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Mohan Bhagwat’s speech on the Gyanvapi mosque has been applauded by some of our “liberals”. See, they say, the RSS chief has spoken out. This is a message to Hindutva forces. They must not take hatred further. Yadda yadda yadda.
It takes very little to keep our public intellectuals and influential fence-sitters happy.
So, what did Bhagwat say? He said that we should not look for a shivling in every temple.
He said the Gyanvapi issue is “on”. “Gyanvapi has a history we cannot change now”. Issues of “special significance in the hearts of Hindus” are being raised.
Islam came from “outside”.
Indian Muslims are anyway Hindus so we should not fight.
“We participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement against our nature”.
The Gyanvapi issue needs to be “sorted out amicably” between the “two sides”.
Hindus are not opposed to Muslims.
He ended his speech by a glorious defence of the Constitution of India and the judiciary. No other development in independent India’s history has done as much damage to India’s Constitution, India’s judiciary and India’s democratic institutions as the RSS-guided administration of Narendra Modi has over the last eight years.
To the perpetually innocent infected with positivity – I think the word is naïve – Bhagwat’s speech sounds like some massive message to his own community of bigots to step back. That Hindus and Muslims must work together. That the RSS very graciously accepts that Muslims live in India.
But the RSS also carries on with its pointed beliefs that all Muslims are actually Hindus and must accept the dominance of Hinduism. That the RSS doesn’t really want to get involved in movements and violence because those are the jobs of organisations it has created for those express purposes like the VHP and Bajrang Dal.
What kind of a fool believes Bhagwat?
What kind of a fool believes that the RSS has “stepped in” to contain Narendra Modi and its own community of violent mobs?
Did the RSS stop lynching after Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched?
Did the RSS stop Modi or Yogi Adityanath from attacking Muslims during every election?
Did the RSS stop bulldozers destroying Muslim homes and businesses?
Did the RSS stop Hindutva thugs from attacking Muslim girls in hijabs?
Did the RSS object to the vilification of Muslim women at Shaheen Bagh protesting for the democratic rights?
Did the RSS stop Hindutva mobs from attacking Indian universities with Muslim connections or those propounding liberal thought?
Did the RSS stop all those “Dharam Sansads” where Hindu priests consistently called for the murder and rape of Muslims and the destruction of their lives?
Did the RSS stop the consistent targeting of Muslims across various fields in India from education to the judiciary to government by the Modi government and by BJP-run state governments?
We all know the answer to these questions.
But when it comes to the RSS and BJP, we tiptoe around them, searching for “nuance” and “interpretation” and “translation”.
The fear is palpable and from that follows cowardice.
The Hindutva movement belongs to the RSS. Its goal is a Hindu majoritarian state, with Muslims, Dalits, women and people of other minority religions living with second or perhaps third-class citizen status. There is nothing hidden about the RSS and its ideas.
It is there in the words of its founders and early chiefs. It lies in the RSS’s admiration for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi state. It is evident in the fact that India is one of the world’s few countries where Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ is a permanent bestseller.
No BJP government can survive without RSS guidance. It is a canny institution – despite the sticks and khaki shorts and trousers – and has had almost a century to put its despicable plan into motion.
It played no role in India’s freedom movement. That is why it constantly tries to appropriate various freedom fighters, none of whom were part of the RSS. This appropriation is not to bring glory to itself because the RSS purposely chose not to be part of the Independence Movement. This appropriation is to attack other parties or to fool fence-sitters, public intellectuals and half-educated professionals who are desperate to be fooled. These are the core voting group which brought Modi to power.
The RSS-BJP already has between 25-30% of the vote bank in some parts of the electorate. The toxic, inferiority-complex ridden fools provided the rest and swept Modi to power twice.
So no, Mohan Bhagwat is not telling you that the RSS is full of love and sweetness towards Muslims and other minorities. It’s not telling Modi to step back in its campaign.
