Unapologetic Hindu

America is waking up to what India realised in June 2020. TikTok is much more than just a cringefest factory. It’s a threat to national security.  How? Many Americans have been making TikTok reels fawning over a letter that was written in the aftermath of 9/11, the four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001.  The author of the letter was the mastermind of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden. The immediate context of the letter going viral is Israel’s war on Hamas. The reels in question ask that everyone should read the letter because it is ‘eye opening’, or it shows their ‘existential crisis’, or helps ‘it all make sense’ or shows why ‘he was right’. In case it needed spelling out, the people making these reels oppose Israel, to put it mildly.  These 15-second viral clips, garnered about 12 million views before being removed.  TikToks discussing the Bin Laden letter attempt to garner sympathy by emphasising va...

    The campaign against firecrackers will result in erosion of cultural values, traditions and the spirit of diversity.  It is high time we take pride in our festivals and protect our heritage. For centuries now, Bharat has been called a civilisational state that binds its people together with a shared consciousness, traditions and identity. In the backdrop of such an axiom, one can only guess the impact that the stoppage of traditions and festivals can have on the fabric of Indic identity. Diwali is one of the most-widely celebrated and hallowed festivals of India, the history of which can be traced back to the seventh century. One of the first mentions of the festival can be found in the  Skanda Purana , which mentions the lighting and holding of ‘ ulkas ’, which roughly translated into English would mean ‘firebrands’, ‘ diyas ’ or ‘fire falling out of the sky’.  This is of great significance to the interpretation of Diwali, since  ulka  fulfills al...