Dr. K. Jamanadas Dr. Ambedkar asked to use temple money for public good In a special editorial in Mahanayak of 14th July 2012, titled, ‘Name of God, wealth of Brahmins’, the author has given interesting statistics. The following is the gist of it. Mr. Sharad Yadav has recently demanded that the money collected in the …
Two Lessons from Ashoka and Ambedkar
Shiva Shankar (Talk presented at the conference on ‘Dr.Ambedkar and the Modern Buddhist World’, Nagaloka, Nagpur, October, 2006) Dear Friends, We all learn early that in 250 BC the Mauryan king Ashoka waged and won a cruel war with the neighbouring kingdom of Kalinga, yet when he went to inspect his spoils, it was not triumphant glory …
Buddhism as a social, democratic doctrine: a liberation ideology
Karthik Navayan In 1935, while addressing the Yeola Conversion Conference, Dr. BR Ambedkar declared ‘I am born a Hindu. I couldn’t help it, but I solemnly assure you that I will not die a Hindu’. He said: ‘Hindu civilsation.. is a diabolical contrivance to suppress and enslave humanity’. It was created by Brahminical parasites to …
The Other Mahatma
Gail Omvedt (First published in May, 2002) The publication of a collection of English translations of the writings of Jotirao Phule, the nineteenth century social radical, by LeftWord publications marks, hopefully, a transition in the attitude of the left towards the struggle against Brahmanism. It also marks an increasing recognition of the importance of Phule, …
Stop Forced Religious Conversions!
Dr. Udit Raj (First published in September 2006) The Sangh Parivar is not able to resolve the dangers looming large on the caste-based Hindu religion on its own. There is a saying that you should first try to resolve your differences on your own, and then consult your neighbours. But instead of taking recourse to …
Institutions and Economic Development
Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar In the post colonial countries, suffering from pauperized agriculture on the one hand; and, virtual deindustrialization on the other, achieving faster rates of economic growth was naturally a preeminent objective of economic policy. For without substantially increasing, on a sustained basis, the volume of production of agricultural and industrial goods and, making …
On Inclusiveness: Challenges of Inclusive Society, Economy and Polity in India
Sukhadeo Thorat (M.N. Roy Memorial Lecture, March 24, 2012) I feel honored to have been invited to deliver the 2012, M.N. Roy Memorial lecture by the Indian Renaissance Institute and Indian Radical Humanist Association. M.N Roy was a great visionary, thinker and a visionary with a particular vision for India. Everybody knows about his contribution …
What is wrong with Bhagvad Gita? (Part III)
Rahul Bhalerao Continued from here. To the question ‘what do Karma and Guna exactly mean according to Gita?’ a generic and philosophical meaning is proffered as the answer. According to this response, Karma is any act or deed, be it good or bad, which in turn produces good Karma or bad Karma respectively. But, irrespective …
What is wrong with Bhagvad Gita? (Part II)
Rahul Bhalerao Continued from here. Coming back to the justifications given by the supporters of Gita, one finds that they are merely based on a few ambiguous individual verses scattered around the Gita. They certainly lack the holistic understanding and message that Gita preaches; let alone the interpretations that have evolved in practice since the …