welcome KR On Mon, 18 May 2026 at 15:18, Narayanaswamy Sekar <[email protected]> wrote:
> > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: N Sekar <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, May 18, 2026, 12:37 PM > Subject: Re: [KeralaIyers] hindu media thoughts > To: <[email protected]>, Chittanandam V R < > [email protected]>, YM <[email protected]>, Dr Sundar < > [email protected]>, Ravi mahajan <[email protected]>, Venkat Giri > <[email protected]>, SRIRAMAJAYAM <[email protected]>, APS Mani < > [email protected]>, Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]>, Srinivasan > Sridharan <[email protected]>, Mathangi K. Kumar < > [email protected]>, Venkat Raman <[email protected]>, Rama < > [email protected]>, Societyforservingseniors < > [email protected]>, Kerala Iyer < > [email protected]>, Thatha_Patty-Google < > [email protected]>, Sanathana group < > [email protected]> > Cc: Narayanaswamy Sekar <[email protected]> > > > Fantastic article. Every Hindu ( Self respecting Hindu, that is, not the > pseudo seculars) bows in respect and with love. My gratitude cannot be > expressed in words. > > Thanks for the fwd. > > N Sekar > > Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer > <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=US_Acquisition_YMktg_315_SearchOrgConquer_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=US_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100002039&af_sub5=C01_Email_Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=0c38e4b0-a27e-40f9-a211-f4e2de32ab91&af_android_url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.mail&listing=search_organize_conquer> > > On Mon, May 18, 2026 at 10:58 AM, Rajaram Krishnamurthy > <[email protected]> wrote: > > *Mount Road Moralism: How The Hindu Lost Touch With India* > > A Mylaporean's Satirical Dissection (1997–2026) > > May 17, 2026 > > There are newspapers. There are ideological pamphlets. > > And then there is *The Hindu* — a newspaper that has spent three decades > behaving like a disappointed missionary assigned to civilize the natives > whose name it unwillingly carries. > > For millions in South India, especially among old Madras families, *The > Hindu* was once a ritual. It arrived with filter coffee, Carnatic music > in the background, and the illusion that journalism meant restraint, > intelligence, and balance. > > Households erupted in chaos as to who would get to read the paper first - > the youngest reaching out for the sports columns while the head of the > family wanting to know about the recent political and financial > developments. The octogenarian in the family would be waiting to get a > glimpse of the ‘Obituary’ section to find out if their class mates found a > place there. > > Then came the slow ideological possession. > > By the late 1990s, the transformation was complete. The paper increasingly > ceased to report India and began instead to editorialize India into > submission. The Hindu majority became a sociological inconvenience. Temple > traditions became “contested spaces.” National integration became > “majoritarianism.” And any Hindu attempt to reclaim civilizational > confidence was treated with the same tone Victorian schoolmasters once > reserved for tribal unrest. > > The irony remains exquisite. > > A paper called *The Hindu* slowly evolved into perhaps the most reliable > institutional critic of Hindu civilizational assertion in India. > > Not criticism of excesses. Not scrutiny of governments. Those are > legitimate. > But a deeper, almost reflexive hostility toward Hindu cultural confidence > itself. > > And because the prose came wrapped in old-world English and editorial > gravitas, generations mistook ideological bias for intellectual > sophistication. > > This is not a complaint. It is an autopsy - of the manner in which the > once esteemed paper became the dust bin of marxist ideology. > > > <https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TtIl!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3fe094f1-1d49-4b19-90be-c8ecfe0cb11e_1024x452.heic> > > ------------------------------ > > *The Mount Road Catechism: How The Hindu Sees India* > > To understand *The Hindu*, one must understand its operating theology. > > Its worldview is built on five sacred commandments: > > 1. Hindu assertion is dangerous. > > 2. Muslim anxieties are always authentic. > > 3. The Indian state must reform Hindu institutions but “respect > sensitivities” elsewhere. > > 4. National integration is suspicious unless approved by Delhi salons. > > 5. Tradition is beautiful only when dead, museumized, or politically > harmless. > > Everything else flows from this. > > The editorial pages of *The Hindu* over the last three decades read less > like journalism and more like a long-running therapy session for elite > Nehruvian anxiety. > > India changed. The newsroom could not. > ------------------------------ > > *Babri: The Original Sin Was Not Demolition — It Was Hindu