Yantra , Tantra, Mantra

I am glad I came across this insight from Koenraad Elst when I was actually rather young- Sikhs have only contempt for Hindus because the latter slobber over them and call them saviors. Well mostly North western Hindus such as Punjabis, Sindhis and the like. However many of these extrapolated their experience to Hindus across India. Hence I have seen Hindutva sites authored by Bengalis and South Indians and the like who claim that Sikhs were the sword arm of Hindus. Even as Sikhs had exactly zero influence in liberating these areas from Islamic rule. This level of self debasement attracts contempt as that is but natural. Hence Sikhs saw themselves are intrinsically superior . Of course the "martial race" propaganda and their disproportionate representation in armed forces  also led to this attitude. This in turn led to movements such as Khalistan and a near permanent rupturing between Hindus and Sikhs. As it stands Sikhs are not really an ethnicity which feels more loyalty to...

  Soldiers of the Madras Regiment are apparently "affectionately" referred to as Thambis or little brother. A younger brother generally is not associated with courage, authority, fear and daring but mischief ,irresponsibility and charm.  It is odd that Madras Regiment is the oldest regiment established and yet they are considered "younger or little brother". Wouldnt "Anna" or big brother be more suitable. Anna is a term associated with respect and fear. South Indian gangsters in Mumbai were often called Anna. So much so that for a while it became a byword for a dangerous and thuggish individual. "Thambi" is a thorughly patronizing term. Affection is for kittens and children , not hardened warriors who brave the sub Arctic temperatures of siachen and are disproportionately represented as brigadiers in Kashmir and else where. But unless south Indians themselves  object to this term and prefer to continue dismissive treatment then nothing can be don...

  Manu S. Pillai, one time right hand man of Shashi Tharoor is a very intelligent, erudite and knowledgable individual. He is the author of "Rebel Sultans" which offers a Richard Eatonesque glimpse into the cosmopolitan Deccan culture where religious differences seem to have lost their potency apart from occasional campaign rhetoric and appeal to religious figures for legitimacy. However he made a very shallow, glib and throughly inappropriate comparision between Pallavas and Mughals when it came to the question of who is considered Indian and who is foreign. He pointed that Nanthivarman, a Vietnamese prince as selected as the Pallava emperor because he descended from the offspring of a Pallava emperor and Cambodian queen (when Pallavas held political sway over those regions). So this individual who spoke no Tamil, Pali,Prakrit or Sanskrit ,with his non Indian features and customs was placed on the Pallava throne. Therefore ,asked Pillai, how can the Mughals be considered for...