A lot has happened in the last week re: the IT Rules, 2021! It may feel chilling, but mass awareness is the first step. This is an official thread of our resources on the Rules. Send it to anyone who wants to learn about them. This thread will evolve with updates over time.
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In this thread, I will discuss the division of earth into continents, and how the term “Jambūdwīpa” जम्बूद्वीप, perhaps attested the most number of times in world literature as a continent, lost out to the bastard time “South Asia”.

India must reclaim the term “Jambūdwīpa”.

The word “Jambūdwīpa” is attested not just in India, but in the whole Asian literature. This is how Asian civilizations like India, China, Japan etc. have seen the world, as a sacred geography centered on the Mēru mountain (Sumēru). These ideas spread through Buddhism.

The division of the geography is remarkably similar across a *vast* trove of Hindu and Buddhist literature. What’s more: this geography is attested repeatedly by direct physical observation of travelers on the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit, most notably Xuan Zhang (Hiuen Tsang).

Due to thriving and well connected trade routes, as well as mastery in astronomical observations and calculus, Asian civilizations had been *far ahead* of Europe in the field of geography. But simplistic European (Greek) divisions of geography are being imposed to this day.

This doesn’t make any sense. “Asia” is a gigantic geographical mass. That mass of Asia is absurdly and quixotically cut from Europe, whose divisions are entirely based on “convention” (that is no geological or geographical sense). See the random borders between Eurasia.

@sriram_ET Agree. One point on Bihar though- at least the APMC monopoly repeal had already happened in Bihar well before this law passed at the Union level. So it wouldn’t be an issue anyway. But I totally agree with the broader point- this is a protest concentrated only in one state.

By playing Hindutva politics, AAP is targetting Muslims!

The @AamAadmiParty is provoking violence in Delhi. Violence against Muslims. It needs to be said clearly and loudly.

It also needs to be countered strongly, says professor

An AAP spokesperson made allegations that even the Delhi Police has said are untrue!!!

He repeated the claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have now made folkloric: “If we cannot chant Jai Shri Ram in India, will it be chanted in Pakistan?”

He went on to claim that murder of Rinku Sharma in Delhi’s Mangol Puri area on February 10 had a communal motivation!!!

At his press conference, he said that the BJP was unable to protect Hindus in Delhi. “Hindus are not safe in Delhi under the rule of the BJP,” he asserted!!!

Delhi Police, not known for any sympathy for Muslims, made it clear that the death had its roots in a business rivalry and the people accused of killing Sharma were known to him!

The murder was a result of a fight at the birthday party of Sharma’s

It was expected, in keeping with the reality of politics that BJP would leave no stone unturned to give the murder a communal colour & incite hatred & violence against Muslims.

The murdered young man was said to be a member of the Visha Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. BJP

Most elite Indians (primarily savarna white collar urban english medium educated folks like me) land on Western shores convinced that we are just as advanced and developed as these countries as a people. It's just "corruption" in India holding us back. Then reality hits. /1

We see that the West works better on a daily level, but not because of some mythical genetic or societal immunity to this mythical "corruption" villain. Cos there is corruption in Western politics too. They seem to have institutions and systems built over ages to minimize it.

But most Indians who reach these shores are engineer/mba/doctor types. Trained in secondary vocational type disciplines. So our default approach is to find a quick engineering type solution. We have almost zero exposure to sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, etc.

I remember being like that. Engineer-MBA who thought that because my vocabulary and exposition skills were above average and my quant skills were above average, I deserve a seat at the table on any discussion. Be it climate change, public health, efficacy of vaccines, etc.

For anything, I thought I knew the best. Why was this Obama fellow not trying my absolutely brilliant healthcare reform plan that I have posted on a blog with nice tables and graphs and references to IIT and IIM slang? Does he not know I'm from an IIM? <1% acceptance rate!

#KnowYourHistory - 001

#AsalBharat - How Sanatan Dharma brings out heroes even Avengers may not match up with -

Today is the day when in 1923, a braveheart took birth in the home of Dr. Amarnath Sharma, an officer in the Armed Medical Corps of the then British Indian Army. He was not extremely studious, but was brilliant at sports and other physical activities.

He followed into the footsteps of his illustrious family, and joined the British Indian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant, right into the middle of World War II. Later on, he would gain name by fighting against all odds at Badgam in November 1947, getting martyred when he was only 24.

This was Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. But did you know that the medal was designed by his own brother's mother in law? -

Yes, call it a twist of irony, or sheer coincidence, but the Param Vir Chakra was actually designed by the mother in law of Major Somnath Sharma's brother, whose name was Savitri Bai Khanolkar. Even more interesting is the fact she was not a Bharatiya by birth either -