The “Nones” (Religiously Unaffiliated) in India: Myth or Growing Reality?

The “Nones” (Religiously Unaffiliated) in India: Myth or Growing Reality?

The “Nones” (Religiously Unaffiliated) in India: Myth or Growing Reality? In recent years, the term “Nones” — referring to people who claim no religious affiliation — has become a significant part of global discussions on faith and identity. In Western countries, particularly in Europe and North America, this group has grown rapidly. However, in India, where religion permeates every aspect of public and private life, the idea of being “religiously unaffiliated” seems almost unthinkable. But […]

 November 1, 2025
Kurma Avatar – the divine turtle incarnation of Bhagavan Vishnu

Kurma Avatar – the divine turtle incarnation of Bhagavan Vishnu

Kurma Avatar – the divine turtle incarnation of Bhagavan Vishnu Once in ancient times, the gods had become powerful enough to dominate the demons, and Indra, the ruler of the gods, became the supreme, sovereign ruler of the heavenly region. One day when Indra was riding a majestic elephant, Sage Durvasa passed by and offered him flowers to congratulate him for his grandeur and greatness. Indra, in his conceit, looked down upon that raggedy saint […]

 May 7, 2020
Pancharama  Kshetras – Five Temples Dedicated to Lord Shiva

Pancharama  Kshetras – Five Temples Dedicated to Lord Shiva

Pancharama  Kshetras – Five Temples Dedicated to Lord Shiva Pancharama is the name given to those five temples which are dedicated to Lord Shiva. These places are distributed over three districts, East Godavari, West Godavari and Guntur of Andhra Pradesh in India. All Hindus consider visiting these temples as very sacred. Pancha means five and Aarama is peace. Aarama is something related to Buddhism which is actually aims at pleasant state of mind. So Pancharama means […]

 February 13, 2018
Love, Fear, Hatred and Surrender : Sri Sri Ravishankar

Love, Fear, Hatred and Surrender : Sri Sri Ravishankar

Love, Fear, Hatred and Surrender : Sri Sri Ravishankar Surrender means an unshakeable confidence. Surrender simply means unconditional love. When there is love, there is no fear, know it is one energy that functions in three forms, either love, fear or hatred. When there is hatred there is no fear.When there is fear, there is no love or hate. And with all these three, the sensations in the body is at a particular place, the heart, whether you are […]

 November 26, 2017
#KnowyourRivers : Vaigai River

#KnowyourRivers : Vaigai River

Water is essential for life and access to clean drinking water is a necessity for good health. However, clean drinking water is not available everywhere, due to water scarcity and pollution of existing water resources. The pollution can be in the form of natural or anthropogenic activities. The quality of river water is influenced by various natural factors such as rainfall, temperature and weathering of rocks and anthropogenic activities which alter the hydrochemistry of river […]

 September 3, 2017
Raksha Bandhan : Nine Stories from Mythology

Raksha Bandhan : Nine Stories from Mythology

Raksha Bandhan : Nine Stories from Mythology Like all Indian festivals, the festival of Rakhi has numerous tales associated with it. Here are some you may or may not have heard of the famous brothers and sisters from Hindu Mythology. In Indian Mythology there have been brothers who stood by for their sisters against all odds and there are brothers who made their sisters life miserable. So here are the few stores from Inidan Mythology […]

 August 7, 2017
How Sanskrit evolved in India : Dr Devdutt Pattanaik

How Sanskrit evolved in India : Dr Devdutt Pattanaik

How Sanskrit evolved in India : Dr Devdutt Pattanaik Published on 25th June, 2017, in Mid-day In extremist Christian America, evolution is a bad word. Children are taught Creationism, or Intelligent Design, which insists on the role of God in creating the world. Anyone who opposes them is aligned to the Devil. Likewise, in extremist Hindutva India, and extremist Hindutva America, Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) is a bad idea. It is seen as a sanitised […]

 July 29, 2017
COW PROTECTION: ‘Cow is not just a cow’ by Devdutt Pattnanaik

COW PROTECTION: ‘Cow is not just a cow’ by Devdutt Pattnanaik

Published on 12th August, 2016, in Speaking Tree Cow protection is an integral part of Hindu lore. Go-hatya, or killing a cow, is viewed as a terrible crime. In the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa, Rama’s ancestor Dilipa offers to sacrifice himself in order to save a cow from a lion. In the Godavari Mahatmya, the sage Gautama accidentally kills a cow, and the only way to wash away the demerits that stain his soul is to […]

 July 17, 2017
“What luck” by Devdutt Patnaik

“What luck” by Devdutt Patnaik

What luck Published in Corporate Dossier, ET, June 03, 2011 Hindu mythology is full of stories of unexpected good fortune. In the Rig Veda, Apala chews a twig, without realizing it is that of the Soma herb. The sound of the emerging juice attracts Indra, king of the gods, who grants Apala her wish, removes her coarse skin and replaces it with fine radiant skin. In the Bhagavat Purana, Ajamila, a gambler, gets a place […]

 July 11, 2017
What is Tamil Veda?

What is Tamil Veda?

What is Tamil Veda? Depending on who you ask, you will find one of three books identified as the Tamil Veda, locally known as Dravida Veda or Tamil Marai: 1) Thirukkural, a secular book of 1,330 ethical sayings, by Valluvar, which is over 2,000 years old and of probable Jain origin. 2) Thevaram, a Shaiva book of nearly 800 devotional songs, by Nayanars, which is also over 1,000 years old, that are sung in Shaiva […]

 June 14, 2017
The Immortals : By Dr Devdutt Patnaik

The Immortals : By Dr Devdutt Patnaik

The Immortals (seven immortals) Published on 23rd April, 2016, in Mid-day In Hindu mythology, whenever an asura asks for immortality (7 immortals of hindu mythology – seven immortals), Brahma tells them that they can have whatever they wish except that. The clever asura then asks for a boon that will render him immortal for all practical purposes. But, embedded in the boon is a loophole, a vulnerability that the devas take advantage of, to kill […]

 June 14, 2017
Domesticating Rules : By Dr. Devdutt Patnaik

Domesticating Rules : By Dr. Devdutt Patnaik

Domesticating Rules Published on 17th November, 2013 in Mid-Day One day, in the same newspaper I read two news items. One spoke of how technology is being used to ensure members of a particular religious group visit places of worship at regular intervals as prescribed by the scriptures. One spoke of how a European country is now using measurement to check if there is adequate gender sensitivity in a film. It got me thinking. Both […]

 June 8, 2017
1 2