Memory* > > No event better captures *The Hindu’s* ideological DNA than the Babri > issue. > > From the 1990s onward, the framing rarely changed: > > - Hindu mobilization = dangerous mass hysteria > - Temple claims = political opportunism > - Muslim claims = constitutional morality > - Archaeology = inconvenient distraction > > The demolition of the structure in 1992 was treated not merely as unlawful > — which it was — but as proof that Hindu political consciousness itself was > inherently barbaric. > > What disappeared from the discourse? > > Centuries of temple destruction. > Civilizational trauma. > Archaeological evidence. > Continuous Hindu worship traditions. > ASI findings. > > To acknowledge these would complicate the narrative. And complication is > fatal to ideological activism masquerading as journalism. > > The real discomfort inside elite secular circles was never the demolition > alone. > > It was the possibility that Hindus might stop apologizing for existing as > a majority civilization. > > The satire writes itself. > > Imagine naming your paper *The Hindu* and then reacting to Hindu > historical grievances the way colonial administrators reacted to peasant > uprisings. > > Had medieval invaders possessed English-language editorial boards, the > tone would probably have sounded remarkably similar: > > “Yes, perhaps a temple once existed, but must these natives insist on > remembering it?” > ------------------------------ > > *Ram Mandir Verdict: A Temple Returned, A Newsroom Mourned* > > The 2019 Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute produced one of the > finest exhibitions of elite discomfort in recent Indian journalism. > > The Court examined archaeological evidence, historical possession, legal > claims, and continuous worship traditions. The verdict was unanimous. > > Yet the editorial mood in *The Hindu* resembled a drawing room after > unexpected election results. > > The judgment was framed as an “unequal compromise.” > “Dominant sentiment” was invoked ominously. > The decision was treated almost as a concession extracted by mass pressure > rather than adjudication rooted in evidence. > > One would think Lord Ram had personally stormed the newsroom demanding > favorable coverage. > > The core problem was psychological. > > If Ayodhya could be acknowledged as a legitimate Hindu civilizational > grievance, then the entire intellectual architecture of post-independence > secularism would require re-evaluation. > > And that architecture depends on one permanent assumption: > > *Hindus may have emotions, but they must never have historical claims.* > ------------------------------ > > *Article 370: Temporary Provision, Eternal Emotion* > > Few editorials demonstrated ideological rigidity more spectacularly than > coverage of Article 370’s abrogation. > > A temporary constitutional arrangement had become, in elite discourse, a > sacred relic beyond democratic reconsideration. > > The arguments came predictably: > > - federalism endangered > - democracy undermined > - constitutional morality threatened > - Kashmir’s “special identity” assaulted > > Curiously absent were discussions on: > > - dynastic capture > - separatist ecosystems > - unequal constitutional integration > - refugee discrimination > - developmental stagnation > > In *The Hindu’s* telling, integration itself became suspect. > > The satire here is almost too easy. > > India could launch satellites, digitize payments, build expressways, and > unify tax structures — but integrating one state constitutionally into the > Union apparently crossed the line into authoritarian darkness. > > One suspects that had Sardar Patel attempted accession integration in > today’s media climate, editorials would have warned against “coercive > cartographic majoritarianism.” > ------------------------------ > > *CAA: Compassion Rebranded as Fascism* > > The Citizenship Amendment Act triggered perhaps the most melodramatic > phase of elite secular commentary in recent memory. > > The law addressed persecuted minorities from neighboring Islamic states. > > But in editorial discourse, it instantly became: > > - anti-Muslim > - proto-fascist > - unconstitutional > - communal engineering > > One need not even support every detail of the law to notice the glaring > absurdity: > > Recognizing the plight of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and > Christians fleeing Islamic persecution was treated as morally scandalous. > > The logic became breathtaking. > > If a Hindu refugee flees Pakistan after forced conversion, acknowledging > his plight risks “majoritarianism.” > > Meanwhile, illegal migration altering border-state demographics was often > discussed in sanitized humanitarian abstractions. > > The deeper issue was symbolic. > > CAA implicitly recognized something elite secularism desperately resists: > > India is not merely a geographical arrangement. > It is also a civilizational entity. > > And that sentence alone is enough