Shadow Warrior by Rajeev Srinivasan

A version of this essay was published by chanakya forum at https://chanakyaforum.com/infrastructure-in-the-deep-peninsula-for-national-security-and-self-reliance/ A Swarajya report https://swarajyamag.com/infrastructure/vo-chidambaranar-port-to-expand-with-rs-7200-crore-project-to-compete-with-colombo-and-singapore-as-transhipment-hub   about V O Chidambaram port in Thoothukkudi (Tuticorin), TN, a...

A version of this essay has been published by swarajyamag.com at https://swarajyamag.com/politics/gyanvapi-discoveries-the-places-of-worship-act-and-what-next There has been a slew of social media posts about the court-ordered survey of the Gyanvapi premises and what was discovered on Monday, May 16th. As I write this, on Tuesday, there is a case being heard in the Supreme Court as to whether the...

This essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/world/pyrrhic-victory-even-if-biden-defeats-putin-it-will-be-costly-for-the-us-and-most-of-the-world-10675401.html Even for someone like me who is very pro-US, the smoke-signals emanating from Washington regarding the Ukraine war are ominous. Even in best-case scenarios, the US may have hurt itself by not focusing on the right...

George Augustine Thundiparambil is a writer and translator dividing his time between India and Germany. He has written a historical novel in English titled Maya and has published many blogs and articles on faith and religion in several Internet forums. He is a partner of Geckolingua Translations International based in Freiburg, Germany. * Germany is the most important country in the EU. Will its r...

A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/india-is-standing-up-and-defending-itself-but-is-uncle-sam-taking-note-of-it-10565421.html On the face of it, Indian Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar’s blunt responses to US pressure to toe its line regarding Ukraine are appropriate rebuttals to interference in India’s internal affairs. Because Ind...

This column was published by firstpost.com at World War ‘Z’: The world after Ukrainian crisis, and India’s role in it-World News , Firstpost The most ironic thing, in fact the blackest of noir humor, is the use of the letter ‘Z’ in the propaganda surrounding the Ukraine war. It is alleged that this letter is the symbol of Russian obduracy, and therefore worth condemnation, as in the German embassy...

A version of this essay was published on firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/world/the-meta-narrative-about-indias-non-involvement-in-the-ukraine-imbroglio-10403761.html Disclaimer: Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24. This was written just before that happened. The ongoing shadow-boxing between US President Biden and Russian President Putin over Ukraine has captured a lot of media attention....

A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/world/the-usual-gambit-by-deep-state-and-isi-a-million-woke-mutinies-all-the-time-10372271.html Why is there a veritable fusillade of anti-India commentary in the West these days? Why has there been a sudden upsurge of communal tension in coastal Karnataka? How come a bunch of MNCs including Hyundai, KFC etc....

A version of this essay was published by rediff.com at https://www.rediff.com/news/column/rajeev-srinivasan-the-sooner-woke-dom-dies-the-better/20220211.htm Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau is hiding “in an undisclosed location” after a huge convoy of truckers demanding relief from Covid mandates, joined by farmers with their combine harvesters and other heavy equipment, made steady progress toward...

A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/world/human-rights-all-humans-are-equal-but-some-are-more-equal-than-others-10340451.html This story has already receded into the background, but it was quite startling when it took place recently: a Pakistani-Briton named Malik Faisal Akram held four Jews hostage in a Texas synagogue. He was demanding the rel...

A version of this essay has been published by swarajayamag.com at https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-argument-about-a-british-hymn-at-beating-the-retreat-well-heres-an-alternative I personally have had no idea what ‘Beating the Retreat’ is all about, so I was startled when a full-scale war of words erupted because the Government of India apparently decided to replace a British-era song called ‘Ab...

A version of this essay was published by firstpost at https://www.firstpost.com/india/are-things-looking-up-for-india-at-makar-sankranti-a-time-for-new-beginnings-10286661.html It is true that the usual suspects and the usual problems remain: malign forces including moles and sleeper cells inside the country; a stepped-up assault on India and Hindus from the Deep State and other ill-wishers; an al...

