Papers by Moin S . Hakak
Nation according to Ernest Renan and J.V. Stalin and the principal differences between a nation s... more Nation according to Ernest Renan and J.V. Stalin and the principal differences between a nation state and other forms of state such as medieval monarchies or empires?
The revolt of 1857 altered the dimensions of how the State of India and its subjects were perceiv... more The revolt of 1857 altered the dimensions of how the State of India and its subjects were perceived by their British masters. The political, social, cultural, religious and almost every other analogy of British with regards India was proven distorted if not entirely faulty. It was for the first time that British started viewing India as a nation of contrasting paragons yet with the potency of unified ideals. In this regard, the rebellion of 1857 certainly was an epoch making development, in fact an unparalleled one, for the fact that it made apparent, the 'dumb driven' cattle like plebian actually was a brewing threat to the 'magnanimous' power of her Majesty.
India in the 1990's had been a nation with antithetical ideological conundrum evolving and people... more India in the 1990's had been a nation with antithetical ideological conundrum evolving and people trying to figure out a cordial path that would find acceptance in all social spheres. It had shooed away its colonial masters more than four decades ago, yet hadn't shunned many of their diabolic encroachments on Indian heads. It was rapidly making itself vividly vibrant on the globe as a 'secular' and 'modern' nation, where people of all faiths enjoyed mutual respect and equal opportunities. In fact, it was the diversity of culture and religion that was chosen as the introductory remark with regards India, by Indians as well as the ones looking at it. One cannot stop but wonder if India, as presented in the last decade of the twentieth century, was a utopian concept or actually a reality? However, the answer came on (or starting from) the sixth day of December 1992. A group of angry men climbed up the dome of a mosque and installed a saffron flag atop. The flag was not of the 'secular and modern' India, but of an organization that envisioned India for a particular religious community. Just four months later, on the twelfth day of March 1993, Bombay shook to the blasts carried out by another organization that wanted to personally avenge the demolition of the mosque in question and redress their religious insecurities. The secular India was on
Book Reviews by Moin S . Hakak
Review of the book "The Odyssey of Kashmiri Pandits -Destination Homeland Panun Kashmir"
Almost a millennium is about to pass since the infamous Mahmud of Ghazni raided the temple of Som... more Almost a millennium is about to pass since the infamous Mahmud of Ghazni raided the temple of Somnatha. However, the temple enjoys a special position, more so in politics than in religion, in the Indian society even today. There are different versions of the raids of Mahmud on Somanatha, however what remains constant is the repugnance in the events that surround the legend of Somanatha. There are certain facts that need no elaboration or substantiation. The temple of Somanatha was contested. It was destroyed multiple times. It was restored equally so. But what needs some sort of verification is the vaguely stated assumption that the raids of Mahmud on Somanatha incited communal friction between Muslims and Hindus of India.
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Papers by Moin S . Hakak
Book Reviews by Moin S . Hakak