India’s Cow Vigilantism: The other side of the story

Cow-related violence and lynching have been making the media headlines world over in the recent past, especially since the now 4-year old Modi government of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) took office in 2014. What More...

लोकनायक जय प्रकाश नारायण

मन में बड़ी ललक थी।  साल भर बाद अपनी पत्नी और बिटिया के साथ पुनः अपनी जन्म-भूमि पटना More...

Yaska’s Nirukta and his reflections on language

“The person, who is able to recite the Vedas, but does not understand its meaning is like a post (sthaanu), or a mere load-bearer (bhaarahaara); but he who understands the meaning will attain all good here and More...

The Grand JNU Narrative

I arrived in JNU on a clear, balmy August afternoon of 1990. The subsequent 4 years I spent there, first as an MA then as an M. Phil student in Linguistics, were one of the most formative for a middle-class next-door More...

The Significance of ॐ: A Linguistic and Philosophical Analysis

Appearing before Sanskrit mantras, or as a stand-alone entity, ॐ or OM is perhaps the most important sound, syllable, letter, and symbol in Hinduism. Whether in Hindu rituals, prayers, or Yogic activities, the More...