Monday, July 27, 2026

A plural self

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Here is how the sycophancy spiral works.

A powerful leader consolidates authority. The people closest to them rise not because of their ability but because of their loyalty. These loyalists tell the leader what the leader wants to hear. Criticism is treated as disloyalty. Disagreement is treated as betrayal. Over time, the leader becomes surrounded by people whose only skill is praise. JP Nadda. Gogoi. Sanjay Jha. Digvijay Singh. Different parties, same species. They thrive not by being strong but by making the leader feel strong.

The problem is not that these people are sycophants. The problem is what sycophancy does to the information flow.

https://x.com/i/status/2081392630215111148

"Idealism isn’t just the opposite of knowingness; it’s also the absence of learnt fear, of disabling prudence." Must read! 

Cockroach Janta Party protest | Dawn for democracy: The moral ballast of the insurgent cockroaches is undeniable - Telegraph India share.google/2fyNzLUCbdsUtw…"

https://x.com/i/status/2081421949977125362

Mukul is spot on! 

“The possibilities that this movement has created are to do with the way in which it expresses its exasperation with a system that has failed it.”

https://x.com/i/status/2081422645828977077

Hindutva is not a positive doctrine. It is a reaction to the scars of partition.

Its core ideology is about ideas of Indian nation. Is India Hindu or secular? Why should India be secular when Pak and Bangladesh are explicitly not? What unifies us if not a corporate Hindu identity? The 15-20% minorities (esp Muslims) are a problematic minority. They remind us daily about 1947 and its scars. That's what Hindutva is. I empathize with it. Even voted for it. But it is not what we need to take India to the next level.

What India needs is a conservative party with a Hindu lens. A party that has a genuine affinity for Hindu civilizational values (such as a tolerance of diversity, a defense of norms, a certain respect for inductive wisdom over deductive reason, a keen interest in Hindu high culture)

Current avatar of Hindutva is none of that. It is anti-diversity. Wants to abolish caste, while at the same time politicizing caste identities to promote populism. It has no real interest in Hindu high culture. Its version of Hinduism is Anuradha Paudwal singing gAyatri mantra and using it as ringtones.


When Draupadi is publicly humiliated, it is Bhima who avenges her, collecting Dushasana’s blood so she can wash her unbound hair; it is Bhima who smashes Kichaka to pulp when Arjuna does nothing Read more... Why does Arjuna overshadow Bhima in epics? newindianexpress.com/columns/2026/J…


Bhishma appears as a noble elder, Drona as a respected teacher, and Karna as a tragic hero. So, when they die—Bhishma pierced by arrows, Drona beheaded, Karna killed while struggling with his chariot—we feel uneasy. Read more... mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-…


Chinese philosophy offers a radical rethinking of human action, not as an outcome of the self’s conscious deliberation, but as a spontaneous, effortless process, utterly in tune with nature. 

Daoist texts like the Zhuangzi describe agency without a reflective self—no weighing options, no detached rationalizing. 

Philosopher of cognitive science Brian Bruya argues that this Chinese vision not only captures how we experience our actions, but also more deeply resonates with breakthroughs in recent cognitive science than the Western ideal of action as the product of reasoned choice, which is rooted in mistakes that go all the way back to Aristotle.

"Instead of a single, deliberate self, we get a plural self, which aligns well with the current notion of modal mind in cognitive psychology," writes Bruya. Tap the link now to read more: iai.tv/articles/china…


China’s control over historical narratives is not just about the past—it is a tool for political legitimacy, nationalism, ethnic integration, and territorial claims. The article explains how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censors alternative interpretations of the Qing dynasty to reinforce its authority and justify modern China’s territorial integrity.


