Science versus Miracle: God’s Spirit on a Wick and Spirit within a Coconut!

B Premanand God's spirit leaves the oracle and enters a wick which dances when it is lit. This phenomenon occurs in a village temple in South Kanara. The Oracle gets possessed by the god and after the ceremony, it leaves his body and he falls down unconscious. The spirit then enters a wick which when lighted starts dancing. Experiment: 122 Effect: God’s spirit on a wick. Props: A live earthworm, cotton, oil and matchbox. Method: A cotton wick is prepared with a live earthworm packed inside it. At the end of the festival the wick...

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Hindu Nationalism versus Indian Nationalism

Ram Puniyani The debate around Hindu Nationalism and Indian Nationalism is not a new one. During colonial period, when the rising freedom movement was articulating the concept and values of Indian nationalism, the section of Hindus, keeping aloof from freedom movement asserted the concept of Hindu Nationalism. The debate has resurfaced again due to the one who is trying to project himself as the Prime-Ministerial candidate of BJP-NDA, Narendra Modi. In an interview recently (July 2013) said...

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An Open Letter to Dr K Kasturirangan

Madhav Gadgil Date: Fri, May 17, 2013 9:39 pm Dear Dr. Kasturirangan, JBS Haldane, the celebrated 19h century scientist and humanist who quit England protesting its imperialistic invasion of Suez to become an Indian citizen has said: Reality is not only stranger than we suppose, but stranger than we CAN suppose! I could never have imagined that you would be party to a report such as that of the High Level Working Group on Western Ghats, but, then, reality is indeed stranger than we...

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Indian Muslim Youth: Groping for Equity and Security

Ram Puniyani In most communities youth have a serious struggle on hand to look beyond the present for the future, especially their careers, longing for dignity and a decent existence. While this applies to all the youth, the struggle of youth from marginalized and discriminated against communities are much more. It is on this terrain that, Chetan Bhagat, the popular writer turned columnist, decided to advise Muslim youth about their future path, choices. His advice came in the form of...

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Science versus Miracle: Telling a Number or the Name of any Flower a Person Thinks of.

B Premanand When people come to the Tantrik to get their problems solved, he asks the person to write a number between 1 to 20 or the name of a flower. The Tantrik, after concentrating on the person, writes something on a piece of paper and puts it in his pocket. Then he asks about his problems and meditates. After meditation, he suddenly asks the person as to what number or the name of a flower, he had written while putting his hand in his pocket and when the man tells the number or the name...

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Bodh Gaya Blasts: Terrorist Violence and Political Agenda

Ram Puniyani Since last two decades terrorist violence has been added on to the weapons for polarizing communities along religious lines. In Mumbai for example, we first witnessed the major blasts in the wake of 92-93 post demolition violence, then blasts in the aftermath of Gujarat carnage of 2002 and then 26/11 2008 attack from Kasab and company. This shows the multifaceted nature, many causative factors, of terrorist violence. In the similar vein, the country as a whole witnessed regular repeated...

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Sex and Salvation

Margaret Bhatty There was a time when we depended on little green men from Mars for a world-view. After Mars probes debunked them, we now have ETs - ­computerised caricatures of ourselves. If these voyagers from outer space are as perceptive as Martians were, they too must marvel that as a species we call ourselves Homo sapiens - homo: men, and sapiens: wise. The truth is we are very close to primates and a tiny shift in their genetic make-up would oblige us to offer chimps seats at the UNO....

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Science versus Miracle: God’s Name Appears on the Body when Ash is Rubbed On

B Premanand To prove that he is a true devotee of god, a man takes a bath, makes a fire in front of him, chants mantras and then smears the ash from the Yajna Kunda on his body. The name of the god appears all over his body Experiment: 119 Effect: God’s name appears on the body when ash is rubbed on Props:  A plant which when broken exudes a white gummy liquid or soap and a thin stick. Method: Write the name of god on the body with the broken twig of the plant and allow the...

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Sleeping with the Enemy: Should minorities get lured by the invitations of Modi And Company?

Ram Puniyani From 2002 Gujarat carnage Gujarat in particular and India in general has seen the rise of Narendra Modi on the political firmament. His propaganda machinery has given him the image whereby he is regarded as the ‘development man, non corrupt, strong and all that. A substantial section of society has bought this propaganda uncritically. Modi asserted himself within BJP to be named as the Chairman of their election campaign committee of 2014 and in turn giving the overt hints that he is the Prime Ministerial candidate from the...

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