I think the writer has missed the main point (“What explains Narendra Modi’s global fandom?”), which is the acute crisis of neoliberal capitalism. Fascism comes into the picture when capitalism faces extreme dissatisfaction and anger of people. It requires showmen like Modi to divert anger to internal and external communities (Jews in last century and Muslims this time). As long as he does this successfully, he will be loved and honoured by capitalism. – Sunil NM
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Biased Article. Visit India and see that baring a small section of fearmongers, majority of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and miniscule population of Parsis live in relative peace and security. – Ishvar Raval
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Dear Mr Arjun Appadurai, please come and live in India to understand the state of Indian democracy.
That will make your articles on the subject authentic and therefore useful to the people reading them. Perceptions about Indian democracy, while sitting in a university in Germany will be misconceived and hence are a disservice to the public reading your articles. – Sivaram Dhara
African Cheetahs not suited to Indian conditions
If the Darwinian theory of evolution holds true, each species is evolved and adapted to survive in a distinct habitat (“The dark clouds over India’s cheetah project”). The translocated cheetahs could have evolved to survive only in the natural forests of Namibia-South Africa and not elsewhere. The cheetahs that went extinct in India may have roamed the vast swathes in the past, but they were Indian by evolution and adopted to the natural conditions of our country that prevailed then. In any case, those swathes of grasslands are hard to come by. The Asiatic lion or the Royal Bengal Tiger are evolved to survive under Indian conditions and are unlikely to survive elsewhere if translocated. Spending large sums to determine whether the Cheetahs can survive in India is an expensive experiment. – HN Ramakrishna
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Not such a big problem. They can be kept in the honourable prime minister’s house. Or else, can they be accommodated in the new Parliament building? – Pradeep Hatkanagalekar
‘Kohraa’ brutally real
The series Kohraa has been made by people who know the emerging Punjab like the back of their hand (“Review: In crime series ‘Kohrra’, the heart is deceitful above all things”). The rawness of emotions, landscape and the people is brutally real. I loved it. Congratulations to the Kohraa team. – Roopashri Sinha
Kerala welcomed refugees, migrants
When the Parsis arrived here as refugees, they were given conditional refuge – that they would keep their religion to themselves (“Different journeys, one destination: India and Pakistan are hurtling down the path of intolerance”). In contrast, when a shipload of refugees from Edessa landed in Kodungalloor, Kerala, in the fourth century and later another group from Persia landed in Kollam in the ninth century, the local kings received them with respect. No restrictions were placed on them preaching their religion (Christianity), they were accorded special privileges inscribed on copper plates that exist to this day, they were allotted craftsmen, soldiers to build and guard their churches, inter-marriages with local Christians were not interfered with. The head of the local Christian community (called Nazranis) was considered the leader of a “jati” and treated with great respect. This is the difference between the accommodative spirit of Gujarat, where the Parsis landed and Kerala. – Eapen George
No American ‘culture wars’ in India
Declaring that the only reason anyone might oppose “wokeness” is a desire to bring back inequality and persecution is wrong and mischaracterises much of the opposition (“Why white conservatives in the US have launched a war on ‘wokeness’”). Among other things, doctrines associated with wokeness declare that men and women are separated only by a self-declaration and therefore biological men can enter women’s bathrooms and dressing room and disrobe. These same doctrines also sexualise prepubescent children. Please do not bring American cultural wars to India. Indians haven’t departed from biological reality to the same extent as a section of the American culture has. – Gautam Sarup