A version of this essay was published by swarajyamag.com at https://swarajyamag.com/politics/was-it-a-plot-to-assassinate-the-prime-minister The events on January 5th were shocking: the PM’s motorcade was stopped for 15 to 20 minutes on a highway overpass, blocked by a group of ‘protesters’. His car, the only black car in the row of white cars, was completely exposed to a possible drone attack, a...

A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/india/punjab-phenomenon-is-devastating-psychologically-but-is-it-just-reversion-to-the-mean-10254751.html Perhaps I am naive, but growing up in the South, I had a healthy respect for Sikhs, whom I viewed as men of honor and of principle. Later when I lived in California, I visited the Gadar Memorial Hall, and I wro...

Note: a version of this essay has been published by rediff.com at https://www.rediff.com/business/column/rajeev-srinivasan-indias-quest-for-a-role-in-the-future-of-semiconductors/20211228.htm The announcement of a new semiconductor policy on December 15th is welcome news, and the concerned ministers need to be complimented on putting it out there. There is a caveat though: it is too little, too la...

Note: a version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at Bharat is rising as 2022 looks like a year of living dangerously (firstpost.com) I have long thought T S Eliot was wrong: April isn’t the cruellest month, but November. For there is the anniversary on the 12th of the momentous Temple Entry Proclamation by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1936; on the 14th is the birthday of my late, dear...

Note: no text, only the podcast. Please press the ‘play’ button above to listen. Moksham praptirastu , General! Farewell and godspeed. You were a good man. Thanks for reading Shadow Warrior! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/...

This essay was originally published in ‘Hinduism Today’ in 1994 at https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/june-1994/1994-06-my-turn/ India has suddenly become a fashionable investment destination. Is this a flash in the pan? I think not. There is a fundamental Hindu work ethic, and India will be a major player in the coming "Asian Century." Americans invoke the thrifty Yankee farmer's "Protestant...

A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/india/the-indian-american-paradox-indians-expect-them-to-be-indians-but-they-are-not-10185071.html so please read it there. The podcast can be heard above by clicking the ‘Play’ button. The promotion of Parag Agarwal to the position of CEO of Twitter created a bit of a commotion online. Many celebrated the fact tha...

Thanks for reading Shadow Warrior! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This essay has been published by Firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/india/there-is-another-crisis-in-education-can-india-turn-this-to-its-advantage-10153231.html and a few excerpts are provided below. Please read it at the link. The podcast can be heard by clicking the ‘Play’ button above. There...

A version of this essay has been published by Firstpost.com at Opinion | Diwali, the powers that be, and civil disobedience (firstpost.com) and you can read it there. You can listen to the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button above. Thanks for reading Shadow Warrior! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. I have personally noticed an odd phenomenon. At 6am, there is the chan...

A version of this essay was published by Chintan at https://chintan.indiafoundation.in/articles/poor-optics-retreat-from-the-quad-and-proliferation-make-aukus-a-bad-pact/ The AUKUS strategic alliance among Australia, the US and the UK was an unexpected bombshell. Among the unpleasantly surprised were India and Japan, partners of the US and Australia in the Quad quasi-alliance. France (and the rest...

A version of this essay was published by Swarajya magazine at https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/all-those-anniversaries-but-they-all-may-boil-down-to-the-powerful-screwing-the-meek Is this a particularly momentous year? 2021 has important anniversaries, and everyone has heard about at least that of the 9/11/2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York.  But there are other anniversaries too, and...

A version of this essay has been published by rediff.com at https://www.rediff.com/news/column/rajeev-srinivasan-what-did-modis-washington-visit-achieve/20210925.htm This autumn has been cruel to India. Not only is the instantaneous collapse of the Afghan government a grave concern for India, based on entirely likely new terrorism threats, but then there is the obvious downgrading of the Quad part...

A version of this essay was published by swarajya magazine at https://swarajyamag.com/technology/has-apple-peaked Apple CEO Tim Cook recently celebrated 10 years at its helm. It is the most valuable company in history, at about $2.5 trillion -- an unimaginably stratospheric number -- and Cook has steered it to its massive valuation. That is a surprise to many who thought Cook, basically an operati...