Faith and Foolishness: When Religious Beliefs Become Dangerous

             Every two years the National Science Foundation produces a report, Science and Engineering Indicators, designed to probe the public’s understanding of science concepts. And every two years we relearn the sad fact that U.S. adults are less willing to accept evolution and the Continue reading

Kushire is a small town like any other town in Maharashtra, situated in Panhala Taluka of Kolhapur District. Gurav brothers hail from this place. They once had a dream or may be, Jyotiba (the deity from the nearby famous temple of Jyotiba) revealed himself in a human form before them; and this miracle brought the Continue reading

About three-and-a-half hours from Bangalore, past farmers’ fields and some hills, a small village came into view. The rural area gradually gave way to an airstrip, where a private jet was parked, and then to uptown buildings—resorts, hotels and a huge, pink building, the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram, a ‘super Continue reading

            I have campaigned against superstitions for several decades now and am convinced that it is the single most destructive force in India’s development.

Let me start with a small piece of advice, just in case. If one fine day you get to know that some tantrik, generously paid by your arch enemy to kill you, Continue reading

The book, Charwak: History and Philosophy is originally written in Marathi by a noted historian Prof Sadashiv Athavale (1923 -2003). Amongst the well-known Maharashtrian historians like K N Sane, Vasudevshastri Khare, Rajwade, Sardesai, Parasanis, Bhave, Apate, Shejwalakar, G H Khare, Setumadhav Pagadi, etc who enriched the history in general and Maratha history in particular by Continue reading