All Roads Lead to Jerusalem

Questioning the axioms

By hipkapi June 24, 2016 action, Balagangadhara, law, published, rationality, tradition

[Originally published in Indian Express, Jan 21, 2016 ] There are three ideas in the West about Law that are taken as axioms. The first: all societies are founded on…

Ad hoc explanations: why do puja to cows?

By hipkapi April 23, 2011 adhoc, Balagangadhara, puja, tradition

1. When we provide explanations, we should also look at their contrastive nature: why do puja to cows and not to buffalos? The problem in this case, however, is this:…

Translations or Travesty of Traditions? –S.N.Balagangadhara

By hipkapi April 2, 2011 Balagangadhara, caste, india-forum, psychology, tradition, translation

In one sense, the title of the piece captures the nature of the tasks facing the contemporary generation, whether in India or in the Diaspora. This generation, unlike many from…

To Follow Our Forefathers: The Nature of Tradition –S.N.Balagangadhara

By hipkapi April 2, 2011 Balagangadhara, india-forum, Indian traditions, NRI, tradition, vibrancy

While reading this contribution and all the others ([1], [3]) I hope to write, we need to keep the context in mind. The context is this: many intellectuals, both in…

Is tradition akin to following moral obligations?

By hipkapi March 23, 2011 Balagangadhara, colonial consciousness, normative, practice, tradition

Traditions are inherited practices, which mean two things: they are both transmitted and learnt. The learning occurs through imitation, following instructions, through stories and so on. Consequently, traditions ‘change’ (i.e. undergo…

Do practices need rational justifications?

By hipkapi March 15, 2011 Balagangadhara, rationality, tradition

If we understand the word ‘tradition’ to mean ‘a set of practices’, then the question is this: why continue a set of practices? When someone ‘justifies’ (I will soon explain…