The vegetarianism among Hindus, often celebrated abroad, is deeply tied to caste-based discrimination. The prevalence of "pure veg" restaurants in Indian cities reflects the association of vegetarianism with notions of purity, which are rooted in caste hierarchies. /1

https://twitter.com/zoo_bear/status/1884849657475678470

While being vegan or vegetarian in the West often represents a countercultural choice and a break from generational habits, in India, it is largely a product of religious traditions that have historically used dietary practices to enforce boundaries of purity and impurity. /2

Most UC people assume quota or affirmative action is for economic upliftment coz that is how they see the world

For them a position in a tech college or a job is just a step to economic growth so they cannot think of it in terms of social mobility, since they already have it. /1 As long as all structure of powers from politics to media to IAS do not reflect the group proportional demographic reality of india. There should be no debate around affirmative action period. /2

MMS govt introduced the 6th pay commission in 06 leading to largest single rise in salaries for the Indian salaried class 40% (180% for Sr Gov Officers).
The BJP criticized it heavily because the then BJP intellectuals were worried about rising inflation (you can google this). /1 Among many other things like protecting us from an immense recession in 08.
The pay commission lead to the greatest increase in personal wealth for salaried class. 2009/10 (yr after the commission) still remains the biggest year for car buying in India with a 32% inc. /2

Staines who was fluent in Odiya and local santhali dialects visited the state in '65 to meet his penpal and never left. During the Baripada fire he and his wife nursed hundreds when the state hospital couldn't manage the load. And yes, 22 families had converted over the years+

https://twitter.com/bisoyisujit87/status/1810698256990826665

+On the face of it, contrary to general perceptions, conversions number around 5,000 a year and the Christian population has grown marginally from 1.98 per cent in 1981 to 2.7 per cent in 2011. Local RSS groups including Bajrang Dal made it a huge issue. +

In 2020 a Parsi man in Ahmedabad was arrested under the act for crime of hiding his religion while selling his property to a Muslim, they were both named Feroz.

In a city in MP, Muslim area is named Jinnah Chowk not officially but that is what the majority community calls it. + In September 2021 Uttarakhand state government order to the police and administrative officers to track “illegal land deals” based on fears around the changing demography of the state.+

In 2012, a Hunger survey had 42% Indian children under 5 as underweight; almost double of sub-Saharan Africa.

Then PM Singh said, "I have said earlier on a number of occasions and I repeat that the problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame+ Despite impressive growth in our GDP, level of under-nutrition is unacceptably high. We have also not succeeded in reducing this rate fast enough… Health of our economy and society lies in health of this generation. We cannot hope for a healthy future for our country this way."+

In 2020 a Parsi man in Ahmedabad was arrested under the act for crime of hiding his religion while selling his property to a Muslim, they were both named Feroz. In a city in MP, Muslim area is named Jinnah Chowk not officially but that is what the majority community calls it. + In September 2021 Uttarakhand state government order to the police and administrative officers to track “illegal land deals” based on fears around the changing demography of the state.+

Maybe things aren't so bad if we stop reading news and social media. We can focus on our 9-5, netflix, and the new iPhone. Ignorance might feel good, Orwell says.

Perhaps we're just being too worried. Your life and mine hasn't really changed much.+ So, when should we start worrying? Was there someone on TV in Nazi Germany saying things were really bad? Is there a moment, an event that shows us it's time to be angry?

+

Problem is, most UC people assume reservation is for economic upliftment coz that is how they see the world.
For them a position in a tech college or a job is just a step to economic growth so they cannot think of it in terms of social mobility, since they already have it. /1

https://twitter.com/talk2anuradha/status/1677551723769135105

As long as all structure of powers from politics to media to IAS do not reflect the group proportional demographic reality of india. There should be no debate around affirmative action period. /2

In Baghbazar North Calcutta.

Theres a lane called Marhatta Ditch Lane which refers to an actual ditch built in the 1740s along what was then the northern extremity of Calcutta.

To stop the bands of Maratha cavalry who were pillaging Bengal at the time.
+

https://twitter.com/apparitionnow/status/1668617012988493832

In 1741, the cavalry of Raghoji Bhosle, Maratha ruler of Nagpur, started to pillage Bengal under command of Bhaskar Pandit. Bengali army defeated the Marathas when they fought head-to-head, but mostly, Maratha cavalry would simply skirt the slow infantry, focus only in looting.+

There is no denying that political philosophy of Hindutva has become the primary political idea that has taken over India.

