Culture & Society

The BJP and its Sangh Parivar allies have created a culture of fear. Their foot soldiers—whether it’s cow vigilantes lynching Muslims or hit squads targeting intellectuals—operate with impunity.

I stood guard with a .303 rifle slung over my shoulder, boots polished, posture rigid, watching over officers’ quarters, the stadium, even a burial ground.

Growing up Brahmin, purity was a silent rule—holy water, sacred spaces. Dumping gutter fish into our washing tank? That was heresy, unintentional but real. Yet my parents’ reactions—Mom’s fury, Dad’s calm—taught me that religion isn’t just rituals; it’s the humanity beneath them. Mom cared more about my safety than caste taboos, and Dad saw innocence over impurity.