlightenment is one thing, to not discern the ontological void and import entire categories with glee is another.
The latter is to internalise the Abrahamic gaze on ourselves.
We are a sacred knowledge system oriented culture, it can encompass the material. The other way is not possible.
"modernist, pro-India, anti-woke, anti-socialist, anti-Dehat and post-religious?"
"Modernist and post-religious" produce demographic suicide. We are here because our ancestors had faith, no not the "spiritual but not religious" kind, I mean real faith.
And then AI, which ends our intellectual pretense. What is left that is truly human? I suggest Nature, Nurture, Culture and Scripture; the core of Sanatana Dharma is that all of these are connected.
Anyway I will make this prediction: religion will become even more important in the post-AI landscape.
pingali gopal retweeted
Divinely Surreal! This is what one wishes and struggles to realize as a moment!!
pingali gopal retweeted
"How many Indians make for 'too many Indians' in the United States? One more than all the others in the room? Or even just one more than the only other Indian in the room?..."
From my latest, in IE:
In America's identity politics, Hindus aren't even in the running indianexpress.com/article/op… via @IndianExpress
pingali gopal retweeted
Official verified handle..
Thanks for advertising how much you respect Ramayana..
pingali gopal retweeted
My Great Grandfather x 5 came from Germany and landed in Pennsylvania in 1735. Hindus have done nothing but make great contributions. Low crime, high income and low key. Colour and dance is exactly what this world needs right now.
pingali gopal retweeted
When economic growth in India was anaemic, it was the 'Hindu rate of growth'.
When the economy is among the fastest growing economies in the world, India must 'shed growth fixation'.
A used-car salesman has more integrity than people like Dreze.
pingali gopal retweeted
We had gone to the Gurukulam here in Mysuru and the priest had placed the book at the feet of the deity.
I had presented a copy to the Swamigal who ran the gurukulam.
A short while ago he called me and said that he was overwhelmed by the book. He said the writing was incredible and even though the story was known, it kept him in a state of tension. He said, just like you can taste a drop of payasam and tell whether it is good or not, he had read only a few pages but wanted to let me know how he felt.
I am overwhelmed. This is a man who I have a lot of respect for and to hear these words from him is very humbling. 🙏🙏🙏
pingali gopal retweeted
1. There is no electoral path for communists in India. Their major bastions are gone.
2. Their entire violent terrorist naxal groups are dismantled
3. Their narrative has no takers in India
Their only "life skill" is agitation.
What to do then:
1. Sell the skill to international bidders
2. Solicit money for their NGOs for "Regime Change."
3. Get media cohorts and international agencies to pretend they're doing something, so funding keeps flowing.
It's career planning for the unemployable.
pingali gopal retweeted
HINDUPHOBIA - Still Trying to Deny It?
"TACO" has a new meaning today - I'd say "Truth Always Comes Out."
The foiled massacre at the Aurora, Illinois Hindu temple seems to have shaken even the most inveterate Hinduphobia-deniers in American civil rights/social justice circles. Politicians and activists who pretended that all of our concerns about anti-Hindu hate were unfounded or worse a "Far Right Hindu" fantasy, are finally saying what they suppressed for so long now. I don't know if the South Asia Studies departments will also do the right thing and stop putting out pulp fiction denying anti-Hindu hatred ever existed or exists now even while purporting to do courageous progressive anti-racist anti-colonial work...
In any case, to be a Hindu now is not to reduce our state of relief, alarm, fear, courage and bhakthi-based (or based-bhakthi) hope to a quest for validation. These words are not an application for my story, our stories, to enter your lexicon, but really just an invitation to you to look up, watch out, open those eyes, ("repent" is something I feel like saying but it ain't me so I won't). We are not submitting words, dear Hinduphobia-deniers, but are throwing the whole book at you, a whole Macaulay-mincing, propaganda-pulverizing, Saraswathi galaxies kind of library of memory and knowledge at you. Actually, we aren't doing it. It's REALITY that's doing it. To give that reality a name is important to some (to paraphrase a 60s tune), and so we call it Hanuman, Om, Vishnu, Durga. Mother.
Captain Smith and a whole plane of civilians and children.
The Sri Lankan Hindu pilgrimage dog defender in Saudi Arabia.
What a wild, wild time. Not out of the woods. Far from it. But still, a trip and a breath of relief that at last the truth.. at least the truth. The TACO.. what a coincidence, what a cosmic joke... isn't it strange that the insanity that finally broke the omerta against Hindu lives and Hindu human rights, the planned massacre of families and children on the first day of a major Hindu goddess festival in a major temple... it had a Taco Bell angle, and just a few years ago it was in another Taco Bell (Fremont, California) that a Hindu father got spat and cursed while ordering some vegetarian food...
From fast-food verbal rage to (nearly) a manifesto-level massacre. Insanity has moved fast. The institutions did NOTHING to stop it. Some even enabled it. Left and Right, Donkey and Elephant, Brown and White and in-between. But enough. There is goodness, intelligence, presence of mind. Somebody was a hero. Somebody made sure the police came to know and caught the genius in his own head before he fixed his weapons.