Radar

Whether I possess any agency at all - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Public debates in contemporary society often escalate with striking speed. From the rise of cancel culture, to whether ...
Rejection of rigid - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Lecture series on Sri Aurobindo's Synthesis of Yoga (by Ranganath), pp 463-465 45:48 Lecture series on Sri Aurobindo's S...
Escaping India - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra You stole money from Ram Mandir. You misused our religion, insulted our priests and brainwashed devotees to grab power....
Connection to the infinite - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Kena Upanishad Talk 16 by Sraddhalu 1:04:44 Go to channel The Mother & Sri Aurobindo : E-library · Lecture series on Sri...
Words distort - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra I am currently working on a metaphysical synthesis of spiritual philosophies and teachings. I've always liked Meher Bab...
Beauty and nobility expressed through creative abundance - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Questions and Answers with Mother read by Monika (Hindi) - Part - 6 (Page: 43-50) 26:18 Questions and Answers with Mothe...
A Master List of Virtues - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Anurag Banerjee Honoured with the ‘Shiksha Bharati Award’ by the Indian Achievers’ Forum Dear Friends and Well-wishers ..
The Book of Death in Savitri - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Dr. R. Y. Deshpande awarded the ‘Auro Ratna Award’ for the year 2022 Dear Friends and Well-wishers, The eleventh ‘Auro R...
Apropos of the Divine Body - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra https://auroramirabilis.blogspot.com/2026/07/shyam-sunder-jhunjhunwala-shyam-kumari.html https://serfrat.blogspot.com/2...
असली घुन समाज में लगा है - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra NOTE: THIS IS MY PERSONAL NOTE, NOTHING TO DO WITH RSS In the melee of #CockroachProtests we have not noticed the spect...
Nietzche had a problem with the Examined Life - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Discover how Vedic meditation connects Dhi (higher intelligence) with Dhyana (focused awareness), and explore the timel...
Centralisation stifles innovation - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra The Republic of Cockroaches by Nihar Nalini Sarangi countercurrents.org/2026/07/the-re… The July 20 march by students ...
A resilient secularism requires secularised minds - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra In this essay, @MRavinderReddi revisits the history of the Sakas through a remarkable synthesis of epigraphic, numismat...
Quality higher education transforms lives - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra 5 August 1914 || Prayers of the Mother 3:08 The 123 prayers in this collection are translations of prayers that were wri...
Take 2 to Tech - The world of knowledge at my fingertip in 2005 had given me immense hope and satisfaction. Besides, being able to publish instantly seemed to be the gre...
Journey of Odia music - Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra Recorded songs from the first decade of the 20th century (1900–1910) are extremely rare, but archival efforts have iden...
Let there be no end - Savitri Era Ushers in new thought, And fresh perspective Towards freedom. No black and white Shades of grey galore; There are a thousand pegs To...

[PDF] India and its image in international organizations: comparison of the global and local levels

M Manďák - 2026
… The focus of the analysis are influences of Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) and
populism on India’s self-presentation, as both Narendra Modi and the BJP have
been closely associated with the Hindutva ideology, and Narendra Modi is often …

[PDF] How Political Ambiguity Transforms Across Digital Platforms: Mechanisms of Discourse Radicalization in the Case of Zohran Mamdani

G Beacken
This study examines how politically ambiguous rhetoric about Israel-Palestine
transforms into antisemitic discourse through three circulation phases: elite political
statements, digital influencer reframing, and audience commentary. We present a …

[PDF] Reminiscing Punjab: Memory and Double Consciousness in the Narratives of Diaspora Women's Participation in the Farmer's Protest in India (2020-21)

RK Dhaliwal - 2026
This thesis explores how political memory shapes the Punjabi/Sikh diaspora’s
participation in the 2020–21 Farmers’ Protest in India. It draws on interviews with
Punjabi diasporic women in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of …

[PDF] Navigating the Changing Narrations of the Nation and Nationalism: From Satyajit Ray's Ghare Baire to Aparna Sen's Ghawre Bairey Aaj

S Dam - … JOURNAL OF CULTURAL STUDIES AND SOCIAL …
… The Hindutva movement is termed as … Hindutva with fascism, and suggest that
Hindutva should be considered as an extreme form of conservatism or “ethnic
absolutism” (Bhatt & Mukta). Nikhil in Sen’s movie is a chief editor of a digital news …

[PDF] Strategic Narratives of Political Transition: Indian Media and the Geopolitics of Post-Hasina Bangladesh

D Dutta, DB Ugen Bhutia - Journal of Daoist Studies, 2026
This study examines the Indian press and how it framed Bangladesh’s political
transition after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024.
Using framing theory and strategic narrative theory, the article analyses how Indian …

[TXT] TASK FORCE

A Yang, C Stolfa, A Trindeva, C Davison, J Zheng…
… of the Hindu Nationalist Movement, or Hindutva, backed by the vision of a modern
India. … a century-old political legacy of Hindutva, or “Hindu-ness” in Hindi. The BJP
and its followers … Prime Minister Modi and his Hindutva-oriented BJP party have …

Commonwealth shadows: journalists navigating report and reprisal in India

S Chauhan - The Round Table, 2026
… Rather than fact-driven and objective reporting, these media stations amplify the
ruling party’s propaganda of Hindutva, communal hatred, national security and
jingoistic nationalism through rhetorical narratives, with loud performative debates …

[TXT] SACRIFICE, AHIMSA, AND VEGETARIANISM: POGROM AT THE DEEP END OF NON-VIOLENCE Volume II

P Ghassem-Fachandi
attracted to his intelligence and curiosity. We got along well and spent much time
together driving around the city in search of lunch experiences. These trips more
than once resulted in a visit to one of his many sisters who live scattered in diverse …

Deobandi Movement: Theological Strands and Socio-Political Offshoots

A Rasheed - Strategic Analysis, 2026
… Growing concerns among current Indian Deobandi leaders, such as Arshad
Madani (current Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband) and Maulana Mahmood Ahmad
Madani (President of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind) over the rising wave of Hindutva …

[PDF] Caste-ess Co nity and the a arnas: Understanding Ambedkar

S Gupta
This paper aims to read Dr. BR Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste and a few of his
other works in relevance with the idea which discusses the responsibility of the
savarnas (upper caste people) in dismantling caste hierarchies. When we …
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)