Shut Eye
Vamsee Juluri, author of Rearming Hinduism, is sugarcoating the realities of Hinduism instead of addressing its problems. Any book based on the phobias of others can only be the result of the author’s paranoid perceptions. Narratives like Juluri’s target the Western media as being conspiratorial in nature. Indian history as available today is based entirely on the accounts given by foreigners because few were written by Indians themselves. Juluri is essentially covering up the problems in Hinduism by accusing Westerns for exposing them. When religions are fast losing credibility, Juluri is pushing for superiority of Hinduism over all others when the need of the hour is universal brotherhood.
Udayshankar Kasinadhuni, in India Abroad
City Lites
I read the article about Egypt’s proposed new capital with a sense of deja vu. I have seen so many ‘new cities’ in India, the oldest one being New Bombay. Politicians and administrators always find it easier to make grandiose plans for new cities but are unable to understand and deal with problems that plague existing cities. When the Maharashtra government realised the challenges of 'fixing' Bombay’s problems, they decided to build New Bombay, taking all the problems associated with Bombay there. Development of new cities is also a cruel blow to residents of existing cities. Almost as if the government has given up on them and only considers the taxes and revenues they can vacuum up from these residents and business.
Raj Khalid, Mumbai, in FT Weekend
