Someshwar Gurumath

The purohita is often condemned as a symbol of Brahminical patriarchy until the same critics suddenly discover the uses of tradition. Purohita! Ah, here he comes, the Manuvadi, the alleged emblem of Brahminical hegemony, the agent of ritual hierarchy, the custodian of oppressive Sanskrit, the representative of “upper-caste privilege,” the last surviving relic of an allegedly fossilised social order. Give him a few more academic labels and he can probably be blamed for everything from...

Hindu worshippers deserve the same dignity and religious freedom as every other community, without ridicule, exploitation or ideological double standards. In Bharat, the discourse on freedom of expression and the defence of the rights of marginalized communities, including minorities, women, gender groups, and tribal communities, is prominent. However, within this expanding rights narrative, the issue of the right to Devata Aradhana remains conspicuously overlooked. Millions of Hindus, whose...

The ancient Dharmashastra, repeatedly caricatured and selectively invoked, has become a permanent fixture of modern India’s political and ideological battles. AI generated image Many people who might have seen Rakshith Shetty’s Sapta Sagaradaache Ello will remember the heroine’s famous dialogue: “Manu, you are my ocean.” How beautifully appropriate this sounds today! Our esteemed Indian academicians, CJP protestors, our beloved youth icon Rahul Gandhi Ji, and our Nishu Ji seem to have taken...