I believe the number 14 is associated with Lord Ram so this is a fortuitous comment (7, 14, 1,400). I have’t written as much since the Comments have been on fire so it becomes a little difficult to write on new topics but I’m 66 posts (65 after this one) from my 1,000th post on BP.

After the jump Omar’s interesting take on whether the Mughal’s were colonisers.

I’ll expand on this but enjoy the beautiful song in the meantime.

Pakistanis of course, being good Hindus, are careful to do daily Puja. Namaz of course has the same cognate root as “namaste.”

The Persianate inflected cultures (Tajikistan and Afghanistan) are far more religious than the Turkic kin.

Pakistan’s GDP is about $400 billion while India’s is around $4 trillion. Since the ratio of their economies has stayed roughly constant for decades, their nominal growth rates should be similar from the 1960s onwards.

So why has India pulled ahead in GDP per capita? The reason is simple. Pakistan’s high fertility has driven population growth faster than India’s. In 1952 Pakistan had about one-tenth of India’s population; by 2025 it had grown to nearly one-seventh.

The other explanation why Pakistan finds it easier to maintain the status quo is that it is located in a geopolitically sweet spot. It can extract geopolitical rents from the US. It’s location close to Afghanistan is strategically important and the US has used many Pakistani airbase.

Thanks 0M for the article.

On 5 August he resigned from Cambridge and Jesus College, hours after the university announced an investigation into his qualifications and career. His letter said he had “reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.” On 11 August his memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, went on sale in America. On 14 August he was dead. His family, through his publisher, said “the campaign of misinformation was too much,” and that they had lost a father, a partner, a brother, an uncle and a son.

Jason’s Story

Cambridge appointed him in 2023, at 37, the youngest Black professor in its history, and it sold the story hard: the Clapham son of Ghanaian parents, diagnosed autistic at three, silent until eleven, literate in his late teens, a professor by force of will.

In September 2025, Times Higher Education completed a 63-page dossier alleging plagiarism in his PhD and journal articles. Arday retained Carter-Ruck, the story died unpublished, and the reporter who wrote it became the subject of a harassment complaint the Metropolitan Police saw fit to investigate.

Liverpool John Moores, which awarded the PhD, reviewed the thesis and stood by it, and he said a misconduct panel had cleared him. Cambridge called it “a vile campaign” while dozens of its own academics signed a letter demanding an independent inquiry into his appointment. Then, on 5 August, the same university announced its own investigation, and within hours he was gone.

Online Lynching

Three years of celebration became three weeks of a brutal witch-hunt, every paper in at once, each front page justifying the next, the volume itself standing in for a verdict no panel had delivered. Everyone piled in and no one was responsible. He was lynched.

Jason was Failed

I have lived adjacent to Academia (the twin Cambridges) for the past decade. The failure was institutional before it was ever individual, and the individual has now paid for both. Cambridge appointed him without resolving discrepancies reporters later surfaced in weeks, marketed his biography for three years, pronounced the allegations vile when they broke, then reversed itself inside a fortnight and accepted his resignation inside a day. Nowhere in that arc is there a visible duty of care to the man himself. He was an asset in July and a liability in August, and institutions do not mourn liabilities; they issue statements.

There was never any need for the bloodbath to be public. Universities maintain misconduct procedures precisely so that allegations are tested before they are broadcast.

The press half is Anglo-American press culture working as designed. The legal suppression of 2025 did not kill the story; it stored it, and nine months of stored demand detonated in three weeks. Once one paper ran it, no editor could afford to sit out, and somewhere in the stampede the work stopped being verification and became sport. Within hours of his death, broadcasters were asking whether the tenor and volume of it all had been proportionate. The question answers itself, and it arrived, as such questions do in this culture, exactly one week late.

Jason’s Legacy

Yet again a Black man was raised up as a symbol and used up as one. When the story collapsed, Cambridge retreated into procedure; a symbol has nowhere to retreat. What remains is a family who say the misinformation was too much, a coroner’s file, a memoir three days old on the shelves, and a university investigation that now outlives its subject. Cambridge says it is “desperately saddened.”

The institution is on the back foot especially after losing at an employment tribunal earlier this week; it is a great misfortune that lives and careers are being toyed with at such a venerable institution.

1) Accepting things like Aadhar and GST devised during UPA era.

2) Monetizing many govt services for better use like railways and defense exports.

3) Improving our overall port capacity.

4) Making India self sufficient in ammunition production.

4) Not letting ideology dictate policy, as seen in overtures to Pakistan till Pakistan closed the doors.

5) Trying their best to keep a wide circle of friends in a heavily polarized  world.

