SPEAKERS Lt. General Ajay Kumar Singh PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), former Commander in Chief of Southern Command of Indian Army, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and currently Advisor to O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU). Shrabani Basu Journalist and Author of many critically acclaimed books including For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-18 and Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, and ...

Bharat Ki Bhashaein - The Indian Language Project भारत की भाषाईन - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, भारत की भाषाएँ - भारतीय भाषा परियोजना, ਭਾਰਤ ਕੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਈਂ - ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਪ੍ਰੋਜੈਕਟ, ভাৰত কি ভাষায়েন - ভাৰতীয় ভাষা প্ৰকল্প, ভারত কি ভাষাইন - ভারতীয় ভাষা প্রকল্প, ڀارت جي ڀاشاين - هندستاني ٻولي پروجيڪٽ,, பாரத் கி பாஷெய்ன் - இந்திய மொழி திட்டம், భారత్ కీ భాషేయిన్ - ది ఇండియన్ లాంగ్వేజ్ ప్రాజెక్ట్ഭാ, രത് കി ഭാഷാഇൻ - ഇന്ത്യൻ ഭാഷാ പദ്ധതി, بھارت کی بھاشاین - ہندوستانی زبان کا پروجیکٹ,, ભારત કી ભાષા - ભારતીય ...

At the #WhiteHouse reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on 2nd May, US #president #joebiden said that Muslims are globally being targeted with violence. This certainly seems to be the case, with news reports about state oppression, social ostracism, hate crimes and mob violence from around the world increasingly having one thing in common - the religious identity of the victims. Muslims seem to be the target of discriminatory policies ranging from racial profiling in the #US to #CAA...

In the first episode of the Documentary Series, Argumentative Indians explore "India's Language Story- Looking for the Missing Links" As a union of not just states, but of several linguistically diverse peoples, it is unsurprising that disputes over languages have a long history in India. Mass protests and brutal riots were witnessed during the decades after the independence as states were slowly reorganised on linguistic lines. While some languages initially overlooked by the constit...

While China has claimed that 160 countries reaffirmed commitment to its one-China principle following the visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, India said Friday its own "relevant policies are well known and consistent" and don't require a reiteration. Breaking its silence on the Taiwan issue, and as China intensifies its military drills, the government expressed concern over the rising Cross-Strait tensions and called for restraint and for avoiding any attempt to unilaterally cha...

Described in the oldest texts of the Rigveda, Saraswati surpassed in majesty and might all other rivers. Pure in her course from the mountains to the ocean, she descended with a roar down the slope, her fierce current gurgling through its canyon course, containing ~powerful floods inside her. She was the “perfect mother, unsurpassed river, supreme goddess” (Sindhumata). She finds repeated mentions in Brahamanas and the Mahabharata, in the Puranas and the Smritis. Saraswati intrigued philosop...

#sufism in #india is associated with mysticism - from #kashmir to #kanyakumari our land is abound with legends of great fakirs, magical amulets, and sacred dargahs. Far away from the strict tenets of Orthodox Islam, Sufism spread and prospered in India for centuries, operating in a largely spiritual domain. Millions of Indians, regardless of their religious affiliations, still flock to shrines of venerated Sufi saints scattered across the subcontinent. They make earnes...

From #WendyDoniger to #EvanSpiegel to #justintrudeau , and more recently #rihanna and #gretathunberg Thunberg, we tend to go up in arms at every hint of being slighted or criticised by an outsider. Is this because we are exceptionally thin-skinned? Or is this because we are trying to regain control of the international narrative about India, still plagued with #colonial prejudices. This is a complex matter and opinions tend to diverge drastically. With the aim of exploring ...

In 1998, former president #drkalam predicted that India was on its way to becoming a #superpower . Since then people have started referring to India as an emerging global power. In 2009 Hillary Clinton called India "not just a regional power, but a global power". Following year US President Barack Obama stated “India is not just a rising power, it has already risen.” More recently Biden administration welcomed India’s “emergence as a #globalpower ”. Indians have come to belie...

