ARGUMENTATIVE INDIANS PODCAST

It is not uncommon to hear laments about the gradual decline of the much cherished “Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb”, a syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture, manifest across the festivities, literature, aesthetics, crafts, music, dance, spiritual practices and culinary traditions of the people of northern and central Indian plains. This shared culture is understood to have evolved over centuries of co-existence and interdependence, and came to epitomise the Indian ethos of 'unity-in-diversity'. 

However in recent years many have begun to question whether such a culture did ever exist? They claim it to be a myth concocted by the urban and feudal elites. Interestingly there does not seem to be much agreement among the dissenters on the motivations behind this alleged myth-crafting. For some it was an attempt to cover up centuries of oppression of the subjugated Hindu majority by the elite Muslim minority, and for others it still serves as a way to cover up the disenfranchisement of the present Muslims, who themselves naively cling on to this notion seduced by the false sense of security it promises.

Communal perspectives aside, even some scholars are sceptical and tend to dismiss it as romanticised nostalgia of the ‘old elite’, with little basis in actual history where inter-communal tensions have always lurked beneath the surface and sporadic violent conflicts have been a norm going back centuries. 

So is the much famed Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb or Hindu-Muslim Unity really just a myth? 

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We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

In 1585 Queen Elizabeth I of England sent a letter to Jalal-ud-din Muhammad #Akbar, the powerful Mughal emperor of India, in an attempt to open trade relations between their two countries. Fifteen years later she would grant the Royal Charter to a group of London merchants to trade with India. This would become the infamous #EastIndiaCompany (EIC), which would go on to assume military and administrative control over all of #India, and in process intertwine the destiny of Britain and India for several centuries.

We know a fair amount through our studies and movies about the #British-Indian relations during the #colonial period. However, what is much less discussed and understood is the period before the British became the occupiers and oppressors (1608-1764), when the interactions were centred around trade and cultural exchange instead of conquest and domination. 

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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

Dr. Sujata Ashwarya  is an Associate Professor in the Centre for West Asian Studies [Middle Eastern], Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.  Her research interests include the political economy of energy, India’s West Asia policy, politics and foreign policy of Iran, Iraq and Israel, and issues relating to democratization in the region. She has presented more than 50 research papers in national and international conferences and seminars. She has more than 30 published research articles, and has written, edited and co-edited 5 books.

Full Blog - https://www.argumentativeindians.com/post/israel-palestine-conflict-explained-by-dr-sujata-ashwarya

 Debate - "India's stance on Israel-Palestine - Neutral or tilted ?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsLoZ-AhXjQ&t=2788s

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DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.

Dr Ruth Vanita shares her research on hundreds of low-income, non-English-speaking same-sex couples from 1980 to the present who have got married by religious rites and/or committed joint suicide, with the hope of being united in the next life. She also discusses centuries of Indian writing and art about same-sex unions.

Dr Vanita is an Indian academic, activist and author. She specialises in Indian and British literary history, with a focus on gender and sexuality studies. She is a professor at University of Montana, where she directs the program for South and South-East Asian studies. She is also an expert on Hindu Philosophy and the author of several acclaimed books.

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Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.com

DISCLAIMER:
We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.