Was Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism political or spiritual?
Critics say that his conversion was not spiritual but political. But to Harvard University’s Christopher Queen it was an amalgam of both and that, for valid reasons. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: 18: The father of the Indian constitution and the unquestioned leader of the...
Bangladeshi Islam is rooted in the soil
Bangladesh, which was “East Bengal” earlier, became a Muslim-majority area by a peaceful and gradual process from the Sixteenth Century onwards without alienating the indigenous culture. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: Bangladesh, which was “East Bengal” earlier, became a Muslim-majority area by a peaceful and gradual...
Flexibility marked the Hindu caste order in Buddha’s time
It was much later than the Vedic rigidities gained currency By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: In Buddha’s time (Sixth-Fifth Century BC) flexibility marked the Hindu caste order and it was much later that the Vedic rigidities associated with caste gained currency, says Dr. Thomas William Rhys...
Tipu Sultan: an Indian freedom fighter reviled by both British rulers and Hindu nationalists
Hindu nationalists and Hindutva historians are presently on a campaign to remove him from the pantheon of Indian freedom fighters By P. K. Balachandran Colombo, January 7: The Indian freedom fighter Tipu Sultan (1751-1799) is glowingly described by his admirers as the “Tiger of Mysore”...
Remaining hurdles in the path to revive Pali in India
Indian Prime Minister Modi has announced the inclusion of Pali in the list of Indian “classical languages”. But if its study is to actually grow, further steps are urgently needed. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: On October 17, Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra...
Bangladeshi Islam is rooted in the soil
Bangladesh, which was “East Bengal” earlier, became a Muslim-majority area by a peaceful and gradual process from the Sixteenth Century onwards without alienating the indigenous culture. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo,January 7: Bangladesh, which was “East Bengal” earlier, became a Muslim-majority area by a peaceful and gradual process...
Maldives is determined to go beyond tourism to other sectors
President Muizzu undertakes projects that will supplement tourism and generate jobs for all skill sets By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: Maldives, which has been over-dependent on the tourism industry for decades, has begun to realize the risks of over-dependence on one sector and President Mohamed...
Will Adani’s wind power project bedevil India-Sri Lanka relations?
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s proposed investments in Sri Lanka have become controversial, may bedevil the hitherto carefully nurtured India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: Days before Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to India, a group of professionals and university dons...
Secret of Manmohan Singh’s success: Was at the right place at the right time
He was the answer to Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s prayers for the redemption of the broken Indian economy. By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: Dr.Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014, who died in New Delhi last Thursday at the age of 92, was...
Challenges and opportunities for India in war-torn Myanmar
The spill over from the war is disturbing the ethnic equilibrium in India’s By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, January 7: The unending war in North Myanmar between the Yangon-based military junta and the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) is posing a serious challenge to India’s security in its...
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