It’s just the RSS being the RSS.
(Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist. Views are personal)
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by Alex Billington
May 4, 2022
Source: YouTube
“It’s not what it looks like!” Amazon Prime has revealed an official trailer for the indie film Emergency, a dramedy from filmmaker Carey Williams (his second feature following R#J) that premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It was one of my favorite films of all the films in competition, a very smart and entertaining look at the life of two Black students in college. It’s a look at what decisions they must make whens something unexpected happens. Ready for a night of legendary partying, three college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unexpected situation – they find a drunk woman passed out on their floor. Starring RJ Cyler Donald Elise Watkins as Sean Kunle, with Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, Summer Madison, and Gillian Rabin. I’m not the only one raving about this, as many critics enjoyed it at Sundance. It’ll be available for streaming on Prime Video at the end of this month – take a look.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Carey Williams’s Emergency, direct from PV’s YouTube:
Straight-A college student Kunle and his laid-back best friend, Sean, are about to have the most epic night of their lives. Determined to be the first Black students to complete their school’s frat party legendary tour, the friends strap in for their ultimate assignment, Solo cups in hand. But a quick pit stop at home alters their plans when they find a white girl passed out on the living room floor. Faced with the risks of calling the police under life-threatening optics, Kunle, Sean, and their Latino roommate, Carlos, must find a way to de-escalate the situation before it’s too late. Emergency is directed by the American filmmaker Carey Williams, making his second feature film after directing R#J previously, as well as a number of shorts and TV work including on the series “The Process”. The screenplay is written by KD Davila. Produced by Marty Bowen, John Fischer, and Isaac Klausner. This film initially premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, playing in the main competition. Amazon opens Williams’ Emergency in select US theaters on May 20th, then streaming on Prime Video starting May 27th, 2022 this summer. Planning to watch?
by Alex Billington
May 4, 2022
Source: YouTube
“Do me a favor? Roll a 6.” XYZ Films has revealed an trailer for an indie horror comedy titled Gatlopp, marking the feature directorial debut of Mexican filmmaker Alberto Belli. “One game. One rule. Don’t lie… or you die.” That’s the tagline here, and the premise for this. A group of friends reunite for an evening after one of their own has a gnarly divorce. As it’s been almost a decade since they were last all together, waxing nostalgic, they decide to play a drinking game. But this is no ordinary game; if they don’t bond together to confront their past, they’ll be forced to play the game for eternity. The cast includes Jim Mahoney (who wrote the script), Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Bass, Sarunas J. Jackson, Shelley Hennig, John Ales, and Amy Davidson. This looks hilarious! A dash of Jumanji with some horror board game madness. I like the bright, colorful party atmosphere in the home as they try to play this game and save themselves.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Alberto Belli’s Gatlopp, direct from YouTube:
A group of old friends reunites for a nostalgic evening of fun and games after a decade spent apart. After one too many, they decide to play a drinking game, but it’s quickly revealed that this game comes with supernatural stakes. Mischief leads to mayhem, and the group realizes that if they can’t come together to win the game by sunrise, they will be forced to play for eternity – in hell. Gatlopp is directed by Mexican filmmaker Alberto Belli, making his feature directorial debut after numerous short films and music videos previously. The screenplay is written by Jim Mahoney. Produced by Sarah Gabriel, Marc Goldberg, James Harris, and Mark Lane. This never premiered at any major film festivals or elsewhere, as far as we know. XYZ Films will debut Belli’s Gatlopp film direct-to-VOD starting June 16th, 2022 this summer. Who’s in?
The lessons written by well-known journalist, sworn critic of BJP Late P. Lankesh and leftist thinker G. Ramakrishna have been dropped. Vedic scholar, the Late Bannanje Govindacharya ‘Sukanashana Upasana’ and author, noted critic Shatavadhani R. Ganesh’s ‘Shrestha Bharateeya Chintanegalu’ have been included, according to sources.
