At Jubilee Park, Parramatta – western Sydney – the Indian community contributed to the setting up of a statue to Mahatma Gandhi. This statue is in recognition of the courageous and principled struggle of Gandhi and his supporters to establish a culturally tolerant, democratic India. Sadly, the current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and his … Continue reading Hindutva nationalism is becoming more visible in Anglophone countries

Indians living in Leicester, England – like their counterparts in the US – come from diverse religious backgrounds, and have lived in harmony for decades. However, clashes between Hindu and Muslim Indians earlier this year in Leicester city have cast a dark shadow over community relations. Since the election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi … Continue reading Hindutva ideology is turning diaspora Indians into ultranationalist bigots

Growing up among the Egyptian-Armenians – Armenians who come from Egypt – one encounters the prejudices and outlook expressed by that particular community. Having absorbed the perspective of the overarching British colonial power – the latter having control of Egypt prior to the 1952 revolution – Egyptian Armenians for the most part see themselves as … Continue reading Hindutva diplomacy, anti-Black racism and colonial patriotism among immigrants

Along comes an article, which evokes two responses; a) it’s what I have been trying to convey for a long time, and b) I am glad someone finally said it. For a few years now, I have written about the pseudoscientific and ultranationalist ideology of Hindutva, the ideology underpinning the rule of the Bharatiya Janata … Continue reading Marine world fossils, Ordovician biodiversification, and the cultural hostility to evolution

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built up a solid friendship with US President Donald Trump since the latter took office. It may seem strange that a South Asian head of state would find common ground with an avowed white supremacist. Scratch beneath the surface, and we will find a political correspondence based on mutually-reinforcing … Continue reading When Hindu supremacy meets white nationalism – the intersection of transnational bigotry