Customs are the main source for the development of the Hindu Law. Even among Hindus, customs differ from one family to another, one geographical area to the next, one community to another and from one congregation to other. They keep changing and evolving over time, absorbing and incorporating new influences that exist at the time, says Ruchi Verma. The annual Pandharpur Wari (pilgrimage) on Ashadhi Ekadashi has been held without break for more than seven centuries Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma is the oldest religion in the world and it originated in India. Its existence predates any recorded history and has…
Author: shubhangi
Nandini Rao says India has produced innumerable social reformers who have contributed immensely in making India a more progressive and inclusive country. They not only fought against social evils such as Sati, widow remarriage, child remarriage, casteism, etc., but also sought to end the sufferings of the weaker sections of the society by sensitising masses. Baba Amte dedicated his life in rehabilitating and empowering people suffering from leprosy A social reformer improves the society and rids it of the ills that prevails such as discrimination based on religion, caste, gender, race, etc. India is a land of great thinkers and…
Nandini Rao takes a look at India’s freedom struggle and points out how women fought alongside men for the independence. The women not only fought like soldiers in the battlefield but were equally courageous when it came to questioning illegal and forceful colonisation of the British. Rani Abakka, Velu Nachiyar, Rani Gaidinliu, Accamma Cherian and Durgabai Deshmukh were some of the many unsung women freedom fighters India’s freedom struggle could not have succeeded without the contributions of its freedom fighters. Today, every Indian is aware of the stalwarts of the country’s fight for independence – Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini…
Every decade posed new set of goals and accompanying challenges to ‘free’ India. It has come a long way and today it has claimed its position as a world leader and is among the best performing major economies of the world. It is also finally reclaiming its heritage that got lost and was conve- niently ignored for centuries. Manu Shrivastava looks at a new, emerging India. M Narendra Modi inaugurating the new Parliament House in July 2022;The national emblem made of bronze weighs 9,500 kg and is 6.5meters in height This year India completes 75 years as an independent nation.…
It is rather too late that the role played by South Indians in rebelling against the colonial British rule is finding its place in history when it comes to the freedom struggle. Referring to a 2016 documentary, Kriti Kalra highlights the role played by the Thevar community in the country’s epic freedom struggle. Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar was a freedom fighter cum spiritual leader who worked with Subhash Chandra Bose The first South Indian to rebel against the British rule, Puli Thevar, fought between the 1750s and 1760s. He among scores of other freedom fighters from the Thevar commnity have now…
A certain Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi played a pivotal role in the freedom struggle from Gujarat’s soil while the Phules ignited the movement in Pune. In her essay, Anushka Sharma refers to the Aga Khan Palace setting in the backdrop of the struggle and the liberation of Goa. Dandi March led by Gandhi It was in 1930 that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi launched the protest against the British government’s imposition of a tax on salt. The protest was one of non-cooperation as Bapu took 80 marchers along with him on a 390 kilometers long walk stopping at 21 historic places from Sabarmati…
While the freedom struggle was gathering full steam elsewhere, the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha chipped in with no less contribution to throw out the British Raj. Vedika Jain traces the resistance movements in these regions including the Champaran Satyagraha. A file picture of the Champaran Satyaraha led by Mohandas K Gandhi The central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha have also played a very important role in India’s freedom struggle. Some of these regions were actively participating in the independence movement and the revolts against the British rule. It…
Vedika Jain explains how the North triggered the mutiny with Indian sepoys who were serving the British East India Company with its flames spreading to Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, among others. The rebellion was unsuccessful but it lighted a fire that fueled many other rebellions and protests in the future that finally led to independence. Punjab heroes : Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru The fight for India’s independence is not one battle or war but a series of concerted efforts by millions of like-minded individuals who collectively fought for decades and centucenturies for self-rule and independence. The British who first…
Ruchi Verma dwells on Bollywood hitching onto the patriotic bandwagon and says nationalism, as a theme, has always attracted filmmakers and drawn packed crowds. She indicates that both Hindi and other regional languages have seen a surge in films with ‘unsung’ freedom fighters and freedom struggle as their theme(s). Akshay Kumar in ‘Kesari’ based on the Battle of Saragarhi and the exceptional bravery of 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army The role of cinema in triggering change, documenting reforms, good work and capturing the lives and contributions of trailblazing individuals and reformers cannot be understated. Since the very…
The turnaround specialist A doyen of Indian industry who earned the sobriquet ‘Father of PSUs’ for his adroit steering of ailing behemoths, Venkataraman Krishnamurthy was born on 14 January 1925 in Karuvely, a hamlet in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. After his schooling, he enrolled for a three-year diploma in Electrical Engineering in the CNT Technical Institute and completed the course in 1943. He then appeared for the UPSC and joined the Central Engineering Services. Academically inclined, Krishnamurthy secured Doctorate in Economics from the Soviet Academy of Sciences. His first job was with the Madras Electricity Board. His administrative acumen and skill…