Navaratri. Durga. Hanuman. The old gods have come to these new lands because these lands aren't really new are they? Squabble about "heritage" and "race" and "religion" if you like but face the truth, dear friends/hosts/easy-target-blamers.... we're from a time, or at least our gods are from a time before your gods (or lack thereof) have told you even existed. Wakantanka. Vishnu. All above and always and all... Om Shanthi. Truth Always Comes Out.
(my oped from the SJ Mercury News on the Taco Bell Hinduphobia incident from some years ago in the replies)
pingali gopal retweeted
just to piggy back on this - in this essay, i start with this famine and move on to analyze our olympic aspirations
brhat.in/dhiti/olympianmirro…
Sitting with Big brothers JSD anna and Annamalai na and discussing my favourite topic History ❤️
youtu.be/LUs00osVxBE?si=kyVI…
#Ranabaali
pingali gopal retweeted
How my "content" influenced villagers in Western UP to end vulgar dances on the Ramleela stage
About the same time last year, I covered the 'Dehati Ramleela' in the hinterlands of Western UP. I made a documentary explainer critiquing the perversion of the glorious tradition of 'Ramleela' by obscene and vulgar dance performances by 'trans' artists on the Ramleela stage.
(The full video is available on my channel - Prateek Express)
Unlike well-meaning Hindus criticising this perversion, Muslims, Ambedkarites, Left-Liberals, and Atheists would often ridicule and mock the 'Ramleela' and 'Hinduism' itself.
Mocking/roasting it for a "million views" was a sure-shot guarantee of virality for me as well, but I didn't. I went there, talked to them, understood "their side of the story," and then presented a thorough picture as simply as possible. And as expected, not even 5,000 people watched it back then. However, it did trigger some discussions and criticism among the 'wise elders' and the "aware youth" in the Dehat.
I was a bit disheartened, but I knew that I had played my part. For I never intended to create a "viral controversy" to enforce an administrative ban, and only wanted people to THINK about changing it consciously.
A year later, news (pictures and videos as well) has come from the two villages I covered.
In one of these, the villagers and the Ramleela committee have mutually decided not to organise such dances altogether.
In the other, they have corrected the song choices, dance steps, and the revealing costumes to a great extent. The songs have changed from'Dilbar Mere Sanam', 'Ye Jalwa, Ye Jawani', & 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' to 'Maine Kitne Deep Jalaye', 'Mai Bachi Ram ji Ki Kripa Se', and 'Bulaye Rahi Radha Pyaari'. The dresses have changed to relatively decent lehenga-cholis, unlike the ones where their "sexy" breast movements from past years would attract everything from lewd comments, whistles, and obscene sexual actions from the dehati crowds gathered to watch "Ramleela."
This time, no vulgar songs are being played, and no sexually provoking dances are being performed.
Mind you, I am talking about the 'Dehat' that people believe is beyond repair. But I believe if you have the honest intent and communicate in the language they understand, you can definitely move them in the right direction.
I am not saying my video ended it, but at least it triggered the thoughts that could bring about such positive and meaningful change. And this, for me, is SUCCESS.
My simple idea behind starting 'Prateek Express' was this only: Not to tell people what to think or do, but how to think. I am not your average 'views-maxxxxer' influenza, who speaks on every "trending" issue. I consciously choose the subjects where I can actually influence change and create some impact for a stronger Hinduism and a better Bharat.
I am now pivoting to scale the channel and working on crucial on-ground issues in the coming months. You will see this change soon after the current hiatus. I am grateful for all the support I get. Looking forward to more of it from you all.
All this is happening on the Ramleela stage in the villages of Western UP. These obscene and vulgar performances are called “variety show” and justified as “on-demand” performances to attract audiences to the Ramleela ground.
I am working on a video titled ‘Ram Ke Naam Par’ (releasing on Dussehra) to raise some pertinent questions about this socio-cultural degradation in Dehati lands across the country (South included).
pingali gopal retweeted
a black man who ancestors were literally stolen from their hearths and sold like cattle sees it fit not to criticize the xtian western culture that did that (& to which he is now stockholm syndromed to), but instead to talk abt something he has 0 knowledge of.
pingali gopal retweeted
For decades, Tamil Nadu was handed one explanation for its failures: The Brahmin. But history is larger. U can debate caste and privilege without erasing a century of scholarship, science, music, literature and spiritual discipline. A thread(1/n)
pingali gopal retweeted
Devavrata stands on the brink of becoming Bhishma. Amba’s humiliation hardens into vengeance. Dhushasana steels himself for an act that will scar history. Bhima waits for the moment to strike Kichaka. Karna wrestles with the consequences of using the all-powerful Shakti on Ghatothgacha. Abhimanyu contemplates before entering into the Chakravyuha on the Kurukshetra battlefield.
These are not stories of gods and heroes.
They are stories of desire and doubt, rage and love, ambition and guilt—of ordinary human emotions colliding with extraordinary destinies.
In this extraordinary retelling of the Mahabharata—Mahakshana—Arun Krishnan steps inside the minds of the men and women who shaped Bharatavarsha, capturing them at the instant when choice becomes destiny.
Mahakshana is my retelling of the Mahabharata through the eyes of the various characters and delving into their innermost thoughts.
PREORDER LINK:
amazon.in/dp/9377300444?dpln…
@LipikaB @PenguinIndia