6) Connecting all state grids into a single national grid.

7)Signing a slew of FTAs with many western countries.

8) Development of Brahmos and our own multi artillery defense system.

9) Formalizing our border enclaves with Bangladesh as much as possible.

10) Taking advantage of the reduction of cost in renewable energy to make our grid 55% dependent on renewable energy.

11) Supporting investment in hydrogen based fuel cells.

12) Supporting research in making cow dung based fuel valuable.

12) Increasing the number of airports.

13) Made significant efforts to bring back Indian cultural artifacts like the Leiden plates.

14) Construction of tap and toilet facilities till 99% of the country has either a tap connection or a toilet in their home.

15) Increase in ethanol blending to secure our fuel supply.

16) Increase in mobile phone assembly facilities.

17) Increase in semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

18) Bringing much needed investment in high quality manufacturing to states like Assam.

19) Enabling private telecom operators to provide cheap data to almost all parts of India.

20) Better export opportunities for Indian toy makers.

21) Vande Bharat trains launched.

22) Bullet trains though they should have started with Hyderabad to Bangalore and Hyderabad to Mumbai/ Pune to begin with.

23) Increase in  overall tree cover.

24) Increasing the number of electricity available to 22 hrs from 12 he’s through national grid, renewable energy capacity generation and reduction of losses.

25) Exporting tigers to other countries.

26) Bringing cheetahs back to India from Africa.

27) Promotion of yoga through world yoga day.

28) Worlds largest vaccine drive during covid.

29) Successfully conducting the mahakumbh and kumbh mela many times.

30) Production linked initiative scheme helping advance in mobile cell manufacturing

31) Production linked initiative scheme helping manufacturing for electric mobility, power electronics and advanced safety systems.

32)Production linked initiative scheme helping in development of biosimilars,monoclonal antibodies and medical devices.

33) Production linked initiative scheme helping in domestic polysilicon manufacturing.

34) Production linked initiative helping in over 2.16 lakh crore cumulative investment,exports of 8.3 lakh crore,and almost 14.39 lakh direct/indirect jobs.

35) Creation of over 500 million accounts through jan dhan yojana.

36) Depositing over 2 lakh crore in jan dhan yojana accounts.

37) Reducing leakage through direct benefit transfer.

38) Construction of 3 crore houses under PM Awas Yojana through both rural and urban schemes.

39) Empowering women by registering the houses built under their name.

40) Providing  10.58 crore gas connections to poor women under Ujjwala Yojana.

41) Approving 25 lakh new connections in 2025-26.

42) Reducing indoor air pollution by 74% through Ujjwala yojana.

43)Increase port capacity to 2818 million tonnes per annum till 2025-26, from 1400 million tonnes per annum in 2013-14.

44) Increasing cargo handling capacity to 1668 million tonnes per annum in 2025 26 from 972 million tonnes in 2013-14.

45) Increasing inland waterways to 32 operational in 2025 to 5 in 2014.

46) Increasing operational length of inland waterways to 4894 km in 2025-26 from 2716 km in 2013-14.

47) Increase in food grain production to 357.7 million tonnes in 2025-26 from 265 million tonnes in 2013-14.

48) Increase in horticulture production to 369.1 million tonnes in 2025-26 from 277.4 million tonnes in 2013-14.

49) 2900 climate resilient varieties of crops released since 2013-14.

50) Agricultural exports raised to 51.1 billion dollar  in 2025-26 from 34.5 billion dollars in 2013-14.

51) Increase in fish production to 197.7 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 95.8 lakh tonnes in 2013-14.

52) Increase in shrimp production to 11.8 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 3.2 lakh tonnes in 2013-14.

53) Increase in milk production to 239.3 million tonnes  in 2025-26 from 137.7 million tonnes in 2013-14.

54) Increase in egg production to 130 billion in 2025-26 from 75 billion in 2013-14.

55) Increase poultry production to more than 4.2 million tonnes.

56) Launch of Indias first solar observatory in 2023 through Aditya L1 mission.

57) Launch of Chandrayaan-2.

58) Commissioning of INS Vikrant, Indias first indegenously built aircraft carrier.

59) Launch of new metros in 21 cities including many 2 tier cities.

60) Increase in operational length of metro rail to 940 km from 248 km.

61) 900 km of metro under construction.

62)  National highway is now 1,46,572 km from 91287 km.

63) 4 lane highways increased to 46179 km from 18387 km.

64) 2636 km of expressway completed from 93 km expressway in 2014.

65) Rural roads up to 7.5 lakh km from 5 lakh km.