to trigger editorial palpitations across > Lutyens drawing rooms. > ------------------------------ > > *Sabarimala: Reform for Some, Sensitivity for Others* > > Nowhere is selective secularism more visible than in temple matters. > > When Hindu traditions face judicial or activist scrutiny, editorial > enthusiasm for reform reaches revolutionary levels. > > Sabarimala became the perfect example. > > Suddenly, ancient customs tied to a specific deity tradition were treated > as backward relics requiring urgent correction by constitutional > sermonizing. > > What vanished? > > - denominational rights > - unique theological frameworks > - devotee sentiment > - decentralized Hindu practice traditions > > The implication was unmistakable: > > Hindu traditions must modernize according to elite approval. > > Elsewhere, however, the vocabulary changes instantly: > > - sensitivity > - dialogue > - respect for belief systems > - minority rights > > Apparently, only Hindu institutions are robust enough to survive perpetual > “reform.” > > Others require careful anthropological handling. > > The pattern became impossible to ignore. > > In modern Indian secularism, Hinduism is simultaneously: > > - privileged enough to criticize endlessly > - weak enough to regulate constantly > - majority enough to suspect permanently > > Quite an achievement. > ------------------------------ > > *Farm Laws: Socialism Dies Hard on Mount Road* > > When the farm laws were repealed, editorial relief flowed like monsoon > drainage in Chennai. > > Reforms aimed at market flexibility were painted almost entirely through > the lens of corporate threat and peasant victimhood. > > Missing from much of the commentary: > > - mandi inefficiencies > - cartelization > - agricultural stagnation > - procurement distortions > - structural reform necessity > > The romance of organized protest overshadowed policy substance. > > This reflects an older ideological instinct. > > Sections of India’s elite intelligentsia remain emotionally attached to > state-controlled inefficiency because inefficiency sustains the moral > importance of intellectuals. > > A liberalized, aspirational India is deeply unsettling to socialist > nostalgia. > > The satire becomes irresistible. > > One could almost imagine editorials mourning the tragic possibility that > farmers might someday negotiate independently without ideological > intermediaries explaining oppression to them. > ------------------------------ > > *NEET, Delimitation, and One Nation One Election: Integration Is > Apparently Fascism* > > Certain themes recur endlessly in *The Hindu’s* worldview: > > - standardization is domination > - national coherence is homogenization > - centralization is authoritarianism > - regional vetoes are democratic virtue > > Thus: > > *NEET* > > A common entrance examination became cultural aggression. > > *Delimitation* > > Population-based representation became punishment. > > *One Nation One Election* > > Administrative efficiency became constitutional apocalypse. > > The underlying fear is obvious: > > A genuinely integrated Indian political identity weakens old ideological > silos built on fragmentation. > > The irony is delicious. > > For decades, India was criticized for inefficiency and policy paralysis. > Attempts to streamline governance now trigger essays warning against > efficiency itself. > > One almost admires the creativity. > ------------------------------ > > *Thirupparankundram: Tamil Nadu’s Miniature Secular Laboratory* > > If Ayodhya revealed national elite anxieties, Thirupparankundram reveals > Tamil Nadu’s regional version. > > At the sacred Murugan hill, disputes surrounding ritual practices and > competing claims were repeatedly framed through the language of > “syncretism” and “communal harmony.” > > Translation: > > Hindus must compromise gracefully. > > Again. > > And again. > > And again. > > Coverage often softened state positions while scrutinizing Hindu > assertions as politically motivated. > > The underlying assumption appeared familiar: > > When Hindu devotees insist on continuity of traditional practice, > suspicion is warranted. > > But why? > > Why must Hindu claims constantly pass ideological purity tests before > being considered legitimate? > > Why is asserting continuity portrayed as aggression while contesting > continuity is framed as coexistence? > > Tamil Nadu’s intellectual ecosystem has perfected a peculiar formula: > > - mock Hindu tradition > - politically depend on Hindu votes > - invoke secularism selectively > - accuse critics of communalism > > And *The Hindu*, intentionally or otherwise, often functions as the > English-language cultural amplifier for this ecosystem. > ------------------------------ > > *The Performance of Neutrality* > > What makes *The Hindu* influential is not merely ideology. > > It is presentation. > > The prose is measured. > The fonts are dignified. > The syntax carries colonial-era seriousness. > > Which creates