Delivered by Prof. Prakash Shah on behalf of Prof. Vamsee Juluri at the panel "Decolonisation, Public Discourse and IKS" during the IKSHA Conference at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, this thought-provoking talk argues that decolonisation cannot be reduced to merely replacing Western knowledge with Indian knowledge. It challenges the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) movement to examine its own assumptions and recover the spiritual foundations of Bharatiya knowledge. The talk ultimately asks whether true decolonisation is possible if Bhagawan is removed from the centre of the civilizational worldview.
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Scholarship and Sacred Truth
Can a civilization survive if all its sacred truths are judged solely by external academic standards? This essay argues that while historical inquiry has its place, Hindu Dharma must remain rooted in its own sacred framework of shraddha, sampradaya, and parampara. A living tradition cannot endure if its foundational beliefs are endlessly relativized. History may study a civilization from the outside, but only its sacred truths sustain it from within.

Rāmo Vigrahavān Dharmaḥ: The Sixteen Lakṣaṇas as a Complete Condition-Set of Dharma
What does it truly mean to call Rāma "Vigrahavān Dharmaḥ" - the embodiment of Dharma? Drawing on the opening verses of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, this essay argues that the sixteen lakṣaṇas are not merely admirable virtues but a complete and indispensable condition-set for the embodiment of Dharma. Through a rigorous śāstric analysis of pramāṇa, lakṣaṇa, and embodiment, it presents a compelling philosophical framework that reveals why Rāma is not simply a follower of Dharma, but its fullest living manifestation.

British Colonial Raj: Drivers of Socio-Cultural Impact
This essay examines how British colonial rule reshaped not just India's institutions, but also its everyday habits, aspirations, and cultural imagination. From club culture and hill stations to vacations and leisure travel, it argues that colonial-era practices continue to influence Indian society long after independence. By contrasting these with pre-colonial civilisational patterns, the article invites readers to reflect on whether India can rediscover a balance rooted in its own timeless traditions while navigating modernity.

