This is Part 2 of an article about Thomas the Apostle of India. Please click on the link for Part 1. As I mentioned in Part 1, one of the most controversial aspects of the Saint Thomas story (other than the question of whether it is true or not) is how he died in Mylapore. [...]
Saint Thomas is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is also known as “doubting Thomas” as he did not initially believe in the resurrection of Jesus. According to Christian mythology he is supposed to have visited India in 52 AD. Catholic tradition also states that he was killed by a Brahmin and buried [...]
Vincent Panikulangara, a lawyer from Kerala has filed a petition in the Kerala High Court demanding a change in the dress code for all lawyers in the state. According to Vincent it is difficult for lawyers to wear the black coats when the temperatures are high or when it is raining. I can to an [...]
In another blow to the religious right the Supreme Court of India ruled that live-in relationship and pre-marital sex cannot be construed as an offence. The Supreme Court made these observations in a case involving Indian actress Khusboo who few years ago made statements endorsing pre-marital sex and the use of contraceptives in a magazine [...]
We live in an age where one of the ways to grab attention for your cause is to make outrageous and shocking statements. Whether these statements are consistent with reality or history and whether they are plausible is another matter. There is also an increase in nationalism all over the world.
In about a year the Indian cricket team will participate in the next world cup. This event will obviously be followed by millions of Indians all over the world. But let us assume that the selection of the Indian team will be based on the following formula: The starters should include at least three women. [...]
Last Wednesday Dawn Brancheau who was the trainer of killer whales at SeaWorld Orlando (Florida) was dragged underwater and killed by a killer whale named Tillikum during a show. After this incident it was revealed that Tillikum has previously killed two other human beings (some newspapers have started calling this whale a “serial killer whale”).
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat addressed the state assembly of the Kerala RSS in Kollam today. In his speech (which was delivered in Hindi) he said that “Intolerance also creates problems. The votaries of intolerance resort to even mass killings to make others toe their line. Only Hindutva tolerates everything in the world. [...]
Transparency International (TI) is a German based international agency founded by Peter Eigen that rates nations based on the Corruption Perceptions Index. India is now ranked 84th out of a possible 180 countries. We do not need a poll or a German agency to tell us that corruption is one of the biggest problems facing [...]
Homeopathy has set deep roots in India. It is believed that homeopathy was brought to India by German missionaries and physicians who arrived in India almost 200 years ago. In fact a homeopathic hospital was established in Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) by Samuel Brooking in 1847. In certain states like Kerala homeopathy continues to be extremely [...]
The Karnataka government granted a 50% tax exception (entertainment tax) to the Bollywood movie Paa starring Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan. Prior to the Karnataka governments decision the Gujarat government granted a total waiver from entertainment tax after Amitabh Bachchan met Narendra Modi who is the Chief Minister of Gujarat. What are the [...]
The Hindu had a small article about the inaugural lecture delivered at the Center of West Asian Studies (School of International Relations) at M.G. University. The university is in Kottayam (Kerala). The lecture was delivered by Professor Anwar Alam who is the Director of the Center for West Asian Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University [...]
It is the Christmas season and it is one of my favorite times of the year. It is extremely cold and snowy in the Northeast United States at this time of the year and you will find Christmas trees and holiday decorations everywhere.
It is new moon over Andhra Pradesh. Indians all over the world were shocked at the recent turn of events in Andhra Pradesh. A loser (politically speaking) like Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (popularly known as KCR) single-handedly blackmailed a country of 1.2 billion into submission.
In an editorial on Saamana (Shiv Sena party mouthpiece) Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has mentioned that “fundamentalist Muslims are the biggest threat to the country and that we need to fight against it”. He added that “Except some like Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mukhtar Abbas and Farooq Abdullah, the rest are trying to destroy [...]
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has once again raised the issue of enacting laws to ban cow slaughter. According to the VHP the ban is needed because the farmers are forced to sell the cows to slaughter houses since they cannot afford to maintain these cows. The VHP also demanded that the government should create [...]
Although I am from Kerala, I have lived in Tamil Nadu more than I have lived in any other state in India. Tamil Nadu clearly is one of the best states to live in India. The law and order situation is far superior compared to other states and the people are very warm, friendly and [...]
There is an ongoing debate in most Western countries about whether or not they should allow Muslim women to wear the Burqas in public. The most intense debate is going on in France where there is a parliamentary commission that is holding six months of hearing to decide whether or not a law banning Muslim [...]
Writer and activist Arundhati Roy has said in an interview on CNN-IBN that the Maoists are “justified in taking up arms”. She added “my fear is that because of this economic interest the government and establishment actually needs a war. It needs to militarize.
