Tag Archives: history

Does Indian Art Have A Theory?

Posted on November 24, 2025 by secondsaturn

A senior and well known academician asked me why was there no theory of Indian art while the theory of Western art is so well developed? To answer this perhaps we need to reframe our questions not so much around … Continue reading →

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Taslima Nasreen vs Javed Akhtar

Posted on October 2, 2025 by secondsaturn

Taslima Nasreen dropped the atom bomb on the politics of Bengal, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan by observing that the Bengali culture is foundationally and fundamentally Hindu. There cannot be any category like a Bengal Muslim unless as an oxymoron. To … Continue reading →

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Pause and Rhythm of Birju Maharaj

Posted on August 8, 2025 by secondsaturn

I watched Birju Maharaj as part of the Spic Macay programme in the Jhelum Lawns in JNU. Besides Dover Lane Music Conference, JNU was the other place where my education by exposure to excellence happened in Hindustani classical music and … Continue reading →

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India’s Ancient Wisdom

Posted on July 9, 2025 by secondsaturn

There are many enthusiastic young scholars and teachers who imagine that the Sanatan dharma of India is the core of its ancient wisdom and knowledge and hence India exerts or should exert a moral power as in the eponymous epithet … Continue reading →

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Rammohun Roy’s Legacy: Challenging Religious Extremism

Posted on May 24, 2025 by secondsaturn

Fight Theology for 22nd May 2025, 253rd Birth Anniversary of Raja Rammohun Roy Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Raja Rammohun Roy that if Bharat struggles to find itself, it will keep looking out for Rammohun. Truly, in everyday life of India … Continue reading →

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India General Elections 2024 – All Parties Are Fascists

Posted on June 2, 2024 by secondsaturn

The campaign speeches for the General Elections of 2024 tells us that fascism, when it comes to roost is a general phenomenon and not restricted to a single party or ideology. The attribute of fascism, like a pandemic is that … Continue reading →

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Khayal’s Secret History

Posted on April 12, 2024 by secondsaturn

Prof R Mahalakshmi of Centre for Historical Studies, JNU is presenting and hosting a short lecture demonstration on the Khayal by Vidushi Madhumita Ray. The programme is curated and researched by Heather House LLP. The course is free of cost … Continue reading →

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Rammohun Roy and Dhrupad – Whats the connection with Sati?

Posted on January 9, 2024 by secondsaturn

In the early decades of the 19th century Raja Rammohun Roy, when introducing music as part of Vedic prayers in the Brahma Sabha, that was to become the Brahmo Samaj later in 1828, he made dhrupad as the foundation of … Continue reading →

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