But if there is any country that should understand that a vision of nationhood based only on religious identity isn't sustainable, it has to be India. /1 After all we have seen how that same vision has lead to the division of our neighbor Pakistan and the remnants of Jinnah's Pakistan is still not stable enough and various ethnic and racial groups are in constant conflict within./2

In 2012 when a Hunger survey showed that 42% Indian children under 5 are underweight; almost double of sub-Saharan Africa.

The then PM Singh said, "I have said earlier on a number of occasions and I repeat that the problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame.+ Despite impressive growth in our GDP, level of under-nutrition is unacceptably high. We have also not succeeded in reducing this rate fast enough…
Health of our economy and society lies in health of this generation. We cannot hope for a healthy future for our country this way."+

On 28 February 2002 a mob laid siege to former member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri’s house. He held them off for hours with his licensed rifle. The police arrived, led by K.G. Erda. The police fired 61 rounds at the mob. Every bullet missed. + The police could not kill, wound or hit a single person. The mob kept building. Seventy-three-year-old Jafri was called down. They stripped him, cut off his fingers, paraded him bleeding and naked. Then they cut off his hands, then his legs and then his head.
+

Bilkis called them uncle, brother as they were her neighbors. They then snatched her 3yr smashed her head, killing her instantly. Three men grabbed her, tore her clothes, even as she pleaded she's pregnant.

What is it that makes one group to treat another as subhuman? /1 The Nazis were explicit about the status of their victims. They were Untermenschen — subhumans — and as such were excluded from the system of moral rights.

According to them moral rights that bind humankind together did not apply to the Jews in Nazi Germany. /2

Every time I notice some mass request made by our supreme leader like lighting a candle, banging plates, renaming social accounts as Chowkidar or putting a Tiranga as a DP. I think of those nifty psychological hacks I’ve heard of in leadership workshops.+ There's something in social psychology called the "foot in the door effect." If you ask someone to do something small for you, they are more likely to do something a little bigger next, then even bigger next time. Cults like to use this to gain members, among other methods.+

According to Savarkar's collected works in Hindi (Samagr Savarkar Wangmaya published by Hindu Mahasabha in 1963)-

Hindu Mahasabha led by the Hindutva icon, Savarkar went to the extent of running coalition governments with the Muslim League in Bengal, Sind and NWFP in 1942. /1 When Congress was under ban and patriotic Indians were being shot dead for daring to carry the Tricolour.

In Bengal Syama Prasad Mookerjee was deputy CM in the Muslim League ministry. /2

Looking up social media it would seem that the spate of religious violence in india over the last few weeks is either by Hindus or by Muslims depending on which side of social media you look at. So, the question obviously is who has the most incentive for violence. A thread 🧵 /1 According to Cambridge research scholars Sriya Iyer and Anand Shrivastava, who analysed effect of Hindu-Muslim riots on state government elections in 16 states between 1981-2001:
If a riot occurred in the year preceding election, it led to a 5-7% increase in BJP’s vote share /2

December 6th '92 was an epochal day changing India forever and I guess everyone reading this knows why. But on December the 5th something happened in Kashmir specifically Balgarden, Srinagar that talks of a story either missing from mainstream consciousness or misrepresented.+ Before that in 1990, the JKLF announced creation of an interim government of J&K, a govt in exile if you will and one of the ministers appointed in that govt. was Hriday Nath Wanchoo. He was an activist and pioneer of workers movement and trade unions in the state.+

A few weeks ago we had the 79th anniversary of the death of Sophie Scholl. An anti-Nazi political activist, she was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the LMU with her brother, Hans both executed by guillotine. /1 In 1942, pamphlets titled “The White Rose” suddenly appeared at the University of Munich. The leaflet contained an anonymous essay saying the Nazi system had slowly imprisoned the German people and was now destroying them. /2

Thread

What is it that enables one group of human beings to treat another group as though they were subhuman creatures?

The Nazis were explicit about the status of their victims. They were Untermenschen — subhumans — and as such were excluded from the system of moral rights /1 According to them moral rights that bind humankind together did not apply to the Jews in Nazi Germany. It's wrong to kill a person, but permissible to exterminate a rat. To Nazis, all Jews, Gypsies and others were rats: dangerous, disease-carrying rats.

Notice similarities?
/2

DMZ is a strip of land along the 38th Parallel, 4km wide between North-South Korea.

Following armistice in July 53, southern half fell under UN, while north held by North Korea and China. Three camps on the south, with prisoners of war under UN command were named Hind Nagar. /1 At the end of Korean War and armistice in July 53 the question of prisoners of war and what to do with them was still unsolved.

So, in November 1952, at UN General Assembly, India proposed the creation of a Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission. /2