66) Rural roads now connect 99% of all villages.

67) Freight growth to 1600 million tonnes in 2025-26 from 1050 million tonnes.

68) Route km is 71000 km in 2025-26 from 65000 km.

69)60000 km electrified in 2025-26 from 21000 km in 2013-14.

70) Dedicated Eastern freight corridor of 1337 km and western dedicated freight corridor of 1504 km nearing completion.

71) Freight lines have 100 km/h speed lowering freigh costs and boosting business.

72) Reduction in infant mortality from 40 per 1000 live births in 2013-14 to 25 per 1000 live births in 2013-14

73) Under 5 mortality decreased from 48 in 2013-14 to 25.

74) Neonatal mortality fell from 28 in 2013-14 to 17 in 2025-26.

75) Free maternal and child healthcare through Ayushman Bharat.

76) Expanded vaccine coverage through universal immunization program.

77) Presided over a drop in total fertility rate to 2.0 overall.

78) Overall tax revenue is 40.78 lakh crore  in 2025-26  from 11.39 lakh crore in 2013-14.

79) GST collection is 2.43 lakh crore in 2026

80) Modi is the most popular, modern leader for many years running.

https://indosaurus.substack.com/p/cows-vs-buffaloes?r=1mp4jc

The scriptural form of hinduism is in little danger of being displaced or disappearing. It also has a lot of elements palatable to monotheists (advaita) & rationalists (the block determinant nature of the universe/ simulation theory)

Whereas the folk form, practiced mainly by lower castes which has less theology and more sacrifice/possession is often considered on par with devil worship by Christians/Muslims. Some of the deities named overtly as Satan/Shaitan.

For instance the buffalo deity of Kerala Vishnumaya Chatan (pictured), is easily corrupted to Satan. Rituals associated are considered black magic.

Adherents of the more rural folk forms are also often targeted for conversion. The political alliances of the Christians aligns strongly with lower castes in South India, exacerbating this process.

As India grows wealthier, urbanisation & social mobility also involves Sanskitisation. Ancient traditions are further eroded as outdated and irrelevant.

All is not lost though. Kantara was a shot in the arm. Other film makers sat up and took note of the spectacular nature of rural worship.

I updated the first article I had published on BP to acknowledge this development

https://indosaurus.substack.com/p/the-eyes-have-it?r=1mp4jc

I fear it is only a short reprieve. Eventually a lot of these traditions will slowly fall by the wayside, recreated only for entertainment. They have survived for millennia and are the oldest forms of worship in the subcontinent. The world is a duller place without them.

* I have no idea if ‘lower’ caste is the politically correct term anymore, forgive the  plain speak. I desperately avoid talking about caste in general, unfortunately these articles all end up incomplete without it.

The majority, described

Now that we are Brown, that is Bharat, Pundits, all of us who are the majority share things in common. Five come to mind, and they should be front and centre:

1. Hindu by birth or Hindu by marriage (broadly Upper Caste social milieu).
2. India’s borders can never be reduced. Some, myself included, are very much in the Akhand Bharat camp; I see Iran to Indonesia as one vast Indic, Hindu Continental sphere.
3. Hinduism was oppressed under the Anglo-Islamicate legacy, which has been a mixed blessing at best (that is a most charitable view). The LeLi Brahmin view that we should have been grateful to be chattel under Despots, who professed Islam, is odd.
4. Dharma has space for all, and that more Hinduism does not mean less secularism; as well as an inclination for more Hindu-Indic symbology in the national discourse.
5. Broadly supportive of the current government of India and sceptical towards RaGa.
6. Partition was a mistake and the two-nation theory was not a good idea. Pakistan has not succeeded.

That defines the majority to a very strong extent, and the minority is defined by being against these positions, in whatever combination. We have such a strong majority that all of us agree with it, including the full admin team.

It just so happens that even if I’m not Hindu by birth, I’m definitely Hindu by marriage. My entire social reality, where I engage with Brown people, is Hindu, so I have become an acculturated Hindu. A fortnight ago I said the divide here was ideological, not sectarian; the last week taught me the map is older than the ideology. It’s not Saffron or Crescent, left liberals or right wing. It is the majority versus the minority, and in a weird way we are converging towards what is modern-day India, and really mapping that.

The minority

Right now there are roughly three minority commentators on this blog. Of the ten or fifteen commentators I know, the only genuine middle-ground individual in the entire scenario is girmit. So the question that is really happening now within Brown Pundits is this: do we give the minority more latitude, or do we shut them down? The Courtesy Guidance exists to answer that. Latitude, out of courtesy. It doesn’t mean that when the minority engages in provocative behaviour, that should be allowed. Neither side can provoke or trigger a war. That’s about it.