an illusion of neutrality even when ideological preferences > are glaringly obvious. > > A slogan shouted on television sounds partisan. > The same slogan written in restrained editorial English sounds > intellectual. > > This is the genius of elite media culture. > > Bias delivered calmly becomes sophistication. > ------------------------------ > > *Why This Matters Beyond One Newspaper* > > Some may ask: > > Why obsess over one publication? > > Because institutions shape elite legitimacy. > > For decades, *The Hindu* influenced: > > - bureaucrats > - academics > - judges > - diplomats > - university students > - policy discourse > > Its editorial framing mattered because it helped define what respectable > opinion looked like. > > And respectable opinion in India often came with one unwritten rule: > > *Hindu civilizational confidence must always remain defensive.* > > But India changed. > > The internet democratized narratives. > Regional voices bypassed gatekeepers. > Young Indians stopped treating English-language editorials as scripture. > > And suddenly, institutions that once shaped opinion found themselves > reacting to it instead. > > Thanks for reading Mylapore Inquirer! Subscribe for free to receive new > posts and support my work. > > Top of Form > > Subscribe > > Bottom of Form > ------------------------------ > > *The Real Crisis: India Moved On* > > Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of *The Hindu’s* ideological posture > is that it increasingly feels historically stranded. > > India today is more: > > - aspirational > - culturally self-aware > - digitally decentralized > - impatient with elite moral lecturing > > People no longer automatically confuse pessimism with wisdom. > > The old establishment still writes as though India must constantly seek > permission from editorial boards before feeling civilizational pride. > > But outside those newsrooms, something changed. > > Temple restoration no longer embarrasses people. > Civilizational language no longer sounds fringe. > National integration no longer sounds sinister. > And “secularism” no longer automatically immunizes bad arguments from > scrutiny. > > This explains the growing frustration visible in elite commentary. > > The audience drifted away. > ------------------------------ > > *A Newspaper at War With Its Own Masthead* > > In the end, the greatest satire is existential. > > A newspaper named *The Hindu* spent decades reacting to Hindu > civilizational assertion with visible discomfort. > > That contradiction alone deserves a Netflix documentary. > > Imagine: > > - *The Vegetarian* campaigning against vegetables > - *The Economist* opposing economics > - *Sports Illustrated* condemning physical activity > > Yet somehow, India normalized this contradiction for years. > > Perhaps because old institutions survive long after their intellectual > credibility begins eroding. > ------------------------------ > > *Final Thoughts: The Republic Will Survive Editorial Disapproval* > > Critiquing *The Hindu* does not require blind support for governments, > parties, or movements. > > Democracies need scrutiny. > > But scrutiny without self-awareness becomes ideology. > > And ideology wrapped in moral superiority becomes propaganda wearing > spectacles. > > The Indian republic is not collapsing because Hindus seek cultural dignity. > Nor because temples are restored. > Nor because integration is debated. > Nor because historical grievances are acknowledged. > > If anything, India may finally be entering a phase where its > civilizational majority no longer feels compelled to apologize for existing. > > That is what unsettles old establishments. > > Not extremism. > Not fascism. > Not constitutional collapse. > > Confidence. > > And confidence is the one thing elite secularism never learned to tolerate > in Hindus. > > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX > > K RAJARAM IRS 18526 > > -- > On Facebook, please join https://www.facebook.com/groups/keralaiyerstrust > > We are now on Telegram Mobile App also, please join > > Pattars/Kerala Iyers Discussions: https://t.me/PattarsGroup > > Kerala Iyers Trust Decisions only posts : https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrust > > Kerala Iyers Trust Group for Discussions: > https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrustGroup > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "KeralaIyers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/keralaiyers/CAL5XZorPtBxa15-B4ZXdQTyA%3DgPwjxPyMt4ZecXkNKinrr0ntA%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/keralaiyers/CAL5XZorPtBxa15-B4ZXdQTyA%3DgPwjxPyMt4ZecXkNKinrr0ntA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CABC81Ze0cvwijNqMQHrB%3D18y%3DtLm3hSMYqhtJdDhft%2ByQqzcYw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CABC81Ze0cvwijNqMQHrB%3D18y%3DtLm3hSMYqhtJdDhft%2ByQqzcYw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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