The Textbook Revision Committee has maintained that it had selected the lesson on Hedgewar not on the basis of ideology. Education Minister B.C. Nagesh had defended the recommendations of the committee.
Snapchat has announced that it is bringing news stories to its app via publishers’ existing RSS feeds. The news will appear as Dynamic Stories, the video and photo-based social network says, with big publishers already signed on across the United States, United Kingdom, France, and India.
The move was announced via a newsroom post, with the outfit saying that Dynamic Stories will appear in the users’ Discover feed and update in real-time as new stories appear.
Available in the Discover feed, these Stories update in real-time, meaning Snapchatters can keep up with the latest news as it breaks. Whether it’s breaking news from credible sources on the war in Ukraine or the latest in pop-culture or fashion, Dynamic Stories helps Snapchatters learn about the world as it happens.
For its news partners, no additional work will be required. Dynamic Stories will pull images and text directly from the websites’ existing RSS feeds, ensuring the whole process is automated. Snapchat has also confirmed which early partners will be part of the test, too.
Unlike other social networks, none of Snapchat’s news is open to unvetted individuals or publishers. That ensures, in theory at least, that the news being pumped into Dynamic Stories will be of a higher quality and, more importantly, trustworthy. The new feature is rolling out now to users in the launch countries.
From the Editor’s desk
Brand new Pokémon and Legendaries revealed for Scarlet and Violet this week. Plus, a teaser trailer gave us our first look at Sonic Frontiers gameplay.
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An excellent keyboard case is a must if you’re trying to get serious work done on your iPad— like writing a product review. The Brydge Air MAX+ is one of the best keyboard cases I’ve ever used, and I highly recommend it.
Booooo
Current rumors point to Apple potentially announcing a refreshed MacBook Air during Monday’s WWDC22 event, but hopes of the machine coming in eye-popping colors look set to be dashed.
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Do you like the look of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, but want something a little different? Here are the best Magic Keyboard alternatives.
The Bhutada Family Foundation reportedly gave over Rs 13.8 crore ($1.7 million) to Sangh-affiliated charities from 2006 to 2018. It is run by Indian-American from Texas and national vice president of HSS, Ramesh Bhutada, who is also the board chairperson at Sewa International. Bhutada is an electrical engineer and the founder and CEO of Texas-based Star Pipe Products, an iron products company that employs nearly 400 people. His son Rishi Bhutada is the vice president of finance at Star Pipes and on the board of the HAF.
The Puran Devi Aggarwal Family Foundation, whose directors include Braham Aggarwal, Suresh K Gupta and Avanish M Aggarwal, reportedly gave over Rs 2.11 crore ($272,000) to Sangh-affiliated charities from 2008 and 2018. Braham Aggarwal founded the Hindu University of America, the education wing of the VHPA, in 1985 and was also the former director of the HSS South East America. The Aggarwals and Gupta are owners of an Orlando-based housing company Park Square Homes.
In April 2021, Al Jazeera reported that five US-based Hindu nationalist groups—Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA, HAF, Infinity Foundation, Sewa International, and VHPA—received approximately Rs 6.5 crore ($833,000) of US federal COVID-19-related funds. The Infinity Foundation is headed by American Hindutva activist and author Rajiv Malhotra.
The research also showcased possible financial irregularities through government filings, including possible electioneering work by Global Indians for Bharat Vikas, a series of land and money transfers between Vivek Welfare and Education Foundation and other groups, and some multi-million-dollar loans from non-profit groups like the India Development and Relief Fund and Bhutada Family Foundation to other entities. HAF has also appeared to provide material aid to Pakistan Hindu Refugee Relief Program (PHRRP), a VHP-affiliated channel of funds to India whose website states it is not a tax-exempt organisation.
The report observed that the Sangh’s proliferating network of groups have influenced multitudes of social sectors across India, the US and other parts of the world.