Two-nation theory

We are not here to litigate two-nation theory. I’m almost inclined to ban casual discussions of it, because we’ve evolved. Unless it’s an intelligent discussion, I don’t see where the signal comes from in endlessly litigating TNT.

The Guidance

Dharma must always have space for dissent.

So even if Kabir is saying something outlandish or outrageous (and he does troll the space from time to time), it is still his right to say it. If it is triggering, email it in and we will take a look. Not everything has to be a takedown. The point of this blog is not to trigger every minority commentator until they are gaslit and hounded out of the discourse.

And when somebody doesn’t want to talk to someone, courtesy demands, as part of a community, that you respect that wish. Kabir doesn’t want to engage with X, Y or Z: then X, Y and Z should respect that, as much as they can, voluntarily, out of courtesy. That’s how we would all engage with each other in real life.

The Ceasefire Precedent stays lapsed. The Courtesy Guidance is in effect. If courtesy fails, the Ceasefire comes back, and what is voluntary today becomes compulsory.

The Cerulean

BP is the “cerulean” of Indic discourse, what is discussed today filters downstream into X, social media and mainstream media (eventually).

see: Bharat Needs No Validation

Ever since Brown Pundits was resurrected over the last two years, one thing has been missing: a written constitution. We never had one (fifteen years as the British of the blogosphere, running on an unwritten constitution).

The landscape has changed since the founding. The diaspora is not so interesting anymore. Pakistan and the other regions are not so interesting anymore. Modi came to power, and the economic divergence between India and her neighbours is now just immense; she is one of the largest economies in the world. A blog that does not register that is not describing the “Hindu Continent”, it is describing 2011.

Alias

I am not officially changing the name from Brown Pundits. But BP also stands, very much, for Bharat Pundits. We are not trying to make claims of equality. The focus of this house is India, that is Bharat, and how she claims her destiny in the world, with a nod to our origins, which were diasporic and Indo-Islamicate. Bharat Pundits began as a reframe in a wry comment reply to Kabir earlier afternoon. It has evolved into a Precedent.

“Writing”

0M-3 made a deliberately Islamophobic comment (now deleted) claiming the pages of the Holy Quran were copied (or something to that effect). That is just a trashy comment, and it is palpably untrue. The quality of Arabic verse set a standard that helped carry Arabic into the top five languages on earth. The Holy Quran needs deep study, and I dislike uninformed comments on any subject, particularly those that are sensitive or complex.

The point is that theology is complex. Under no circumstances are we going to have simplified, random flame threads on complex subjects. This is not a throttling of free speech. Free speech is also intelligent.

For instance girmit’s comment on the Wodeyars set the high watermark in the 200+ comments (more than half deleted) that happened over the last 24-36 hours.

Equity, not equality

Brown Pundits doesn’t need to be fair. It doesn’t need to be equal. It needs to have equity. That is the difference. Bharat is an equitable notion, since Dharma, as Agni points out, has space and capacity for all.

Here is what equity means in practice. Even if we tilt Saffron; it doesn’t mean we don’t respect interrogation. Q’s comment to 0M’s post was excellent and I agree with most of it; Pakistan, to her credit, is an extremely deft diplomatic and strategic player. The visit to Israel precisely prior to the failed Iran war isn’t a masterstroke per se.

Pakistan

Alas however Pakistan is a third-rate peripheral power. Maybe in some years it plays itself up to second-rate, because as a purely strategic, diplomatic and military actor Pakistan has always been formidable.

I do have much sympathy with 0M’s view that the British envisaged Pakistan for exactly what it became: not the shaheen Allama promised, but a cheel on India’s shoulder, circling, harrying, snatching what it can, never stooping like a falcon.

I hate to say this, because there is so much capacity in that valley. It is one of the richest in the world. Punjab is exceptionally rich. The northern areas are very beautiful. Karachi could have been the Singapore of the Arabian Sea. Balochistan has the minerals, the Frontier has the ruggedness of its terrain, and Peshawar to Kabul was once an axis of its own. The tragedy of the cheel is that it has falcon country and flies it like a scavenger.

En Fin

However the blog has shifted over fifteen years. Pakistan has dipped in significance while India has soared in the sun. Even with mistakes made by India; its fundamental rise and promise seems assured, notwithstanding any unforeseen disasters (even the CJP is careful not to stoke chaos).

I can understand that for Kabir, who has been with us for at least a decade, that shift is real, and it is hard. Blogs can do that since we are not bound to a written constitution like India is to her secularism.