SPEAKER: Indian historian and journalist. Editor-at-Large at Fortune India where he writes a weekly column. He is also a columnist for Aspen Italia and The New Indian Express.In 2019, his book "The Man Who Saved India" won the prize for best work of non-fiction at the Valley of Words literary festival in India. In 2018, he became the only Indian to win the Wilbur Award given by the Religion Communicators Council of America for his book "Being Hindu". In 2015, his book Recasting India was shor...

SPEAKER: Professor Pechilis is a Historian of Religions and serves as Chair of the College of Liberal Arts History department, where she teaches courses in global history, the history of Asian religions in the U.S., historical research methods and gender and history. Recent work includes reflections on the body in Indian traditions, theorizing the relationship between bhakti and Tantra, and ethnographic study of women and their perceptions and experience of work. She is the Author of the infl...

SPEAKER: Prof. Patton E. Burchett Patton Burchett is an assistant professor of religious studies at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Professor Burchett's research focuses on (a) early modern devotional (bhakti) and tantric/yogic religiosity in north India and (b) the interrelations of magic, science, and religion in the rise of Indian and Western modernities. His first book, released in May 2019, is titled A Genealogy of Devotion: Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga, and Sufism in North India. ...

SPEAKER: Ambassador Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was Ambassador and High Commissioner for Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, and Germany; and consul general in San Francisco. He served on staff of PM Indira Gandhi (1981-82). Author of the forthcoming book - Churchill, and India: Manipulation Or Betrayal? Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com DISCLAIMER: We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The ...

SPEAKER: Disha Ahluwalia is an archeologist currently pursuing a PhD at MSU Baroda. She has worked as a field archaeologist for a decade including at sites like Binjor, Sinauli and Rakhigarhi. Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com DISCLAIMER: We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible ...

Speaker: Nilakantan RS trained as an engineer at Clemson University and is the Chief Data Scientist for one of India’s largest fintech firms. His primary interest is designing stable decentralized systems – be they political entities or business-related processes.He has written for publications such as The Caravan, Wire.com and The Hindu. Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com DISCLAIMER: We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions expre...

Across the globe, #brands are becoming more vocal about #social and #political issues. This wasn't always the case, till a few decades ago, brands considered any form of advocacy as 'bad business' and prospered on playing it safe. However, as employees and customers become ever more environmentally-conscious, socially-aware and politically-engaged, it has become increasingly challenging for brands to remain silent on raging culture wars. As they say, with great power comes great r...

SPEAKER: Disha Ahluwalia is an archeologist currently pursuing a PhD at MSU Baroda. She has worked as a field archaeologist for a decade including at sites like Binjor, Sinauli and Rakhigarhi. EXPLORE MORE: Find out about upcoming sessions and learn how you can join them live and become a part of the conversation - https://www.argumentativeindians.com Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com DISCLAIMER: We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in o...

SPEAKERS: Amb. Kishan S Rana Ambassador Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was Ambassador and High Commissioner for Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, and Germany; and consul general in San Francisco. He served on staff of PM Indira Gandhi (1981-82). Author of the forthcoming book - Churchill, and India: Manipulation Or Betrayal? Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya 'Sanjoy Bhattacharya is a historian of South Asia in 19th and 20th centuries, and als...

A #policy of No First Use (NFU) of nuclear weapons has long characterised India’s #security doctrine. Official declarations of that policy can be dated back to at least 1994, when the Government of India delivered a non-paper to #pakistan that included, among other things, an agreement on no first use of the nuclear capability. The country’s formal #nuclear doctrine from January 2003 includes a no first use pledge, albeit with caveats. The #Indian #diplomats have...

Intriguing temples dedicated to the worship of #yoginis , group #deities symbolising the sacred feminine force, are scattered all over Central and Eastern India, but remained largely unknown and unstudied by scholars till mid-20th century. Even today the beliefs and practices of those who worshiped in these temples remain steeped in mystery. Who built these temples? Why were they hidden away in forests and deserted areas? Why do they diverge so drastically from the Indian a...