शौनकचा कट्टा..

The modern geopolitics of energy was irreversibly shaped in 1956 at the Suez Canal. What began as an attempt by Britain and France to reclaim imperial control ended in strategic humiliation. The Suez Crisis not only marked the decline of European colonial power, but also announced the arrival of the United States as the dominant Western force in global affairs. In the aftermath of the crisis, a frustrated Dwight D. Eisenhower is said to have remarked of British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, “I just can’t believe that Anthony Eden is so stupid.” The bluntness captured a deeper truth: the age of European strategic autonomy had collapsed, replaced by American primacy. Over the decades, this dominance evolved into a firm strategic axis with Israel, shaping the politics of West Asia. Nearly seven decades later, the region is once again at the center of global turbulence. Escalating tensions involving Iran, targeted strikes, and the ever-present threat to the Strait of Hormuz have revived con...

  While examining the Indian nation through the concept of “parampara” (tradition) as articulated by Prof. Ram Shevalkar, the second part traced the traditions of Vashistha and Vishwamitra in the context of the question: the path of knowledge or the path of statecraft? In this part, we will examine another question, stability or dynamism, that is, “To be Static or to Adopt Dynamism” through the traditions of Bhargava and Narayaniya. Bhargav or Bhrigu:  Sage Bhrigu, like Vashistha, is also considered a Manasaputra of Brahma. According to Indian Puranic literature, these sages are born again in different Manvantaras. According to the Vishnu Purana, in the first Manvantara Bhrigu married Khyati. They had children such as Ayati, Niyati, and Bhargavi (Lakshmi). Among them, Lakshmi was married to Vishnu. According to the Shiva Purana, after the episode of Daksha Yajna and Sati, Bhrigu received a boon that he would be reborn in the Chakshusha Manvantara. Accordingly, he was reborn ...

While examining the idea of the Indian nation through the concept of “Parampara” as articulated by Prof. Ram Shevalkar, in the first we part briefly reviewed India as a civilization and culture, and concluded by identifying the Parampara that form its foundation. These Parampara are Vashistha, Vishwamitra, Bhargava, and Narayaniya. In this part, we shall explore Vashistha and Vishwamitra Parampara with the question: Is the path of the nation guided primarily by the path of knowledge or by the path of statecraft and power? Vashishtha: Sage Vashistha, considered the Manasaputra  of Brahma, is the bearer of the Brahmadanda, the staff of spiritual authority, and the embodiment of knowledge. He is counted among the 21 Prajapatis and served as the Rajpurohit  (Royal Preceptor) of the Ikshvaku dynasty of Lord Rama. Vashishtha Following the command of King Dasharatha, Sage Vashistha imparted guidance to Rama and Lakshmana on justice, ethics, and the principles of an ideal state. Thi...

  In his celebrated lecture series on Yogeshwar Shri Krishna, the eminent scholar and orator Vakta Dashasahasreshu Prof. Ram Shewalkar introduces the concept of “Parampara” (Tradition) in a profound sense.  By parampara, he does not merely refer to rituals, worship practices, vows, or social customs. Rather, he speaks of it in a much wider and deeper sense, as the civilizational, social, political, and cultural core of the Indian nation. While interpreting the life and philosophy of Shri Krishna, Prof. Shewalkar briefly elaborates upon this idea of tradition. Taking that thread forward, this is an attempt to understand the Bharat through the lens of parampara. When the word “Bharat” is uttered, what immediately comes to my mind is the description of the land of Bharat and its people found in the Vishnu Purana: उत्तरं यत् समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम्। वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः।। ( Uttaraṁ yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam | Varṣaṁ tad Bhārataṁ nāma Bhāratī ...

Hemadri Pandit. Decolonisation is not merely the removal of foreign political power. It is the restoration of intellectual confidence. It is the recovery of systems. It is the reclaiming of institutional memory. The Maratha Empire did not simply challenge imperial authority on the battlefield; it reconstructed the civilizational backbone of Bharat. At the heart of that reconstruction lay something deeply profound yet often overlooked: the revival of the ancient Indic tradition of accounting and state book-keeping embodied in the concept of मेस्तक (Mestak). What is Mestak? Mestak was a structured accounting manuscript tradition, a codified format for recording state revenue and expenditure. But more than that, it was a philosophy of governance. The preserved shloka states: लेखकासी हे मेस्तक। नीतिवंता नीतिशास्त्र देखा। राजकी लोकांसि विवेक। प्रकट करी।। लेखणी दिधली ज्याचे हाती। तो स्वीकारिला सरस्वती। लेखनकळा वर्षा आरती। साधली तया I आताही जे असता धरिती येणेप्रमाणे लिहिती। त्यासी पावेल सरस्व...

छायाचित्र सौजन्य: इंटरनेट  अर्थाचा अनर्थ केला की घोटाळे होतात. कसे?  एक्स (भूतपूर्व ट्विटर) वर 'जेम्स ऑफ बॉलिवूड' नावाचं एक हॅन्डल आहे. हिंदी सिनेसृष्टी, ज्याला बॉलिवूड असं म्हणतात, तिथे ४०-५० च्या काळापासून हिंदू तितुका वाईट, हिंदू चालीरीती तितुक्या वाईट, त्यांची कितीही खिल्ली उडवा पण एक प्रेमळ रहीम चाचा, माय सन वगैरे म्हणणारा पाद्री प्रेमळच असणार याची जंत्री मांडलेली असते. बहुतांश खरी असते. पण त्याच हँडलच्या निर्माते-चालक संजीव नेवर यांनी एका मुलाखतीत एका गोष्टीचा अर्थाचा अनर्थ केला आणि घोटाळा केला.  त्यांनी लता मंगेशकर यांच्या संदर्भातला एक दाखला दिला, की सुरुवातीच्या काळात दिलीप कुमार यांनी लता मंगेशकर यांना उद्देशून एक टोमणावजा वक्तव्य केले की, तुमच्या उर्दूच्या उच्चारात मराठीपणा दिसतो. तर लता मंगेशकर यांनी दीड वर्षे उर्दूची शिकवणी लावून आपले उर्दू उच्चार घोटून घेतले. इतके की कोणाला शंकाही येऊ नये.  त्यावर या नेवर यांचं म्हणणं असं की लता मंगेशकर यांना उर्दू वगैरे शिकण्याची काय गरज होती? आणि त्यांनी ठणकावून सांगण्याची गरज होती की, 'हो, आहे मी मराठी. मग माझ्या उच्...