The Sanitized Shastra: The Cost of Domesticating India’s Intellectual Traditions
A seemingly local controversy in Udupi sparked a nationwide digital outrage, revealing a far deeper civilisational crisis: the growing tendency to sanitize India's philosophical traditions to fit modern sensibilities. Examining the history of rigorous debate across Indian schools of thought, this essay argues that intellectual sharpness - not polite uniformity -was the hallmark of India's knowledge systems. It makes the case that reclaiming India's authentic civilisational confidence requires preserving the raw, uncompromising vocabulary and traditions that once made its philosophical culture so vibrant.
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Understanding Political Systems Of India – Part 1 – Political Ideologies – A Dummy’s Understanding of Background Western Theories
"The political spectrum teaches absurdly that opposites are the same. The two ‘positions’ - Left and Right - are the mixing of incoherent, unrelated, and constantly shifting ideas lumped together by the accident of history. Aggressive military positioning hardly connects to a free-market philosophy. Defenders acknowledge this variation but claim an underlying essence: the Right (conservatives), ‘backward looking’, want to conserve; the Left (progressives), ‘forward looking,' want change. Both wings' policies, in fact, are ‘backward-looking’ and marked by nostalgia, depending on the issue."
In the first installment of the series titled "Understanding Political Systems Of India", Dr. Pingali Gopal analyses the multiple prevalent political systems and ideologies of the West, that define world politics as we know it today. These systems have been allowed to influence Indian politics and policy making after independence, with complete disregard to the ancient political systems of India.
The broad classification of political ideology as Right or Left is nebulous at best - one can falsify every proposed essence of right or left, which shows us that ideologies are nothing but social constructs. these Right-Left political ideas do not make sense either in the Western context or in the Indian context, and yet, for decades, we have held on to them. We need to understand our past political systems better, and we need to transcend the paradigm.
Tilak's sacrifice
How one of the tallest figures of the Indian freedom movement, a champion of the oppressed and a great mobilizer of the masses, is denigrated by scholars for what seem to be petty ideological reasons.
Is India a racist society?
Racism is a concept alien to Indian ethos. Yet the colonial legacy of fascination for the white skin could be misconstrued as racist behaviour. But is it really so?
Beef against beef
The discourse on the issue of beef ban in various states of India and the ensuing political war is strangely negligent of the ethos behind the enactment of these laws.
River of a 1000 Lingas – Angkor (Part 3)
Ancient Angkor Hindu temples located at the foot of Kulen mountains helped sanctify river water as it passed over the carvings of a thousand lingas.
On the existence of the Self: Part 3
The Indian traditional view of the Self and the issues related to the non-Self is in divergence with western thought.
Kalasa Pujan: Its Meaning, Significance And Other Sacred Constituents
As we invoke Brahmā at the base, Rudra at the neck, and Vishnu at the face of the 'kalasa', we thus worship three aspects of creation, dissolution, and sustenance.
The problem of evil – A Vedantic perspective
The problem of good and evil stems from a dualistic view of the Universe that sees the creator as a separate benevolent being personally dispensing justice from the heavens.
The real Uttarayana
The Hindu calendar is in need of a major rectification to ensure that Makara Sankranti is celebrated on the appropriate day.
India and the human cycle
How Sri Aurobindo's theory of human cycles applies to the contemporary world and what does the future look like for the east and the west.
Secularism as a colonial project
Jakob De Roover's recent book, 'Europe, India, and the Limits of Secularism (Religion and Democracy)' is a fine study of the evolution of the principle of secularism, its inherent limitations and its striking dissonance with the civilizational ethos of India.
The Petition has served a great purpose
The petition against the Quran served to wake Hindus up from their slumber.
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The Golden Age of Indian Thinkers and The Resounding Impact of the Mimamsa
"The application of logical interpretations of the Mimamsa Rules of Prabhakara could aid in developing reasoning tools to deal with deontic concepts, such as prohibitions and obligations, paving the way for ethical decision-making in artificial intelligence."
The golden age of Indian thinkers was a fertile period of intellectual richness. The preservation and study of this intellectual heritage will help us in gaining better understanding of our shared philosophical history. The intellectual legacy of Mimamsa and other Indian schools of thought is a rich resource for contemporary philosophical and ethical discourse, Ram Sharma writes.
On the existence of the Self: Part 4
The nature of consciousness is the biggest debating point in western traditions and sciences. The overwhelming consensus remains that it is secondary to matter and arises as an epiphenomenon.
Land, Culture and Humanity
Hindus have faced various inimical forces in Bharatvarsha's long history, much like the Jews who were driven out of their own land.
Yaksha’s Lake and the Fire Drill
The Pandavas' encounter with a Yaksha on the lake leads to a deep and profound discovery.
Hindu, Hinduism, Hindudtva – Part 2
In the second part, Dr. Pingali Gopal discusses the evolution of political Hindutva after independence, and sheds light on the failure to define the basic terms as we struggle with the alleged rise of ‘Hindu fundamentalism'.
The tricky issue of religious conversion and proselytization in India(Part II)
The Balagangadhara school maintains that the problem of religion in India arises when we insist on converting our traditions more into religions.
Forefathers of Transcendentalism
How a mentor and his disciple of newly independent America were inspired by Indian thought to give birth to the nation's first philosophical view.
Buddha, Caste and Environment
The Buddha realised that the future of any civilisation depended on its relationship with Nature.
On Sabarimala
The recent verdict on the entry of women in the Sabarimala shrine serves as a grim reminder of the wide gap between the colonial moorings of the modern Indian State and the spiritual aspirations of the Indian people.
Kerala Model – Not an inclusive growth model
The Kerala model of development has purposely neglected to include the Hindu community in its plans as it drives the agenda of hegemonic entities.
Palani – A grand pilgrimage to Murugan’s abode(Part 1)
As one of the most sacred sites dedicated to Murugan, thousands visit Palani and worship the commander of the army of devas.
Return Gift
The difference in the Hindu ethos amongst those of the older generation versus the present lot is all too evident to see.
