Why do Hindus think differently about knowledge, duty, worship, time and existence? Why Are We This Way: A Guide to Hindu Shastras approaches these questions through the vast knowledge traditions of Sanatana Dharma. Rather than treating Hinduism as a collection of rituals or beliefs, the book introduces readers to the interconnected Shastric ecosystem underlying them. Its accessible treatment of complex traditions makes it particularly relevant to a generation increasingly disconnected from its scriptural inheritance. This review examines the book as a roadmap towards recovering that intellectual and civilizational memory.
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Decolonizing IKS (“Indian Knowledge Systems”)
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.

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.
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Religious Nationalism of the Two Nation Theory
In this article, Adarsh Jha digs for facts behind the much talked about "Two Nation Theory"; and how the two parties debating it are faring, 75 years after the partition.
The Unrecognized Architects of India’s Mediaeval Glory – Lokamahadevi and Trailokyamahadevi
Did you know that the Virupaksha and Mallikarjun Temples in Pattadakal were built by queens? Lokamahadevi and Trailokyamahadevi, queens of the Chalukya dynasty, commissioned these temples, originally named Lokeshvara and Trailokyeshvara. Their remarkable contributions include administrative roles and cultural patronage, such as commissioning the Virupaksha Temple, modeled after the Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple.
Hinduism in a Postmodern World – III
The need to deconstruct Indian thought has led it to be defined in silos which goes against its essential nature.
The Ocean of Churn
India's turbulent past has been hidden while its prowess undermined by colonialists and neo-colonialists alike.
Bodh Gaya – The centre of the Buddhist world
The centre where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment is truly the centre of Buddhism.
The Eternal Dasas of Sree Padmanabha Swamy – IV (Making of Modern Travancore)
This period in the history of the Travancore kingdom set the stage for the modern state of Kerala.
The two streams of the Bengali language: Claims, Counterclaims and Facts
Published in the ISPAD Partition Center Journal (Oct 2025), this paper challenges claims that vernacular languages in India emerged only under Islamic rule due to a supposed Sanskritic monopoly. It shows that regional literary traditions flourished under Hindu patronage well before this period. The paper also disputes the idea that modern Bengali was artificially Sanskritized by colonial institutions, demonstrating that both Hindu and Muslim writers historically used a shared Sanskrit-based linguistic framework. It further highlights that later attempts to Islamize Bengali had limited success.
India’s take on the Individual vs. Collective
The Indic perspective throws light on how the tussle between the individual and collective is in fact inconsequential.
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene – A Review
In this review of the book "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene, Rohan Raghav Sharma reviews the relevance, appropriateness, and applicability of individual rules mentioned in the book; along with the writing style and historical research needed for the examples and allegories mentioned to illustrate practical implementation of the rules by historical figures.
On Secularism And Its Adoption By The Indian State
Indian courts today are actively employing a method, created by the Christians and for the Christians, in matters related to Hinduism.
Perversion of India’s political parlance – Part 1
Since its introduction in India, Leftist language has clearly dominated the discourse and performed the task of othering remarkably.
The Saptarshi explain their names – Part I
The seven rishis as the progenitors of Sanatana Dharma have a much deeper meaning attached to them.
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Sri Aurobindo: A Broad Overview Of The Greatest Visionary
Dr. Pingali Gopal recaps Sri Aurobindo's life, views and works; and argues that his teachings be an integral part of Indian education.
Is India’s National Anthem secular?
Survey of the origins of the various National Anthems in Europe and a study of the final choice for the Indian anthem throws up interesting questions and amusing answers.
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 story of Rama in the Granth Sahib
Sri Rama's dharmic existence served as the guide for the Gurus while composing the Granth Sahib.
Conundrum of the Hindu identity
The Indian state refuses to recognize Hindus as the varied trees of the same forest and instead considers them worth protecting only if they conform like the uniform vegetation in a small grove or a garden.
Buddhism versus Hinduism: Encounters of the imagined kind(Part I)
The often misunderstood relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism is the work of those who intend to create a rift between the two Indic faiths.
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.
Dhurandhar IS Propaganda: Counterpropaganda
Is Dhurandhar propaganda - or a challenge to Bollywood's dominant ideological narrative? Sriram Chellapilla argues that the film breaks from decades of cinematic conventions that framed Pakistan, nationalism, and secularism through a particular political lens. In doing so, it exposes Bollywood's own embedded propaganda structures and gives expression to viewpoints long excluded from mainstream storytelling. The essay presents Dhurandhar not as propaganda, but as powerful counterpropaganda against an entrenched ideological and political narrative.
Why Indo-Europeanists Have A Duty To Face The Out-Of-India Theory
In this article, Koenraad Elst calls upon the Indo-Europeanists to study the evidences for the Out of India (OIT) theory.
On the Impossibility of Refuting or Confirming the Arguments about the Caste System
Dr Pingali Gopal summarizes an important paper by Dr Sufiya Pathan and Dr Dunkin Jalki.
Philosophy of Hindu Marriage
The concept of marriage has been elaborately laid-out in Hinduism but does it still have its place in modern society?
Philosophical Systems Of India – A Primer – Part 4
In the fourth part of the 5-part series on Indian philosophical systems, Dr. Pingali Gopal discusses the prominent Advaitic view on the notions of the Self and the non-Self. We shall also see the notion of cause and effect in the material world and how the Self interacts with the material world. It is a promise of Indian Darshanas that proper knowledge confers liberation to the striving individual.
